Reading
161 Reviews by Students #40 out of 172 University locations
.jpg)
Student-friendly town, with the ability to meet costs of modern living. Great internal transport as well as different ways of getting to the capital in under half an hour
By member1384783 On 24th April 2023
Study in Reading
University of Reading has three campuses in and around Reading. Whiteknights campus is the main campus set in beautiful parkland with the Student’s Union, Library, two museums and much more on-site.
Image Credit
University of Reading
University of Reading was founded in 1892 and is today home to 19,000 students from over 150 countries. They offer a wide range of programmes that include pure and applied science, languages, humanities, social sciences, business and arts. Their reputation for teaching has been recognised with a silver rating from the Teaching Excellence Framework.
Study in Reading? Review your location
Reading Student Life
Reading has seen a real improvement in the last 20 years which has made it a vibrant and diverse place to both live and study. It offers everything from great shopping, lovely green spaces and excellent transport links to London and the rest of the UK.
Cost of Living
Same price as London…
Annoying cause it’s pretty much the same price as London. But we don’t get the same finance
As it's near London…
As it's near London you can expect the cost of living in Reading to be more than it would be nearer the north.
Although its a fairly expensive city to live in…
Although its a fairly expensive city to live in, you can understand why when looking at the range of shops, clubs, bars and how easy it is to get between all of these.
Living is quite expensive…
Cons? living is quite expensive but in line with southern prices in general
Image Credit
Nights Out in Reading
The Student Union’s night club 3sixty is a favourite for Reading students on Wednesday and Saturday nights. Drinks are cheap and if you live in halls on campus you’ll have the perk of a very short walk home! Other popular nightclubs in the town centre are Lola Lo, The Purple Turtle and Q Club.
Public Transport
Usually consistent…
The public transport is usually consistent, but the student buses tend to be crowded.
Easy to get around…
Easy to get around by bus
Plenty of buses running regularly…
Plenty of buses running regularly, as well as Reading Station which is well connected to the rest of the England. Also only about 30 mins away from Heathrow airport if you need to fly, so can't fault the public transport.
Multiple train routes…
Reading is a great town because it is accessible from most places due to being a station along multiple train routes.
Eating Out
Image Credit
You’ll find all the well-known restaurant chains at The Oracle which is a riverside shopping centre. Think Bill’s, Nando’s, Franco Manca and Wagamama and make sure to check for student discount codes before you head out.
Image Credit
Coffee Under Pressure is an independent coffee shop that has two cafes in the town centre. They are passionate and knowledgeable about coffee and serve tasty baked goods too. It’s an ideal spot to meet friends or take your books for a change of scenery from the library.
Image Credit
There’s a whole host of restaurants and cafes around University of Reading campuses. There are options for when you need a quick bite to eat between lectures or a relaxed dinner after a hard day’s work. A few favourites are The Diary, Park Bar and Park Eat.
Image Credit
There are two big shopping centres called the Oracle and Broad Street Mall and there is the main high street between them, you can expect all the big names in retail to be here. There are also independent stores and boutiques around town which are certainly worth exploring.
Days Out
Image Credit
It takes 35-minutes by train to get into London with multiple trains going every hour. Head out for a day of sightseeing, shopping or visiting famous museums and galleries. In the evening you are spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing where to eat and nightlife spots!
Image Credit
If you are a fan of roller coasters then a day trip to Thorpe Park is a must do, especially as it is home to the fastest roller coaster in the UK! You can be there in just under an hour by car or just over an hour by train.
Image Credit
Sports fans will be happy to hear that Reading has a state-of-the-art multi-sports stadium, which has a capacity of 24,000. It is home to Reading FC and London Irish rugby union club and is just a 20-minute bus ride from Reading town centre.
Image Credit
Famous for its annual rowing regatta on the River Thames, Henley is a beautiful market town to explore. If you can’t make the regatta festivities it is a great day out at any time of the year, thanks to its quintessential charm and pretty surroundings. It is just 30-minutes by train, making it an easy trip when you need some time away from the books.
Image Credit
Reading Festival is one of the best-known festivals in the UK, with over 87,000 fans flocking to see some of the biggest names in music. You can get day tickets or pack a tent and get a ticket for the whole weekend.
Top 10 Reading Accommodation
Read Reading Reviews
Good experience h...
