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The overall ranking is decided by students from this institution rating them in a 2026 Whatuni review. This forms the basis of the Whatuni Student Choice Awards (WUSCAs for short).
4.03.93.7557 Student reviews
Sort:Latest reviews18-24 years
First gen student
The campus is beautiful and easily accessible, and student support is incredible and quick with a lot of consideration for context and personal issues. The union is democratic and interactive, and provides many facilities for positive student life.
The community on campus is everything and more and it’s very much easy to get to London from campus, everyone’s friendly and the lecturers make it super easy for everyone
The student union is great, but I feel like the support is lackluster as it sells a dream instead of a reality.
Uni of Reading has a really nice campus with plenty of green space and is in a nice area of Reading that is a short walk to town, student housing is also right next to campus so easy to do for second and third year. Has a really nice library thats great for getting work done and Wednesday night union on campus is great. Accommodation on and off campus is very expensive however and in general student life is more expensive here that at other unis.
Amazing uni, great social life and the course is fascinating as well. Highly recommended
its chill
Fun and supportive
Great campus and student support, especially the careers team are really helpful. Accommodation is unreasonably expensive.
The sustainable drive of the University - Reading Uni is well known for being drivers for environmental change whether that be the stunning green campus, running on renewable energy, leaders in environmental research, and opportunities for the new Global Sustainability Leaders Scholarship. Given my course, the fact the Uni aligns the same principles of positive environmental change was important to me. Often overlooked, but the connectivity of Reading by bus is incredible. It makes shopping, evenings out, and just generally getting out and about really easy as a university student who can't keep a car on campus. The Library is large and really well equipped for study, group projects, and a social café downstairs (although the PCs need drastic improvements to run our GIS software in the Library). The social life on campus - whether you drink or not (like me) there is something for everyone, there are so many wonderful societies to choose from to join (or even run). I have met so many wonderful people through societies - in fact the general vibe of Reading students and staff is so positive and welcoming. In terms of improvements - more student events other that just societies and clubbing would be nice (eg. open mic nights). Some buildings on campus do look a little run down, and other universities do have more advanced facilities than in Reading, but none as green :)
It feels like they prioritise being the university sometimes and less about the students. I have asked for green paper in exams, spot tests and normal practicals multiple times and still not received.
The green campus, the facilities
The University of Reading is a beautiful campus. The Whiteknights Lake surrounded by the trees, is a perfect place to walk around in between lectures. There are many study spaces where I enjoy sitting and working on assignments as well as coffee shops and snack shops that get me through the day. One of the greatest parts of the University of Reading is its proximity to town, as well as the bus transportation system that can be relied on, regardless of time. The University offers a multitude of support systems and communication teams for any question a potential student or an studying student may have. For the people who do not enjoy going clubbing in town, the Student Union is a short distance away from almost all of the accomodations and for a more chilled night, Park Bar and mojo's are the perfect places to visit with your friends. My favourite part of the University of Reading is the courses. I study history, and I feel it has opened up lots of opportunities for me. The dedication for preparing me for my future career is something I appreciate greatly within the department of History and most importantly the involvement of all the staff in ensuring a student success. The worst aspect of my university experience is finding a second-year accommodation. Although student accommodation is available, I find it to be unaffordable. Furthermore, a lot of the houses in Reading face issues daily and have unreliable landlords. Something that can be improved is ensuring the student has knowledge of the accommodation options available and basic knowledge of bills. Another thing I have experienced is the business of the library during exam season, making it sometimes difficult to find somewhere to sit and study.
Generally, the facilities on offer are well designed and accessible. The distance of the university from London makes it fairly attractive, and the campus is among the more unique offerings across the UK. I found some sports societies to be a little on the expensive side, and having had to commute for part of my time as a student, the student life aspect hasn't always been the best or most exciting.
Best: good facilities and support Worst: Timetabled rooms often change week to week. Not as many events as other universities. Can be expensive
Wonderful green campus. Lots of events out on for students. Easy to get to. Staff are very friendly and supportive.
BEST: -very sociable, library great for group and independent study WORST: -meal plan
Great community, good student support
The campus is lovely and green and the majority of staff are super helpful
The campus is amazing given the size and greenery are so nice in the summer especially just to walk through when you are stressed in exam season. The library is also huge and offered ample sports for both group and independent study. The lecturers are generally great The only thing is it can be difficult to get a full food shop in person as the campus is so large you are far away from supermarkets.
4.2
18-24 years
My favourite thing is how the depth and breadth of what the Careers Service can do for you. I've gone to many events and love how hands on they are. They offer workshops, insight presentations and personalised 1-2-1 appointments which have made me feel more reassured when it comes to my prospects! I also love the location and the campus, it's so reassuring in a way, the campus is safe and relaxing to walk through and I love how green it is. I will say the town is pretty average, but London is really close and its a big perk to be able to go out there, as there's not loads to do in the Reading centre, but all your necessities can be found there. The student union is great, really fun. They put on lots of nights with various themes and it's a great place to go on Wednesday nights.
My lecturers at least are incredibly passionate and that filters through in their teaching. Its always good to have a teacher that is involved so the content is delivered in an engaging manner making it a pleasant experience to go to. I like the amount of content hours we have, I get an equal amount of time studying French Culture as I do French language and I appreciate this balance so it never feels overwhelming.
I love my room. I'm very pleased to have got my first choice. Even from the photos on the website I got a sense of how actually nice Wantage would look and feel. My room is spacious which is great, and the location isn't too bad at all. There's definitely closer accomodation but Wantage has that old charm to it that makes it worth it and a pleasant place to stay. The facilities are cleaned regularly, but I also use the hoover the cleaner's leave out to hoover my room to make it the best it can be. There's a fair amount of storage, I have room under my bed, a small but decently sized wardrobe, a cupboard above my bed, some shelves on the wall and a bedside table. I really like this as it allows me to keep everything tidy and to not have any clutter lying around. The temperature is always as you'd like it, I often leave my window open for a breeze but in the colder months the radiator works great and is quite efficient. I actually really don't want to switch my room at the end of the year, I wish I could keep this one!