---
title: "Durham University vs University of Oxford: Which is searched more?"
description: "Is Durham University or University of Oxford 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-university-of-oxford"
publisher: "Brandwave"
---

# Durham University vs University of Oxford: Which is searched more?

Is Durham University or University of Oxford 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 University of Oxford
- **Competitive set**: Globally sought UK universities
- **Market**: Global
- **Month measured**: Sep 2026
- **Durham University Share of Search**: 9%
- **University of Oxford Share of Search**: 7.9%

## Is Durham University or University of Oxford more popular in search?

- In September 2026, Durham University had more branded searches than University of Oxford among globally sought UK universities worldwide. Durham University had about 201,000 branded searches, while University of Oxford had 177,000. Durham University made up 9% of all globally sought UK university searches we track, and University of Oxford accounted for 7.9%.
- The lead changed hands once in the 12 months ending September 2026: Durham University took it in 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, University of Oxford’s share of searches among globally sought UK universities worldwide moved from 10% to 7.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 216K to 177K.

## Top globally sought UK universities in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, University of Oxford 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. University of Oxford was listed before Durham University in every answer.

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, London School of Economics overtook University of Oxford to rank 3rd among globally sought UK universities worldwide, with 11% of the searches.
- In September 2026, University of Manchester overtook University of Oxford to rank 4th among globally sought UK universities worldwide, with 11% of the searches.
- In September 2026, Durham University overtook University of Oxford to rank 5th among globally sought UK universities worldwide, with 9% of the searches.
- In September 2026, University of St Andrews overtook University of Oxford and University of Cambridge to rank 6th among globally sought UK universities worldwide, with 9% of the searches.
- In September 2026, University of Oxford lost share of searches among globally sought UK universities worldwide, from 10.9% to 7.9%.

## Month by month

| Month | Durham University estimated searches | Durham University Share of Search | Durham University rank | University of Oxford estimated searches | University of Oxford Share of Search | University of Oxford rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Oct 2025 | 201K | 9.3% | 6 | 216K | 10% | 5 |
| Nov 2025 | 135K | 7.2% | 7 | 213K | 11.4% | 3 |
| Dec 2025 | 135K | 8.6% | 6 | 175K | 11.2% | 3 |
| Jan 2026 | 165K | 8.9% | 6 | 213K | 11.5% | 3 |
| Feb 2026 | 135K | 8.1% | 6 | 175K | 10.5% | 5 |
| Mar 2026 | 135K | 7.7% | 6 | 213K | 12.2% | 3 |
| Apr 2026 | 135K | 8% | 6 | 211K | 12.6% | 2 |
| May 2026 | 135K | 7.8% | 6 | 211K | 12.1% | 3 |
| Jun 2026 | 135K | 7.8% | 6 | 211K | 12.2% | 3 |
| Jul 2026 | 110K | 6.7% | 8 | 209K | 12.8% | 2 |
| Aug 2026 | 165K | 8.5% | 6 | 213K | 10.9% | 3 |
| Sep 2026 | 201K | 9% | 5 | 177K | 7.9% | 7 |

## How each brand is measured

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Durham University’s and University of Oxford’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”.
- **University of Oxford**: Measured on the search terms “oxford uni”, “oxford university” and “university of oxford”, summed into one figure.

- [Durham University profile](/demand/global-en/brands/durham-university)
- [University of Oxford profile](/demand/global-en/brands/university-of-oxford)
- [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 University of Oxford more popular in search?

In September 2026, Durham University had more branded searches than University of Oxford among globally sought UK universities worldwide. Durham University had about 201,000 branded searches, while University of Oxford had 177,000. Durham University made up 9% of all globally sought UK university searches we track, and University of Oxford accounted for 7.9%.

## Cite this page

Brandwave. "Durham University vs University of Oxford: Which is searched more?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/durham-university-vs-university-of-oxford

This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/durham-university-vs-university-of-oxford. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.