Royal Charter
The University of Reading operates under the terms of its Royal Charter granted in 1926.
A newly reformed Charter and accompanying Statutes and Ordinances were brought into effect on 1 August 2015.
The University's Charter, its core constitution, was drawn up when Reading became an independent institution in 1926. It constitutes the University as a legal entity and grants the power to award degrees.
The charter reform project was set up 18 months ago to ensure that the University has governance structures in place that will enable the institution to move ahead with its University Strategy (PDF - 2600 kb) and realise its ambitions for its centenary year, 2026.
An all staff consultation on the proposed new governance structures was carried out earlier this academic year, with the University's Council approving changes to the Charter, Statutes and Ordinances in March 2015. The last stage of approvals was given by Her Majesty the Queen at a Privy Council meeting held on 10th June 2015 at Buckingham Palace.