Assessments in both teaching and research have demonstrated an all-round strength that may have surprised those who knew Reading primarily for its highly regarded agricultural and environmental courses.

The university was ranked among the top 200 in the world in 2007 and previously achieved top scores for teaching in subjects as diverse as film, theatre and television studies, nursing, philosophy and psychology.

There have been good results, too, in the first three National Student Surveys, putting Reading in the top 20 for satisfaction levels.

English, the performing arts and physical geography and environmental science were the top performers in 2007.

Multimedia

• Good University Guide table

Related Links

• University of Reading

Multimedia

• University of Reading website

Subjects

Several of the successes came in subjects added when the university took in Bulmershe College, which provided a second campus near the original 320-acre parkland site on the outskirts of Reading. Facilities for meteorology, management, agriculture, archaeology and psychology were upgraded in the 1990s and the university continues to invest extensively in its infrastructure.

A new School of Pharmacy opened in 2005 and sports facilities have been extended. A multimillion pound student services building, providing a one-stop-shop for student support and welfare, followed in 2007. Reading was the only university established between the two world wars, having been Oxford’s extension college for the first part of the last century, but the attractive main campus now has a modern feel.

There are also 2,000 acres of university-owned farmland nearby for teaching and research in agricultural and plant sciences. The university’s location, a bus ride away from Heathrow Airport, and an international reputation in key areas for developing countries have always ensured a healthy flow of overseas students. The creation of a new business school, through a forthcoming merger with Henley Management College, should bring a further boost. Applications recovered in 2008 after two disappointing years.

Access

About one undergraduate in six is from an independent school and the proportion from areas without a tradition of higher education is among the lowest in the country, but the university is close to national averages for its subjects when its location is taken into account. The retention rate exceeds national norms, with just over 7 per cent of undergraduates who started courses in 2004 expected to leave without a qualification.

The university is involved with a number of centres of excellence in teaching and learning, including one focusing on career management skills. All undergraduates take career management skills modules that contribute five credits towards their degree classification. The online system, which has 200 web pages of advice, exercises and information, has been bought by 30 other universities and colleges. Sessions are delivered jointly by academics and careers advisors, with input from alumni and leading employers. Successes in the last Research Assessment Exercise were well spread.

Archaeology, English, meteorology, Italian and psychology were all rated internationally outstanding for the second time in a row, with 58 per cent of the academics entered for assessment placed in the top two categories of seven. The town – only a short walk from the campus – may not be the most fashionable, but it has plenty of nightlife and an award-winning shopping centre. It also offers plenty of temporary and part-time employment opportunities for students. London is easily accessible by train, but the cost of living is on a par with the capital.

Student scene

More than 4,500 residential places include a landscaped student village, while first-rate sports provision includes accessible rowing and sailing boathouses, scholar-ships and an academy. Teams have a good record in inter-university competitions and the campus has been chosen as a possible pre-Olympics training camp for basketball and fencing. Students praise the social scene, although the high proportion from the South East means that many go home at the weekends.

The large students’ union had a £500,000 refit in 2007, improving and extending its popular main venue. The union has been voted among the best in Britain, and has won numerous awards including Best Bar None status for encouraging safe drinking. Students who live in town can make use of the free night bus service to take them back into Reading.

Times recommends

• Degree classifications not fit for purpose says watchdog
• Five essential tips for your year abroad
• Are students killing television?