There’s space to breathe on Reading’s 300-acre Whiteknights campus, which has a lake, a meadow and woodlands, as well as academic facilities to support the university’s broad course offering. Students enrolled on its agricultural degree courses have access to 2,000 acres of Berkshire farmland nearby.
From its green setting, Reading has been spearheading environmental sustainability innovations — such as serving locally sourced food in the canteen and installing half a million pounds-worth of secure bike parking.
The university has also been recognised for its award-winning research and teaching in climate change. The new Global Sustainability Leaders Scholarship provides a generous £6,000 per year to up to 400 students (300 in 2025) with AAA at A-level (or AAB for contextual offer-holders). Scholars will also benefit from sustainability leadership and development opportunities and career support. Reading is the inaugural Times and Sunday Times University of the Year for Scholarships and Bursaries 2026.
King George V granted Reading its royal charter in 1926. One of the events to mark the university’s centenary in 2026 will be the opening of a new outdoor learning centre. With more than 180 societies and a big students’ union venue, the campus social calendar fills up fast. A 20-minute walk brings students to Reading town centre, and the Elizabeth Line makes visiting London a doddle.
What is the University of Reading’s reputation?
Archaeology, art and design, and earth systems and environmental sciences contributed some of the university’s best results in the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021). Overall, however, Reading fell nine places in our research quality index to 38=, because gains were greater at other institutions. Reading is in the top 200 universities in the world for the second year running, at 194th in the QS World University Rankings 2026.
Reading was rated silver in the government’s Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF 2023). Assessors commended its “use of research in relevant disciplines, scholarship, professional practice and employer engagement”. A year ago it took our Sustainable University of the Year award, and is fourth in the UK for its environmental and ethical performance, ranked by People and Planet 2024-25.
Reading entered the top 25 of our main academic league table last year, turbocharged by a rise in student satisfaction, which has since subsided. In our analysis of the latest National Student Survey, the university is 50th for the broad experience and 94th for satisfaction with teaching quality. Improvements to campus facilities and to teaching and learning are under way. The university is guiding students in using generative AI tools, and has expanded its Conversation Café, which helps international students with English-speaking skills.
Study abroad is encouraged and the university’s list of worldwide partners is long. Students can sign up for summer school or for a longer stint at its branch campus in Malaysia or at a partner institution in China.
What degree courses have been discontinued and what new courses are available?
Degrees in business and management accounting, including those with a placement year or year abroad, are ending in 2025, along with an integrated master’s in chemistry; and chemistry with a year in industry.
New for 2025 are BSc courses in sociology and sociology and criminology (both with a placement year); and real estate development and planning, as well as an expanded range of master’s degrees. From 2026, Reading will offer biomedical engineering with professional experience; and environmental science with a study year abroad.
What are the University of Reading’s entry requirements — and my chances of getting in?
Reading requires AAA for its integrated master’s course in applied psychology. The lowest requirements of CCD apply to agriculture and foundation courses. Contextual offers — typically two grades lower — made up a third of all offers in 2024. Applications to Reading continued their upward curve for the fifth year running and around one in five entrants (19.6 per cent) gained their place through clearing.
What are the graduate prospects?
Reading’s employer partnerships provide internships, placements, and live projects across sectors such as finance, technology, health and sciences, and construction. Links with key organisations include Enterprise Mobility, EY, Teach First, PepsiCo, and the Environment Agency, and these bear fruit with mentoring, guest lectures and recruitment initiatives. Another partnership, with Shinfield Studios nearby, gives students hands-on experience at a leading production facility through on-set visits and placements. The university is in the top 40 in our analysis of the Graduate Outcomes survey, with 80.4 per cent of Reading graduates being employed in highly skilled work or further study within 15 months.
What is the University of Reading’s campus like?
A £200 million development programme has included a revamp of the Palmer building, the main teaching facility, along with upgrades to several teaching and study spaces. A clinical simulation suite has been added to the facilities at Whiteknights, plus a new computer laboratory and extra architecture studios.
The £55 million Health and Life Sciences Building, opened in 2020, has one of the largest teaching labs in the UK, while the £40 million library renovation increased seating capacity. Reading’s renowned Centre for Dairy Research has a herd of 550 Holstein cows at the university’s 800-hectare farm at Arborfield. Its second riverside campus houses the Henley Business School, which runs postgraduate programmes.
When can I visit?
reading.ac.uk
Everything you need to know about the University of Reading’s student life and wellbeing support
More than 150 sports teams, clubs and societies are available, and the Reading Experience and Development (RED) awards promote one-off and long-term volunteering. The SportsPark — which is having a £1.9 million heat pump installed — has extensive indoor and outdoor facilities for activities including dance, yoga, badminton, squash and tennis. There are also three five-a-side football pitches, plus boathouses on the Thames and a sailing and canoeing club.
Three on-campus museums have collections relating to Greek archaeology, zoology and English rural life. Musical students have plenty of groups, choirs and orchestras to join, and everyone has the chance to learn a new language as an optional 20-credit module — or just for fun.
The popular 3sixty venue in the students’ union runs regular club nights, and the town itself has plenty to offer after dark. It’s also within easy reach of London. A number of new diversity and inclusion initiatives includes active bystander training and an LGBTQ+ allies course, and the university has added breastfeeding rooms on campus and a multifaith prayer room. The student wellbeing service provides access to counsellors, social workers, mental health nurses and counselling volunteers. Reading also runs psychoeducational “life tools” programmes.
What do the students say?
"Being a member of the SU allowed me to be part of the thriving community, where we have access to free advice services, over 180 societies, spaces to eat and drink and a 2,500+ capacity venue. There’s plenty of opportunities at Reading to create a home away from home and build a community on campus and beyond."
James Haxell, Reading student union president 2024-25, and accounting and finance with year abroad student
What about student accommodation at the University of Reading?
New undergraduates who apply by the end of August are guaranteed accommodation. Rooms are allocated by a “best match” algorithm rather than first-come, first-served.
How diverse and inclusive is the University of Reading?
More than 40 per cent of students are from black and ethnic minority backgrounds, putting Reading in the top half of UK universities for the diversity of its intake. It also has a relatively high proportion of disabled students (22 per cent, 32nd). Overall the university ranks 91= in our social inclusion index for England and Wales.
Everything you need to know about scholarships and bursaries at the University of Reading
In addition to the Global Sustainability Leaders Scholarship, there are 100 Vice-chancellor Global Scholarships awarded every year to international students, each worth £4,000, as well as sports scholarships of up to £2,000. The Reading Bursary, offered to students from low-income households, is worth up to £1,500. Other bursaries are available for students who have been in care or are estranged from their family, or have a disability.
