More than 90 years of excellence

The University of Reading has been at the forefront of UK higher education for nearly a century. Over the decades we have become innovators and pioneers, pushing academic boundaries and leading social change.

We strive to create a stronger, better University, building on our past to create an exceptional future. Our four guiding principles form the foundation of our strategy: a genuine love of learning, creating new knowledge, embracing and celebrating diversity of people and ideas, and caring for our environment.

In 2016, we celebrated the 90th anniversary of the grant of our Royal Charter by King George V.

Founded in the 19th century as an extension College of the University of Oxford, Reading was the only University to be awarded a charter between the two world wars. Upon the granting of the Charter, Dr W. M. Childs became the University’s first Vice-Chancellor and students carried him through the grounds in celebration.

THE UNIVERSITY TODAY
The University of Reading is among the top 30 UK universities in world rankings (ranked 26th out of 103 UK universities featured in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024) and is home to 23,000 students from over 160 countries.

We offer a wide range of programmes from the pure and applied sciences to languages, humanities, social sciences, business and arts. New research and the latest thinking continually feed into our teaching, with our academic staff working at the forefront of their fields of expertise, and we remain one of the most popular higher education choices in the UK.