Brandwave

Durham University vs King's College London:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Durham University had more branded searches than King's College London among globally sought UK universities worldwide. Durham University had about 201,000 branded searches, while King's College London had 12,100. Durham University made up 9% of all globally sought UK university searches we track, and King's College London accounted for 0.54%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about globally sought UK universities, Durham University appeared in two of the five answers and King's College London in one. Durham University and King's College London were each mentioned first in one of the two answers that named either.

Among globally sought UK universities worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Durham University, about 17 searches for every 1 for King's College London

Durham University 201K searchesKing's College London 12.1K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Durham University, mentioned in 2 of 5 answers, King's College London in 1

Durham University in 2 of 5King's College London in 1 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Each is named first in 1 of 2 answers.

Durham University first in 1King's College London first in 1

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Top globally sought UK universities in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Durham University was mentioned in two out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. King's College London was mentioned in one out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Durham University and King's College London were each listed first in one of the two answers that named either.

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

+2 more

See every answer about globally sought UK universities

5 answers

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 21, 2026.

Is Durham University or King's College London more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Durham University and King's College London by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 12 globally sought UK universities we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Durham University and King's College London among globally sought UK universities worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Durham University, King's College London. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthUniversity of EdinburghUniversity of WarwickLondon School of EconomicsUniversity of ManchesterDurham UniversityUniversity of St AndrewsUniversity of OxfordUniversity of BristolUniversity of CambridgeUCLImperial College LondonKing's College London
Oct 202513.9%17%11.4%11.4%9.3%7.6%10%6.2%7.6%4.7%0.59%0.46%
Nov 202516.1%16.1%10.8%10.8%7.2%7.2%11.4%5.9%8.8%4.4%0.59%0.65%
Dec 202515.8%12.9%10.6%10.6%8.6%8.6%11.2%7%8.6%4.7%0.79%0.52%
Jan 202613.3%16.3%10.9%10.9%8.9%7.3%11.5%5.9%8.9%4.9%0.69%0.65%
Feb 202614.8%14.8%12.1%12.1%8.1%6.6%10.5%6.6%8.1%5%0.66%0.49%
Mar 202614.1%14.1%11.5%11.5%7.7%7.7%12.2%6.3%7.7%5.8%0.77%0.57%
Apr 202614.7%12%12%12%8%8%12.6%5.4%8%6%0.66%0.59%
May 202617.3%14.1%11.5%9.5%7.8%7.8%12.1%5.2%7.8%5.8%0.63%0.57%
Jun 202614.3%14.3%11.7%11.7%7.8%7.8%12.2%6.4%7.8%4.8%0.74%0.47%
Jul 202615.1%12.3%12.3%12.3%6.7%8.3%12.8%5.6%8.3%5.1%0.67%0.5%
Aug 202615.4%15.4%10.3%10.3%8.5%8.5%10.9%5.6%8.5%5.2%0.69%0.62%
Sep 202616.5%16.5%11%11%9%9%7.9%6.1%6.1%5.5%0.74%0.54%

How has the Durham University and King's College London comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

How did search popularity change for globally sought UK universities worldwide in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, Durham University overtook University of Oxford to rank 5th among globally sought UK universities worldwide, with 9% of the searches.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for King's College London worldwide rose 22.2% over 12 measured months, from 9.9K to 12.1K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

3 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Durham University’s and King's College London’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

Durham University

1 branded search term

  • durham university

King's College London

2 branded search terms

  • kcl university
  • king's college london

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among globally sought UK universities

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