[HDNG]IN COLLEGE:[EHDNG][PARA][GRPH]A2[EGRPH][STAT][BULL] Catered: 59% [BULL] Cost: £63.66(27wks) [BULL] Self-catering: 4.5% [BULL] Cost: £37(52wks)[ESTAT][PARA][BOLD]Availability:[EBOLD] Almost all 1st years live in, 5% having to share[ITAL].[EITAL]  The 2nd years and finalists who live in don't often have to share, but demand is much too high and most are 'balloted out' (don't get a place in college).  Limited provision for couples.  Except St Mary's which is all-female, all accommodation is fully mixed.  [ITAL]Spectacular views can be seen through many a window and rooms in peninsula colleges and at Hild/Bede often have a lot of character.  As the University increases towards 7,500, a return to Durham's tradition of housing most students is unlikely.[EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Catering: [EBOLD]Living in means having to suffer or enjoy the variable standards of mass-catering ([ITAL]University College is the worst, Collingwood the best[EITAL]).  Except for the self-catering places (post-grads only), the shared kitchens are only just adequate for tea and toast.[PARA][BOLD]Amenities:[EBOLD] Launderettes; bars; libraries; chapels; common rooms; TV and games rooms; music rooms; some colleges also have halls and large theatre-style venues.[PARA][BOLD]Car parking:[EBOLD] Permit required for limited spaces at some colleges.[HDNG]EXTERNALLY:[EHDNG][PARA][GRPH]A2[EGRPH][STAT][BULL] Renting: 30% [BULL] Ave rent: £35[ESTAT][PARA][BOLD]Availability:[EBOLD]  [ITAL]It's difficult to find private housing for rent. [EITAL] Some choose to resort to the surrounding villages where rents are lower and places are more available.  What there is is in Victorian houses shared between about 3 and 5.  Avoid the Sherburn Estate. Car parking is as limited as the housing.  Cars are unnecessary and are the cause of much local tension, but many still bring them.[PARA][BOLD]Housing help:[EBOLD] DSU employs 1 part-time accommodation officer who runs an office with vacancy lists, standard contracts and so on.  St Cuthbert's Society gives a bit of a boost to its own students.