The University, established in 1904, is one of the largest higher education institutions in the UK. We are renowned globally for the quality of our teaching and research.
The strength of our academic expertise combined with the breadth of disciplines we cover, provides a wealth of opportunities and has real impact on the world in cultural, economic and societal ways.
The University strives to achieve academic excellence within an ethical framework informed by our values of integrity, equality and inclusion, community and professionalism.
Academic excellence
- Leeds is ranked in the top 100 universities in the QS World University Rankings 2020
- We were The Times and The Sunday Times’ University of the Year in 2017 and are currently ranked 13th in its Good University Guide 2020
- Our staff have been awarded 25 National Teaching Fellowships – more than any other university
- We are a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities
- We are part of the Worldwide Universities Network (WUN), which comprises 23 research-intensive institutions spanning six continents
- We are a top 10 university for research power in the UK according to the 2014 Research Excellence Framework
- We were awarded the Queen’s Anniversary prize, the country’s highest accolade for an academic institution, in 2009 and 2011
- In our latest audit by the Quality Assurance Agency the University received a commendation, the highest category of praise available, for our enhancement of student learning opportunities
Our University community
- We have more than 38,000 students
- - More than 35,000 full time students
- - More than 2,000 part time students
- Including:
- - More than 27,000 undergraduates
- - More than 10,000 postgraduates
- We have over 9,000 international students from more than 170 countries, including exchange students
- We have 3,500 student volunteers who contribute to local, regional and national projects
- We have a global network of alumni and are in regular contact with more than 269,000 alumni in more than 190 different countries
- We have 8,700 staff from more than 100 different countries
- We contribute £1.3 billion every year to the UK economy – students add close to £200m of international revenue into the City Region each year
- The latest High Fliers report, The Graduate Market in 2020, has ranked Leeds in the top 10 most targeted universities in the UK by graduate recruiters
Ranking
Leeds was ranked joint 19th (along with the University of St Andrews) amongst multi-faculty institutions in the UK for the quality (GPA) of its research and 10th for its Research Power in the 2014
Between 2014-15, Leeds was ranked as the 10th most targeted British university by graduate employers, a two place decrease from 8th position in the previous 2014 rankings
The 2016–2017 the Times Higher Education World University Rankings ranked Leeds as 133rd in the world. The university ranks 117th in the world in the CWTS Leiden Ranking.
Leeds is ranked 116th in the world (and 14th in the UK) in the 2016 Round University Ranking. Leeds has also been named University of the Year 2017 by The Times and The Sunday Times’ Good University Guide. In 2019, it ranked 150th among the universities around the world by
The university won the biennially awarded Queen's Anniversary Prize in 2009 for services to engineering and technology. The honour being awarded to the university's Institute for Transport Studies (ITS) which for over forty years has been a world leader in transport teaching and research
Awards
Leeds University Union (LUU) won the award for the Higher Education Students' Union of the Year at the NUS Awards 2009. In 2008, the union was voted runner up for the award of Higher Education Students' Union of the Year however did win first prize for Equality and Diversity.
In 2008, the Leeds University Union became the first student union to achieve Gold Status in the Students' Union Evaluation Initiative (SUEI). A feat only matched by the University of Sheffield Union of Students in mid 2010.
- Complete (2020):- 14
- Guardian (2020):- 10
- Times / Sunday Times (2020):- 13
- ARWU (2019):- 101–150
- CWTS Leiden (2019):- 101
- QS (2020):- 91
- THE (2020):- 153
- Teaching Excellence Framework:- Gold
