Whiteknights
PO Box 217
Reading RG6 6AH

Tel 0118 378 6586

student.recruitment@reading.ac.uk

www.reading.ac.uk

Sunday Times ranking 31 (34)

Teaching excellence 51.6%

Student satisfaction 75.7%

Head teacher ranking 27= (27=)

Peer ranking 28= (39)

Research quality 69.4%

A/AS-level points 350

A-levels for entry 78.1%

Unemployment 6.8%

Firsts and 2:1s 71.3%

Student/staff ratio 17:1

Dropout rate 7% (10%)

World ranking 190=

Undergraduates 8,008 (2,055)

Postgraduates 1,961 (2,064)

Teaching staff 591

Applications/places 18,315/3,304; 5.5:1 (+0.3%)

Clearing entry 11.2%

Bursaries 33%: £330-£1,320

Scholarships Variable: £2,000

EU/overseas 4.4%/6.2%

Mature 13.9%

State school 84%

Lowest social classes 24%

Low-participation areas 8%

Live in 40% (95%) £65-£155

Few universities can boast among their planned upgrades the “installation of dairying equipment for 600 cows and a 50-point rotary parlour with fully automatic data capture, pollution control measures and water regulation compliance works”.

But agriculture does not have the profile in other universities that it does here, where a 2,000-acre commercial farm is part of the fabric and integral to the academic career of hundreds of students. Food science and soil science are just two of the 20 subjects for which Reading has excellent teaching assessments.

It is not common either for universities to have City-type dealing rooms on campus, but Reading is in the throes of expanding its International Capital Market Association Centre (ICMA Centre), which provides undergraduate, postgraduate and professional courses for the capital markets industry. By next September, it will include a 50-seat dealing room giving students live experience of working in an environment which could make them very wealthy on graduation.

Reading has made a name for itself in unusual areas; meteorology is another subject where it is among the leading lights nationally. Students can include a year studying in “Tornado Alley” in Oklahoma as part of their course programme.

Despite this apparent quirkiness, Reading offers all-round academic strength. More than four in five staff work in academic departments deemed to be of national or international repute. And the extent of teaching excellence covers science, the performing arts and the social sciences.

Students rate Reading highly; it has fared well in the first three national student surveys and a 320-acre parkland campus, coupled with proximity to a lively town centre, is a winning combination.

Last year, the one-third of undergraduates who got a state maintenance grant also gained a Reading bursary of between £330 and £1,320.

Open days September 29.

Student view Pete Jeffreys, students’ union officer:

USP We have a lot of tranquil green spaces.

Worst feature Be prepared to budget; housing can be pricey.

Location A leafy green campus half an hour from London.

Social scene Theme nights, comedy nights and club nights are complemented by larger events throughout the year.

Rated excellent (20) Allied health professions (speech and language therapy); archeology; communication and media (typography and graphic communication); drama, dance and cinematics; environmental studies (meteorology and soil science); food science; geography; geology; history of art, architecture and design; land and property management; maths, statistics and operational research; mechanical engineering; nursing; philosophy; physics and astronomy; politics; psychology; sociology; teacher training; town and country planning and landscape.

Degree of student satisfaction: 75.7%

English-based studies 82.9; Physical Geography and Environmental Science 82.0; Performing Arts 81.7; History and Archeology 81.1; Agriculture and related subjects 80.5; Physical Science 80.0; Biology and related Sciences 79.0; European Languages and Area studies 77.1; Philosophy, Theology and Religious studies 77.1; Law 77.0; Computer Science 74.5; Sociology, Social Policy and Anthropology 74.3; Teacher Training 73.9; Other Languages and Area studies 73.7; Politics 73.3; Finance and Accounting 72.6; Business 71.8; Psychology 71.8; Mathematical Sciences 71.0; Architecture, Building and Planning 69.3; Economics 69.0; Art and Design 68.0; Social Work 59.5

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