Good experience here compared to others read more
It’s not a bad to...
It’s not a bad town just not many things read more
Cost of living is...
Cost of living is very expensive compared to cities I’ve lived in such as Leicester and Nottingham. read more
Reading is beauti...
Reading is beautiful town and very nice read more
Pretty bang avera...
Pretty bang average town but does the job read more
It is convenient...
It is convenient to travel, the urban environment is good, and it is very safe read more
Very good town to...
Very good town to live in because it’s not to busy read more
Close location to...
Close location to places I need to be read more
The shopping here...
The shopping here is so amazing and so are the clubbing nights read more
I love going to e...
I love going to eat out with my friends read more
Great public tran...
Great public transport, lots of places to eat read more
The bus service h...
The bus service here is unmatched !! read more
Really fun and ev...
Really fun and everything is accessible read more
Peaceful small to...
Peaceful small town for people to live read more
It’s good ok but...
It’s good ok but can be better read more
Absolut wonderful...
Absolut wonderful staff and living conditions read more
Great place to li...
Great place to live, loved it so far this year read more
Easy to get aroun...
Easy to get around. Plenty of places to go outside of the university read more
Coming from a sma...
Coming from a smaller town I really like Reading and what it has to offer. Great transport links to other cities and it is a nice place to live. Shops could be better and there is always road works which is annoying as this prevents buses running as regularly! read more
I love Reading, l...
I love Reading, love all the places and the people here. read more
Bus very regular...
Bus very regular and £3.20 all day tickets. Clubs on small side but still good night out. Shopping 10/10- the best primark. read more
Reading is a grea...
Reading is a great town, pretty and local to the uni. Although there is a small range of clubs, Lola los is great. Unfortunately me and other girls I know have had issues in Q club, we have a few other options which is nice read more
Student-friendly...
Student-friendly town, with the ability to meet costs of modern living. Great internal transport as well as different ways of getting to the capital in under half an hour read more
Reading is not th...
Reading is not that busy and it's also not that big. So expect to be going to the same-ish places every weekend. But there are plenty of places to daytrip from here so!! And I actually feel safe here, as an international muslim POC student, cuz it's diverse. There are a lot of halal restaurants and stores in RG6 area so I would suggest to live around there. The buses in Reading are reliable!! The ubers here are not reliable, but there are other taxi services you can use like Ola or Green Metro Cars. Shopping is fine since you can do that online anyway. I dont think itd be a big issue. The IKEA here is actually quite far from town and its a long bus ride to get there (u can get stuff online tho). But u can buy furniture or essentials in town at Wilko/Primark/Poundland. I also suggest finding your own accommodation somewhere close to uni with friends (or strangers), it is much cheaper than staying in the uni dorms (and much much better). read more
One of the cheape...
One of the cheaper places to rent (if youre looking for a private accomodation with friends). Unsure about uni accomodations, always overpriced everywhere. Reading centre has quite a variety of places to eat out, there are Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, Indian (plenty!), Greek places, as far as I know, only 1 place sells Malay food, some have halal options and most do have vegetarian or vegan options. There are multiple bubble tea places and the usual cafes, Costa, Pret, Starbucks, Black Sheep. Quite a bit of smaller, cute, independent cafes as well. Reading is quite proud to have the cheapest bus fare, which is great. And another plus that you can get to London easily, and it's easy and cheap to take the train round and just see places like Oxford or Bicester, they're closeby. read more
Great public tran...
Great public transport :) and great shops and exciting new food places read more
The city is nice...
The city is nice and big. I expected worse. It is close to london and fun at times read more
transport between...
transport between the uni and town are very very frequent, the town itself is not massive but it does have a lot of shops and a number of bars and clubs. read more
lots of transport...
lots of transport links and as a student you can get anywhere in the town from £2 a day which is an absolute bargin. Plenty of shopping and other opportunities for leisure. read more
Great city to liv...
Great city to live in with lots to do any many amazing local businesses read more
Reading is a grea...
Reading is a great area to live, large town with plenty of facilities for everyone. read more
Easy bus route an...
Easy bus route and walking distance from town centre. Busses run to campus for free on student union night out. read more
Reading has every...
Reading has everything you want really, especially in town. It certainly lacks in green spaces and nice areas unless you go quite far out the city, but it has a big train stations which allow you to get pretty much anywhere. read more
Very good transpo...
