--- title: "Durham University vs UCL: Which is searched more?" description: "Is Durham University or UCL more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Globally sought UK universities set worldwide. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/durham-university-vs-ucl" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Durham University vs UCL: Which is searched more? Is Durham University or UCL more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Globally sought UK universities set worldwide. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Compared**: Durham University and UCL - **Competitive set**: Globally sought UK universities - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Durham University Share of Search**: 9% - **UCL Share of Search**: 5.5% ## Is Durham University or UCL more popular in search? - In September 2026, Durham University had more branded searches than UCL among globally sought UK universities worldwide. Durham University had about 201,000 branded searches, while UCL had 124,000. Durham University made up 9% of all globally sought UK university searches we track, and UCL accounted for 5.5%. - Durham University was ahead of UCL in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Durham University’s share of searches among globally sought UK universities worldwide moved from 9.3% to 9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 201K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, UCL’s share of searches among globally sought UK universities worldwide moved from 4.7% to 5.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 101K to 124K. ## Top globally sought UK universities in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, UCL appeared in all five answers. 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. UCL was listed before Durham University in four out of five answers. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | University of Oxford | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | University of Cambridge | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Imperial College London | 3rd | 2 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | UCL | 4th | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | London School of Economics | 5th | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | University of Edinburgh | 6th | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | University of St Andrews | 7th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | University of Manchester | 8th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | University of Warwick | 9th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Durham University | 10th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | University of Bristol | 11th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | King's College London | 12th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about globally sought UK universities - Asked ChatGPT "Which UK university should I go to?": 1. University of Oxford, 2. University of Cambridge, 3. UCL, 4. University of Manchester, 5. University of Edinburgh - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best UK universities?": 1. University of Oxford, 2. University of Cambridge, 3. Imperial College London, 4. UCL, 5. University of Edinburgh, 6. London School of Economics, 7. King's College London, 8. University of Manchester, 9. University of Warwick, 10. University of Bristol, 11. University of St Andrews, 12. Durham University - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best UK university for an international degree?": 1. University of Oxford, 2. University of Cambridge, 3. Imperial College London, 4. UCL, 5. University of Edinburgh, 6. London School of Economics - Searched Google, AI Overview "uk universities": 1. University of Oxford, 2. University of Cambridge, 3. UCL, 4. Imperial College London, 5. University of Edinburgh - Searched Google, AI Overview "uk university ranking": 1. University of St Andrews, 2. London School of Economics, 3. Imperial College London, 4. University of Cambridge, 5. University of Oxford, 6. Durham University, 7. University of Warwick, 8. University of Bristol, 9. UCL, 10. University of Edinburgh Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in the United States on October 21, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for globally sought UK universities worldwide in September 2026? - In September 2026, Durham University overtook University of Oxford to rank 5th among globally sought UK universities worldwide, with 9% of the searches. - UCL’s share of searches among globally sought UK universities worldwide has gained ground for 3 months in a row, from 4.8% to 5.5% in September 2026. ## Month by month | Month | Durham University estimated searches | Durham University Share of Search | Durham University rank | UCL estimated searches | UCL Share of Search | UCL rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 201K | 9.3% | 6 | 101K | 4.7% | 10 | | Nov 2025 | 135K | 7.2% | 7 | 82.6K | 4.4% | 10 | | Dec 2025 | 135K | 8.6% | 6 | 73.6K | 4.7% | 10 | | Jan 2026 | 165K | 8.9% | 6 | 90K | 4.9% | 10 | | Feb 2026 | 135K | 8.1% | 6 | 82.6K | 5% | 10 | | Mar 2026 | 135K | 7.7% | 6 | 101K | 5.8% | 10 | | Apr 2026 | 135K | 8% | 6 | 101K | 6% | 9 | | May 2026 | 135K | 7.8% | 6 | 101K | 5.8% | 9 | | Jun 2026 | 135K | 7.8% | 6 | 82.6K | 4.8% | 10 | | Jul 2026 | 110K | 6.7% | 8 | 82.6K | 5.1% | 10 | | Aug 2026 | 165K | 8.5% | 6 | 101K | 5.2% | 10 | | Sep 2026 | 201K | 9% | 5 | 124K | 5.5% | 10 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Durham University’s and UCL’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**: Measured on the search term “durham university”. - **UCL**: Measured on the search terms “ucl london”, “ucl university” and “university college london”, summed into one figure. - [Durham University profile](/demand/global-en/brands/durham-university) - [UCL profile](/demand/global-en/brands/ucl) - [All globally sought UK universities worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/globally-sought-uk-universities): The set both shares are measured inside, 12 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Durham University or UCL more popular in search? In September 2026, Durham University had more branded searches than UCL among globally sought UK universities worldwide. Durham University had about 201,000 branded searches, while UCL had 124,000. Durham University made up 9% of all globally sought UK university searches we track, and UCL accounted for 5.5%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Durham University vs UCL: Which is searched more?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/durham-university-vs-ucl This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/durham-university-vs-ucl. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.