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.

In 2026 the University of Reading will celebrate the 100th anniversary of its university status. We have grown enormously during this time, in size and stature.

The University has approximately 4,000 staff from more than 90 nations, and is home to more than 23,000 students from around 160 countries. We are characterised by the core values of a love of learning, creating and sharing new knowledge, embracing and celebrating diversity of people and ideas, and caring for our environment.

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 academic staff working at the forefront of their fields of expertise.

We are a research-intensive university recognised for our expertise in areas such as climate science, business, agriculture, and food science. Our research is divided into four broad themes: Agriculture, Food and Health; Environment; Heritage and Creativity; and Prosperity & Resilience.

We have a global presence, with our Whiteknights and London Road campuses in Reading, Henley Business School in Henley and in Johannesburg, and the University of Malaysia in Iskandar. The University also has a number of international partnerships and collaborations with institutions in China, USA, Canada, Malaysia, Russia, Italy, Philippines, France, Australia, Thailand, the Netherlands, Singapore, Japan, South Korea and Greece.

We strive to create a stronger, better University of Reading, building on our past to create an exceptional future. We are ranked 205th in the QS World University Rankings 2021, placing us among the top 20% of world institutions ranked by QS, a position we have now held for six consecutive years. We are ranked joint 29th in the UK according to the THE World University Rankings 2020, joint 38th in the UK in the Times and Sunday Times Good University 2020, and 39th in the UK in the Complete University Guide 2021.

Our four guiding principles form the foundation of our Strategic Plan 2020–2026: • a genuine love of learning • creating new knowledge • embracing and celebrating diversity of people and ideas • caring for our environment.