Royal Holloway, University of London has always been pioneering from its formation from two colleges, each among the first places in Britain where women could access higher education (the novelist George Eliot was an alumna), to the Founder’s Building — a showstopper of Victorian architecture described by contemporaries as a “source of amazement”. Today it is a centre of excellence in cybersecurity research; the modern campus offers recording spaces; the Handa Noh Theatre is being fitted out with the latest in video production facilities; and the Emily Wilding Davison Building is to get a 24-seat gaming laboratory.
What is Royal Holloway’s reputation?
In an impressive performance by Royal Holloway in the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021), 88 per cent of its work was assessed as world-leading or internationally excellent, led by success in music, communication and media studies, and geography and securing the university 26= place in our research quality rating. There are 52 research centres across wide-ranging academic fields, from the Centre for Algorithms and Applications to the Centre for Workplace Research in Asian Societies. Royal Holloway is also the lead partner for the CoStar (convergent screen technologies and performance in real time) National Lab for research and development in creative technology — a £51.1 million investment by the UK government.
When rating Royal Holloway triple silver in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF 2023), assessors praised “the use of research in relevant disciplines, innovation, scholarship, professional practice and employer engagement to contribute to an outstanding academic experience”, judging it an outstanding feature. They also commended “very high quality teaching, feedback and assessment practices that are effective in supporting students' learning, progression, and attainment”.
Rates of student satisfaction are inside the top 50 (48th) for the broad experience but only inside the top 100 for students’ evaluation of teaching quality (91st), based on our analysis of the National Student Survey.
What degree courses have been discontinued and what new courses are available?
Royal Holloway’s redesigned business and management courses launched in September 2024 after a collaboration with industry partners to underpin them with a skills framework and add accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
The university has closed its maths degrees with French, German, Italian and Spanish from September 2024, as well as its degrees in molecular biology and environmental change; digital media culture and technology; management with corporate responsibility; drama with dance; performing and digital arts; English and Latin; classics with philosophy; English and American literature with an international year; modern languages with music; modern languages (multilingual studies); modern languages (multilingual studies) with international relations or philosophy; translation studies (and all joint honours degrees with translation studies); and the four-year integrated master’s degree in psychology.
What are Royal Holloway’s entry requirements — and my chances of getting in?
Standard offers range from CCC up to AAA, with a contextual offer policy up to two grades lower for applicants who qualify under a range of widening access criteria. There was record demand for places at Royal Holloway in 2023, with more than 21,300 applications and 3,800 undergraduates accepted on to courses.
What are the graduate prospects?
Royal Holloway’s employability framework, CVstac, aims to support students in identifying and building the 12 key skills around social intelligence, innovation and self-management required by employers, and is embedded into teaching to give students an edge in securing employment. Employer events run by the careers service include large-scale jobs fairs, meet-the-employer sessions and an annual diversity fair where employers committed to diversity in recruitment engage with Royal Holloway students.
Responses to the latest national Graduate Outcomes survey place the university in top half (46th up six places on last year) for the proportion of graduates in professional-level jobs or further study 15 months after finishing their degrees.
What is Royal Holloway’s campus like?
Based in Egham, Surrey, the leafy, spacious campus is about 40 minutes from central London. Striking though it is, the redbrick Founder’s building is not where most academic departments are housed; these have purpose-built facilities dotted around the campus.
The world-class SuperFab “cleanroom” in the physics department has advanced electronic nanofabrication equipment for research and development of the technology needed for medical imaging and quantum computers. The Beatrice Shilling Building, named after the pioneering British aeronautical engineer and amateur motor racing driver, houses the Department of Electronic Engineering. One of the department’s aims is to attract more female engineering students.
Royal Holloway has highly specialised facilities, including its own observatory and a recently opened £2 million drone hangar. The latter is part of the Omnidrome Research & Innovation Centre and provides a dedicated 895 sq m space for the development and testing of specialist air, land and water drones.
Everything you need to know about Royal Holloway’s student life and wellbeing support
The relatively sedate social scenes offered by Egham and nearby Windsor are sufficient for some students, while others prefer the commute into London for entertainment on a far livelier scale. With more than 80 teams and good facilities Royal Holloway enjoys a stronger sporting tradition than at some other University of London colleges. There is a fitness studio and multi-use sports hall on campus and outdoor facilities such as a 3G pitch and tennis courts near the Founder’s Building. The university also has the use of a boathouse on the Thames.
Societies cater to a range of interests and faiths. The Sikh society holds langar on campus — providing a free hot vegetarian meal — each year, while the Christian union puts on weekly coffee sessions for international students. Those who identify with the LGBTQ+ community can showcase their creative talents at an annual festival.
Art and cultural activities take place across the campus, including Department of Music performances that take place at the chapel, Windsor Auditorium and other locations. The Boilerhouse and the Caryl Churchill theatres provide space for students in the Department of Drama, Theatre and Dance, while the Department of Media Arts has dedicated film studios and editing suites. Recording studios are a new addition in the Boilerhouse. Concerts and recitals are a regular part of campus life and each summer the School of Performing Arts runs the week-long Play! festival.
A wellbeing department provides broad support — encompassing mental health, disability and neurodiversity. There is access to counselling as well as help with financial wellbeing, and the services of chaplaincy and faith support teams. Students can also count on the hall life team, personal tutors and university security.
What do the students say?
“One of the best things about Royal Holloway is its incredible campus with the beautiful Founder’s Building at its heart. For me, the highlight of university was the societies and sports clubs. I met like-minded people and made lifelong friends.”
Hannah Hockin, students’ union president and a biomedical sciences graduate.
What about student accommodation at Royal Holloway?
There are 2,812 study bedrooms for undergraduates. Entrants are guaranteed a place as long as they make Royal Holloway their firm choice and meet the application deadline. More than a fifth of rooms are catered.
How diverse and inclusive is Royal Holloway?
Nearly half of Royal Holloway’s student population is from an ethnic minority background and the university is 82nd overall in our social inclusion index, up one compared with our previous edition.
Everything you need to know about scholarships and bursaries at Royal Holloway
About three in ten UK undergraduates qualified for one of Royal Holloway’s bursaries in 2024. These include students from low-income households, care leavers and mature students from low-income households, with values ranging from £500 a year to £3,000 a year.
A range of scholarships are awarded competitively to recognise various academic, sport and music achievements. They provide cash awards or a reduction in tuition fees.
