Established in 1845, the Royal Agricultural University (RAU) has been at the forefront of land-based education for more than 180 years; in 2025, RAU celebrated its 180th anniversary. The university is a key contributor to the agricultural and environmental sector.
The RAU is an institution with a rich educational heritage, utilising extensive industry connections to provide an innovative, forward-thinking approach to a range of land-based educational courses. Working closely with business leaders and employers, the RAU equips its students with the skills and knowledge necessary to build successful careers in the land-based sector.
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, the university's campus has a population of more than 1,000 students and offers some 30 programmes at foundation and honours degree level across four schools:
Alongside access to arable and dairy farms, woodland sites, and an equine centre, students benefit from an award-winning enterprise programme. This is supplemented by Farm491, RAU's agritech business incubator, created to encourage innovation in the sector.
Enjoyment is consistently noted by student reviewers as one of the recurring themes of their time at the RAU. Students praise both the high level of their educational and social experience while studying across RAU's 25-acre picturesque campus.
Read honest reviews from real students at this uni
4.04.32.8
3.8There are several farms located near the campus which provide students with an ideal field laboratory. Over 100 agricultural businesses generously allow students to learn from their activities and experiences including Coates Manor Farm, FWAGs GREAT Market Garden Project, and Fossehill Farm.
Students also enjoy access to Kemble Farms Ltd (a large dairy operation) and Leaze Farm (a 300-cow autumn block calving herd). The RAU's Equestrian Centre at Fossehill Farm supports students' equestrian education.
In addition to these specialised facilities, there are IT suites, a well-equipped library, the student hub, quiet spaces, laboratories, cafe, Tithe Barn, and a Chapel.
4.3There are up to 290 student rooms on the RAU campus, with both catered and self-catered facilities, as well as a mixture of en-suite and shared bathroom facilities available.
The university gym, launderette, cafe, bar and shop are all a short walk from the halls of residences. Campus accommodation includes Wi-Fi, housekeeping, car parking, and security.
Accommodation prices vary from £6,302 to £9,360 a year.
If students opt to live off campus, the university can offer assistance with finding letting agents and is also available to help signpost students to private rental accommodation in their second and third years.
The RAU provides a range of scholarships and bursaries for prospective undergraduate students, offering financial support to those who are eligible.
Bursaries
Scholarships
More detailed information about funding, including how to apply and eligibility, can be found on the RAU website.
Typical undergraduate fees at the Royal Agricultural University are as follows:
The Royal Agricultural University has a dedicated student fees team on hand to deal with any queries relating to fee statuses.
Courses at RAU are led by prominent academics working at the forefront of their fields. Operating in collaboration with business leaders and employers, RAU staff design and deliver innovative courses that prepare students with the critical skillset necessary to actively shape the future of the land-based sector.
83% of the RAU's final-year undergraduates surveyed by the 2022 National Student Survey (NSS) gave the university a score of 83% for the quality of the learning community – 15% higher than the national average for the UK.
Courses at RAU evolve year-on-year, with input from key industry advisors, to address the issues and technologies at the heart of the ever-changing land-based industries. This helps ensure that students are fully prepared to begin their career upon graduation.
Students can take full advantage of the fantastic industry contacts the university has to offer through a varied guest speaker programme, field visits and various work-based placements.
The agriculture and food curriculum at RAU actively responds to current and future issues through a focus on technological innovation, political policy and socio-economic issues. Teaching is supplemented by work placements, where students can put their learning into practice and make valuable industry contacts.
Students on real estate and land management courses join a powerful graduate network, which includes students who have gone on to work at major organisations such as Savills, Strutt and Parker, Knight Frank, Fisher German and Deloitte Real Estate.
Graduates from the full business degree courses receive dual accreditation from the Chartered Management Institute. Alumni of the RAC have gone on to pursue successful careers worldwide with companies including Mitsubishi Motors and Unilever.
Students on equine courses are taught by a team of industry-linked staff with a wealth of teaching experience. From a base in the Cotswolds, students are ideally positioned to take full advantage of world-leading sporting venues including Cheltenham Racecourse.
On environment, wildlife, conservation and heritage management courses, students are provided with the skills to manage a wide range of countryside, wildlife and rural heritage sites. Graduates have gone on to work for prestigious organisations such as The Wildlife Trust, National Trust, and RSPB.
The RAU's picturesque campus grounds are located within close walking distance to the bustling town of Cirencester, a thriving cultural hub which is surrounded by the beautiful countryside of the Cotswolds.
Cirencester offers students a diverse range of restaurants, unique boutique shops, pubs, and bars. The town is linked by good transport networks that provide access to Bath, Bristol, Oxford and Cheltenham. London is less than 90 minutes away from the town and served by a direct train service.
There are a range of sports, clubs and societies on offer to students. Sports clubs at RAU include football, netball, rugby, hockey, clay pigeon shooting, and horse riding. RAU Conservation Society, Real Estate Society, and Debate Society are but a few of the possibilities at RAU. Many of the RAU sports teams regularly compete in the British Universities and Colleges Sports League (BUCS).
3.8The students' union represents students at RAU and ensures that their voices and opinions are heard throughout the university's wider community. RAU's students' union runs events on campus, including a weekly sports night and club night, as well as a variety of balls which are renowned for booking top name acts.
4.1The Royal Agricultural University benefits from a close-knit community that provides students with a home away from home. Students are supported by personal tutors throughout their courses and are taught in small cohorts, allowing them to forge close professional connections with lecturers and other academic staff.
The Royal Agricultural University has a dedicated student support services team to help students during their time at RAU, as well as a student peer-to-peer support group. The support services team cover a range of needs including academic, physical and mental wellbeing, disability support, faith and more.
Peer support mentors are a team of current students who have been trained by the student support services team to offer help and guidance in all aspects of university life.
Students have been very positive about the level of support available to them in reviews of the RAU, particularly in regard to the ample support they receive from their tutors and the wider student support team.
4.3The RAU draws from a wealth of experience when designing and implementing its undergraduate courses. Academic staff work closely with leading business figures in the sector, providing students with the skillset necessary to prosper in land-based industries.
91% of undergraduates find themselves in employment or further study within six months of leaving the RAU (Destination of Leavers from High Education Survey, 2021).
Many of the courses at RAU are professionally accredited. Real estate and rural land management degrees are accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), while students studying for business management and enterprise degrees receive accreditation from the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), and Chartered Association of Business Schools (CABS).
In 2019, the RAU became just the sixth university in the UK to be made a Centre of Excellence by the Institute of Enterprise and Entrepreneurs (IOEE).
RAU graduates have gone on to a wealth of future careers throughout the land-based sector, with students progressing into jobs leading innovation and change in industry, informing future land-based policy and setting up their own businesses.
Students tend to rate their job prospects highly after studying at the RAU due to the close industry links the university provides.
4.2
