The benefits to our students

By studying with us, you see the benefits of a University of Reading experience in a number of ways including:

• Directly in relation to your course: including teaching, supervision and materials. Whether it’s through providing one-to-one supervision to help you settle into University life, supporting our teaching staff to continually develop teaching practices, or investing in technology to help in teaching, we are dedicated to staying at the forefront of teaching and learning developments.
• The wider university experience, including services and facilities: the Library facilities and study space; the high-spec SportsPark, which has helped produce some truly exceptional sport stars and can help you stay healthy; and the award-winning grounds to help you relax and unwind.

We’re investing in student mental health and wellbeing to provide an exceptional level of support so that students can fully enjoy and benefit from their time at Reading.

All new undergraduates benefit from our STaR mentoring partnership, and are able to speak to an existing student from their School well before they leave home.

Our award-winning CareersCentre, named ‘Best University Careers/Employability Service’ at the National Undergraduate Employment Awards 2018 will help you get a competitive advantage with your career, including:

• Placement opportunities
• Opportunities to study abroad
• Volunteering to learn new skills and gain valuable experience
• Campus Jobs to help you find useful work experience while you study
• Opportunities outside of your studies to develop employability skills like languages and entrepreneurship.
• A dedicated Research Development Programme helping PhD students prepare for careers in teaching and research.
• One to one guidance from Careers up to 18 months after graduating.

We work closely with the Reading Students' Union, run by students, for students, who represent our student community, to ensure that a student perspective is reflected in our decision making. This covers the full range of university life, like teaching, welfare, diversity initiatives and our environment.

Reading Students' Union’s School and Course Rep system provides students with an opportunity to represent their peers at course and school level, to attend Student Staff Liaison Committees and other events to share student feedback and work with staff to enact positive change.

In 2017, we launched the new £1 million Student Experience Capital Fund. This is a joint initiative with Reading Students' Union to improve student facilities and the student experience on campus. Projects approved so far include further investment to record teaching material, upgrade sporting facilities, and improve study and meeting space.

We continue to consult our Reading Students' Union officers in considering how the university provides value, and how we invest for the future.

The University of Reading is located around awarding-winning campuses in the UK and abroad, with our UK base in the heart of one of Berkshire’s largest towns and only 30 minutes by train to London.

As well as having teaching, learning and the student experience at our heart, we are also a research-intensive institution and funding for research is a big part of our income. Research forms a direct part of the learning experience of many undergraduate and postgraduate students, who work in partnership with staff on research projects, including through our Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme (UROP).

Students at both undergraduate and postgraduate level take an active role in our research work. But even if you are not directly involved, research has a positive impact on the quality of teaching. Students benefit from being taught by people who are at the cutting edge of their field, using their research insights and up-to-date knowledge to enhance their teaching and course materials.

University research also requires state-of-the-art facilities such as better laboratories, libraries and equipment, from which students also benefit. Our facilities include our herbarium, museums and special collections and nationally-recognised farms. which provide opportunities for hands-on teaching and research.