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.
The University of Reading celebrated the 90th anniversary of its Royal Charter in 2016. The focus of the celebrations took place on Thursday 17 March 2016, which marked 90 years since the Royal Charter was granted on the same date in 1926.
Over the decades we have become innovators and pioneers, pushing academic boundaries and leading social change.
It has four major campuses. In the United Kingdom, the campuses on London Road and Whiteknights are based in the town of Reading itself, and Greenlands is based on the banks of the River Thames, Buckinghamshire. It also has a campus in Iskandar Puteri, Malaysia. The university has been arranged into 16 academic schools since 2016.
According to destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE), 2016 94%
of graduates in work or study within six months of graduating
Over£500m
capital investment in top-class teaching, research and student facilities over the last decade
3 Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE), 2016
98% of our research is of international standard. (Up 10% since 2008)
The University is now a four-time winner of the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher Education, winning in 1998, 2006, 2009 and 2012.
In 1989 the University of Reading became the first university to win the Queen’s Award for Export Achievement.
