With the motto Ut vitam habeant — “So that they may have life” — the original institution that gave rise to the University of Leicester was founded in 1921 as a memorial to those who died in the First World War. It began awarding its own degrees in 1957 with the granting of a Royal Charter and pioneered DNA forensic science in the 1980s. Today medicine and dentistry students represent about one in ten of Leicester’s undergraduates and the university has opened the Stoneygate Centre for Empathic Healthcare which pioneers a new approach to medical education that puts empathy at its heart.

On campus the university’s award-winning students’ union is the only one in the country with its own O2 Academy. Nights out in town benefit from Leicester’s student-friendly size — not too big; not too small —  and relative affordability. 

What is the University of Leicester’s reputation? 

Research-intensive Leicester has introduced five new centres — tackling global challenges such as the climate crisis, futureproofing the cultural sector, harnessing the potential of space and researching new threats to our health — taking its total of research centres to 18. 

In the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021), 89 per cent of its work was assessed as world-leading or internationally excellent. Some of the best results were in clinical medicine; archaeology; sports science; and history, contributing to a rise of 11 places in our research quality index. Leicester sits at 26=, ahead of two of the 24 members of the research-led Russell Group, whose elite Leicester’s vice-chancellor, Nishan Canagarajah, would like his university to join. “Everyone looking at Leicester says, ‘This should be a Russell Group university,’” he said.

The astronaut Tim Peake opened Leicester’s £100 million Space Park research, innovation and industry hub in 2022, which has a rooftop observatory. The university has a longstanding commitment to space research and Space Park Leicester is forecast to contribute £750 million to Britain’s space sector over the next decade, creating 2,500 jobs in the East Midlands. 

Soaring rates of student satisfaction are now added to Leicester’s credentials: in our analysis of the National Student Survey, Leicester ranks 11th for student satisfaction with the wider undergraduate experience (up 51 places year-on-year) and 54th for their feelings about teaching quality (up 40 places). These are encouraging signs for the success of Leicester’s campus master plan. So too is Leicester’s gold rating in the latest Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF 2023).

Leicester has formed a new partnership with Apollo Hospitals Group to offer a computer science undergraduate degree in which students spend their first two years at the Apollo University in Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh, India, and may then study for their final year and graduate at Leicester.

What degree courses have been discontinued and what new courses are available?

New from September 2024 are four-year integrated master’s degrees in pharmacy and actuarial science. Electrical and electronic engineering is being introduced as a three-year BEng as well as a four-year integrated master’s course. From September 2025 Leicester launches biomedical engineering – again with both three- and four-year options, plus journalism and marketing. The university has not discontinued any degrees in 2024 or 2025.

What are the University of Leicester’s entry requirements – and my chances of getting in?

Degree courses require a minimum of CCC at A-level, up to A*AA. Contextual offers benefited 6 per cent of 2023’s new entrants, who were offered a discount of up to two A-level grades below standard — to a  minimum of BCC. Applications and enrolments were at record levels in 2023, when more than 27,000 applied to Leicester and almost 5,000 new first-years were accepted on to courses. Nearly three in ten (29 per cent) gained their places through clearing.

What are the graduate prospects?

The university seeks to include work experience opportunities for students in all of its degree courses through partnerships with graduate employers. Advisory boards help align the university’s degrees with industry norms. Leicester’s endeavours to boost employability have produced a three-place rise in our analysis, to reach 35=, based on the proportion in highly skilled jobs or postgraduate study within 15 months.

What is the University of Leicester campus like?

The compact campus next to Victoria Park, a mile south of the city centre, is in the second phase of a £500 million modernisation project. The imposing Georgian architecture of the Fielding Johnson Building, where the Law School is based, contrasts with modern academic and residential blocks. 

At the Brookfield satellite campus, a few minutes from the School of Business, there are lecture theatres, a trading room and breakout areas for students. International students based at the Global Study Centre nearby have access to the full range of campus facilities.

The Leicester International Institute/Dalian University of Technology, based in Panjin in China, about 200 miles from Beijing, offers degrees taught in English in chemistry, mechanical engineering and mathematics. 

What about student accommodation at the University of Leicester?

Leicester’s guarantee is unambiguous: all students who apply before September 1 will get a space in halls. Prices range between £77 a week (80 rooms) and £263 a week (20 rooms). None of the accommodation is catered. 

Everything you need to know about the University of Leicester’s student life and wellbeing support

There are more than 200 clubs and societies. Both of the university’s sports centres have a gym, swimming pool, spa, sauna and steam room, and studios. The campus centre also has a sports hall and there are floodlit tennis courts, all-weather courts and rugby pitches at the Stoughton Road playing fields in Oadby. 

Student life in Leicester has plenty to recommend it, entering the QS top 100 best student cities in their 2025 listings at 94=. The city boasts one of the biggest Diwali celebrations outside India — with 6,500 lights along Belgrave and Melton roads. 

The university has its own Botanic Garden, stretching over 16 acres and including an arboretum and glasshouses. The Attenborough Arts Centre has the largest contemporary gallery in Leicester and offers performances, courses and workshops.

Students who need help have access to an internal wellbeing team and a 24-hour phone line. Anyone in crisis or managing a long-term condition can turn to counsellors, mental health advisers and workshops. Leicester collaborates with the NHS, local government and voluntary sectors to achieve a “suicide safer” environment.

What do the students say?

“Leicester is one of the most diverse and vibrant cities in the UK, and our university is no different. Our 02 Academy on campus hosts gigs and live events as well as our student night every Wednesday. There are free breakfasts for students during term times and the library is available 24/7.”
Archie Robinson, students’ union president and politics and international relations graduate

How diverse and inclusive is the University of Leicester?

Two thirds (64.4 per cent) of students are from black and ethnic minority backgrounds (putting the university in 11th place) and the achievement gap with white peers is closing (minus 6.5 per cent, ninth). Leicester ranks 65th for social inclusion overall in England and Wales. To widen access, there is a range of progression programmes such as Pathways to Law and the in-house AccessLeicester: Medicine and AccessLeicester: Maths.

Everything you need to know about scholarships and bursaries at the University of Leicester

Awards include the Citizens of Change scholarship, which asks applicants to record and share a video of up to 60 seconds responding to the question, what do you want to change? Students with the best videos are awarded fee discounts of £2,500 for the first three years of their course. The Freeths legal scholarship  (£4,000 a year) is for students from low-participation areas. Mature students (over 21) can qualify for a one-off payment of £1,000.

Leicester also offers two sanctuary scholarships each year covering fees and support for asylum seekers and from 2025 is offering a merit scholarship for international students, worth £3,000 or £5,000 per year (depending on grades).