Very good transport around Reading and to Reading. The town has lots of restaurants. read more
Reading is a love...
Reading is a lovely town, though rent can be expensive. If you can afford to live here though, you’ll never be bored! Lots of pubs, clubs, shops, and activities. The he public transport is top tier, being environmentally friendly and available until very late at night, which makes me feel so much safer as a woman. The town is clean and well-lit, and is also one of the most multi-cultural towns in the country which I really value - not least because it means there’s SO much food to choose from! As mentioned at the start, the big issue with Reading is its connection to London, which makes living here quite expensive especially if you are on low income. read more
Interesting place...
Interesting place to live, with lots of brilliant food and shopping! read more
Lots of public tr...
Lots of public transport. Buses regularly visit campus and it is easy to get into the town centre. Good train links directly to London. read more
Reading is a grea...
Reading is a great place to live with great travel connections and shopping area. The restaurants are good but nights out need some work. Unfortunately, though because of these good connections student house prices are constantly rising. read more
Great publics tra...
Great publics transport, good range of shops. read more
Reading has amazi...
Reading has amazing public transport with three stations all within walking distance of the University as well as buses which reliably run to most areas of Berkshire. read more
Great transport,...
Great transport, a little confusing compared to london but easy to get used to. Town is great, has a never ending variety of places to visit and eat out. Also great food at reasonable prices. Not too expensive to live here, pretty decent. read more
Reading is an ama...
Reading is an amazing town to live in. It has really good transport services such as the buses and taxis. The train station is huge and is really good for transport everywhere. Reading is located in the perfect spot. It takes less than an hour to get to Oxford and London, as well as other useful locations (especially with the Elizabeth line)! The town can be a bit expensive as it is close to London. However, there are so many food options and things to do. It is a very diverse town that welcomes people from all backgrounds. Lots of offices and work opportunities too! read more
Reading is a nice...
Reading is a nice town to live in, and has a busy town centre meaning there is always something going on. I believe it is a good fit for me seeing as I prefer staying indoors, however when I do want to go outside, there is plenty for me to do. read more
Great connections...
Great connections to other parts of the UK read more
Excellent bus ser...
Excellent bus services that run 24/7 lots of opportunities for part time jobs read more
Cost of living is...
Cost of living is a bit expensive but that’s expected being so close to London. There are many stores and options to shop here. Not so many options for nights out read more
I really enjoy li...
I really enjoy living in Reading as an international student. It is relatively big without being too busy, close to the airport, and compared to friends who rent a room in London for 1000£ pm, my 450£ pm is not bad. There is something to do, but it doesn’t feel overwhelming like I feel London can. However, if you’re bored, London, Oxford, and Bristol are all relatively close and easy to get to. read more
I really love thi...
I really love this town it is good for living read more
Oracle and public...
Oracle and public transport, nights out a bit limited but still good read more
A very student fr...
A very student friendly city plus it’s close to London so read more
Reading is an ama...
Reading is an amazing town to live in read more
Could have cheape...
Could have cheaper transport prices for students read more
Reading is an ama...
Reading is an amazing place for students as it is quite cheaper than other mainland cities. It is closer to Oxford, Bristol and London and is a bicycle friendly city. It is quite green and holds many cool historical places. The public transport here is exceptional and quite cheaper and always on time. There are many places to eat out, offering a wide variety of cuisines. For nights out there are many clubs, bars and recreational facilities. read more
Beautiful town, s...
Beautiful town, so much to do, lovely people and restaurants read more
Coming from a bus...
Coming from a busy city, moving to Reading wasn’t that different. Although, the nights out are not good at all! It was good for the most part of first year as it was all new and exciting but the longer I was in uni the more I realised how much I didn’t like the nights out. Public transport however is good as there is a bus stop on campus. read more
Overall the livin...
Overall the living environment is quite good. Less hectic compared to big cities. But the public transport is bad. Buses are always late and even not appearing. And there are limited choice of cuisines. read more
With the oracle a...
With the oracle aswell as the rest of the town centre housing a large number of shops for any interest, aswell as so many different food choices at different price ranges there truly is something for everyone. Buses run from the university every 20 minutes directly to the centre of town for a very low price. read more
The public transp...
