Durham University（杜伦大学）entry requirements for Chinese students (2027) — minimum average mark, university list tiers and programme extras
For its 2027 intake, Durham University（杜伦大学）sets master's entry requirements for applicants holding a Chinese bachelor's degree as a weighted average percentage that depends on which band your home university falls into. There is no single university-wide number: the published material works from four bands — A, B, C and "All others" — and each band carries a different threshold for Business School (DUBS) and Law, for Engineering, and for the rest of the university.
Here is the band structure itself, in Durham's own terms:
| Durham internal band | DUBS / Law | Engineering | Rest of University |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 0.75 | 0.75 | 0.75 |
| B | 0.8 | 0.75 | 0.75 |
| C | 0.82 | 0.75 | 0.8 |
| All others | 0.85 | 0.8 | 0.82 |
| Music Conservatories | 0.78 | 0.78 | 0.78 |
So the headline answer depends on which column your target programme sits in. The DUBS/Law column carries the widest spread — 75 at Band A up to 85 for everyone else. Engineering holds 75 across bands A, B and C, then steps to 80. The rest of the university moves 75 → 75 → 80 → 82.
How the university list tiers work
The percentages above are not applied by you. They arrive pre-assigned. Durham's 2027 list publishes each recognised Chinese institution on a numbered row, and that row already carries its band plus its three column values.
A row reading 75 | 75 | 75 | A means Band A: 75% for DUBS and Law, 75% for Engineering, 75% elsewhere. A row reading 80 | 80 | 82 | All others means 80%, 80% and 82% respectively, and that its band is "All others".
The list is long — the published material runs well past a hundred named institutions and is explicitly truncated in places — so do not treat any secondary summary of it as complete. Work from the row that carries your own university's name and Chinese name.
The music route is separate. Durham states it will consider applicants from a named group of Chinese conservatories — Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Shenyang Conservatory of Music, Xi'an Conservatory of Music, Wuhan Conservatory of Music and Sichuan Conservatory, among others — at a minimum of 78%, with a portfolio required.
Programme-specific extras
A band percentage is a floor, not the whole application. Some programmes add requirements of their own, and the published material mentions GMAT-style admissions tests and interviews as part of certain routes. Which programmes carry which extra, and at what score, is not set out in this material. Check the university's own pages, which take precedence, on the specific programme entry requirements.
Study modes Durham will not accept
This is the part that catches applicants out, and it is stated as a flat exclusion rather than a tier question. Durham does not accept applications from:
- Online distance education degrees
- Night school (夜校) qualifications
- Adult education (成人教育) degrees
- Self-study examination (自考) degrees
- Domestic 专升本 degrees — that is, a three-year diploma at one Chinese university followed by a two-year undergraduate stage at another
If your qualification fits any of these shapes, the band percentage is irrelevant.
Joint and cooperative programme backgrounds
Different rules apply depending on how your degree was structured:
- 4+0: Durham refers to its recognised list of partner Chinese universities. Any institution on that list may submit an application.
- 2+2: Durham takes the final two years overseas as the primary basis, with the first two years as a secondary reference.
- 3+1 exchange student: Durham mainly refers to the grades achieved at your Chinese university; the exchange period counts only as a reference.
- 3+1 dual degree: Durham recognises the application eligibility of 3+1 dual-degree applicants. Submission details are set out in Durham's own material — check the university's own pages, which take precedence.
Where to verify each figure
Every percentage above comes from Durham's own 2027 admissions material, and every one of them is conditional on the band Durham has assigned to your institution. Before you rely on a number:
- Find your university on Durham's 2027 list.
- Read the band label on that row.
- Read the three column values on that same row.
- Match those values to the column for your target programme.
Durham University appears at position 85 in the QS World University Rankings 2027.
Nothing here is a prediction of an offer. Durham's own pages carry the current and authoritative version of these rules and take precedence over any summary, including this one.