90 years of excellence
Receiving our Charter – 1926
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.
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.
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THE UNIVERSITY'S COAT OF ARMS
The arms of the University of Reading were granted on 7 August 1896 when the newly incorporated University Extension College at Reading was still part of Oxford University. This was thirty years before it was granted a Royal charter and became a university in its own right.
On the lower portion of the shield is the Lancaster Rose that forms part of the arms of the Royal County of Berkshire. This is set on an engrailed cross (indented along the edge with small curves) derived from the arms of Christ Church Oxford, to whose initiative the Extension College owed its foundation. The arms of Christ Church were those of Cardinal Wolsey who in 1525 founded Cardinal College, later renamed as Christ Church by Henry VIII in 1546.
The three scallop shells on the upper part of the shield had been the arms of Reading Abbey founded in 1121 and their presence serves as a reminder that the first college was once part of the Abbey.
It is also possible that the scallop shells, a symbol of a pilgrim or 'palmer' might allude to the arms of the local family, the Palmers. Walter Palmer, son of the co-founder of the Huntley and Palmers biscuit firm that came to Reading in the 1840s, was the first President of Reading University Extension College and the family has been and remain benefactors of the University today.
Our campuses
These include Whiteknights, Greenlands, London Road, and our new campus in Malaysia.
The historic University campuses are a testimony to its heritage. The London Road site in central Reading was donated in 1904 by the Palmer family of Reading biscuit manufacturers Huntley & Palmer. London Road is now the new home of the Institute of Education.
Our main campus, Whiteknights, was purchased in 1947 and is the former home of the Marquis of Blandford. It is a beautiful 130 hectare country estate with conservation meadows, a lake and a collection of rare trees. The campus features several listed buildings. One of the most attractive is Foxhill House, built in 1869 by architect Alfred Waterhouse: designer of the Natural History Museum.
Greenlands, the beautiful Thameside campus and former country residence of W. H. Smith, became the University’s latest campus following the merger with Henley Management College in 2008. The merger created Henley Business School, one of the largest full-service business schools in Europe. It is now consistently ranked among the world’s top 50 business schools.
After successfully educating international students for more than a century, the University of Reading is now establishing its first overseas campus in Malaysia. This signifies an important milestone in our ongoing expansion and is a natural extension of the particularly close ties we have enjoyed with Malaysia over the years.
Our main campus, Whiteknights, was purchased in 1947 and is the former home of the Marquis of Blandford. It is a beautiful 130 hectare country estate with conservation meadows, a lake and a collection of rare trees. The campus features several listed buildings. One of the most attractive is Foxhill House, built in 1869 by architect Alfred Waterhouse: designer of the Natural History Museum.
Greenlands, the beautiful Thameside campus and former country residence of W. H. Smith, became the University’s latest campus following the merger with Henley Management College in 2008. The merger created Henley Business School, one of the largest full-service business schools in Europe. It is now consistently ranked among the world’s top 50 business schools.
After successfully educating international students for more than a century, the University of Reading is now establishing its first overseas campus in Malaysia. This signifies an important milestone in our ongoing expansion and is a natural extension of the particularly close ties we have enjoyed with Malaysia over the years.
The University today
The University of Reading is among the top 30 UK universities in world rankings (ranked 26th out of 107 UK universities featured in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2025) 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.
Research
In 1972, Reading was the first British university to integrate an industrial Research and Development Group on its campus.
Reading is now one of the foremost research-led universities in the UK.
The University features more than 50 research centres, many of which are recognised as international centres of excellence in areas including agriculture, biological and physical sciences, European histories and cultures, and meteorology.
Our five research themes
Our research is structured around five themes:
Our five research themes are completely open-ended and overlapping. They identify core areas of research strength at Reading.The distinct approach we use crosses traditional boundaries, and enables us to grow innovation and deliver both impactful and curiosity-driven research. It enables our academics to address those global challenges facing society, business and the environment that require knowledge and skills from across the Arts, Humanities, Social, Physical and Natural Sciences to be drawn together.
awards
The University is now a five-time winner of the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher Education, winning in 1998, 2006, 2009, 2012 and 2021.
In 1989 the University of Reading became the first university to win the Queen’s Award for Export Achievement.
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Subjects A-B
Subjects C-E
Subjects F-G
Subjects H-M
Subjects N-T
Subjects U-Z
Subjects A-C
- Accounting
- Agriculture
- Ancient History
- Archaeology
- Architecture
- Art
- Biological Sciences
- Biomedical Sciences
- Business (Post-Experience)
- Business and Management (Pre-Experience)
- Classics and Ancient History
- Climate Science
- Computer Science
- Construction Management and Engineering
- Consumer Behaviour
- Creative Enterprise
- Creative Writing
Subjects D-G
- Data Science
- Dietetics
- Digital Business
- Ecology
- Economics
- Education
- Energy and Environmental Engineering
- Engineering
- English Language and Applied Linguistics
- English Literature
- Environmental Sciences
- Film, Theatre and Television
- Finance
- Food and Nutritional Sciences
- Geography and Environmental Science
- Graphic Design
Subjects H-P
Subjects A-B
Subjects C-E
Subjects F-G
Subjects H-M
Subjects N-T
Subjects U-Z
We are in the process of finalising our postgraduate taught courses for 2026/27 entry. In the meantime, you can view our 2025/26 courses.