The public transport is very good within reading with many shopping opportunities and food restaurants. The price is a little more expensive as it’s closer to London but overall is a very good location read more
good transport, c...
good transport, convenient, a nice environment read more
I love Reading be...
I love Reading because of the sense of community there. Everyone is sweet and welcoming and i feel it to be a very safe town. I can walk at any hour by myself and feel okay and safe. read more
I think Reading i...
I think Reading is great. For me it has everything I need, the oracle shopping centre and town centre has lots to offer. Many restaurants, cafes and bars for socialising. Only a few clubs but they’re pretty good, I wasn’t too fussed about that though! Reading is more expensive than other cities especially compared to up north but I think it’s good value for the proximity to London that offers lots of opportunities for social activities. Great transport links with the train station, I regularly travelled to Birmingham/cardiff/ London or to the Cotswolds with ease. The local bus system is reliable, there is a student discount and the bus from town to campus runs 24/7 so there always a way to get home late at night other than taxis (can walk from uni to town in 25/30mins). read more
Best location, ea...
Best location, easy to get the trains and taxis. However Uber doesn’t really exist. Loads of food options and huge shopping centre. You name it reading probably has it without the city feel of london read more
Students union is...
Students union is the best club still, but many different options and never boring in town read more
Reading is nice e...
Reading is nice even though it is getting more expensive, lots of restaurants and things to do even during nighttime. Buses are convenient! read more
Great public tran...
Great public transport available, with awesome pubs and eateries as well! read more
Reading is great...
Reading is great but a little expensive. Average private housing can cost anywhere from £450-600. The town is good and they have student nights every day of the week which make clubbing a bit cheaper. read more
Bus system is goo...
Bus system is good, various areas are a bit dodgy but I think you’d get that anywhere. read more
Nights out are al...
Nights out are alright, don’t expect too much although purple turtle saves the town. Overall decent town not too much to do but it is so close to London not usually a problem. Can be expensive as close to London. Transport is good and the train station is very central for anywhere you would want to go (if you can afford the prices of train tickets ) read more
Reading does not...
Reading does not have a lot but has everything you need and for a bit more take the train 20 away to London or oxford and you get more. In genral reading grows on you read more
There’s a fair am...
There’s a fair amount to do in Reading, and a lot of food places to try. A lot of things in town, especially non chain places, are expensive. Groceries in reading are also a bit expensive but not awful if you make the journey to aldi or lidl. read more
Quiet and lovely...
Quiet and lovely town not much activities read more
Really good bus s...
Really good bus service! Lots of shops (variety of supermarkets etc to choose from). Decent nights out (Union on campus is best though). Decent costs too. read more
It’s a relatively...
It’s a relatively small town where destinations that are slightly more spaced out and not much to see but has plenty of green spaces in the suburbs read more
Personally I don'...
Personally I don't go out much, but the few times I do have a night's out are really entertaining. You really do not even have to break the bank to have a good night out at Reading. A lot of affordable restaurants to have dinner and don't even go past £20!! Even using uber eats is soo convinient because the delivery fees are almost £0. Maybe it's just my choice of restaurants coupled with luck, but it's a really great town to live in for uni. read more
Reading is a very...
Reading is a very quaint town. While there’s not much to do, London is close! read more
The town centre i...
The town centre is small but clean and there are quite a few shops. Lots of restaurants and a few clubs. Cost of living is quite high due to the proximity to London and the public transport is sometimes unreliable read more
The busses can be...
The busses can be unreliable and the campus is far from the center by foot. Bicycle is suggested. Town center can be boring sometimes due to lack of options however the nearby towns like Oxford are good and close enough for a day trip. 25 min train ride to London Paddington is a big plus. read more
Town is quite nic...
Town is quite nice. Good public transport links from uni to town read more
Lots of buses run...
Lots of buses running all the time. They’ve Inter grated a lot of American take out places now so its nice to have things in common in your home town that you’d usually see on the internet or movies even read more
I think reading i...
I think reading is a nice town to live it as it has the oracle which is a big mall with various shops are. There is a huge selection of restaurants and places to eat which I loved. The night life could definitely be improved there is only one decent club I would say. read more
Decent town with...
Decent town with everything you need read more
The town has all...
The town has all you would need ! I also love how close it is to London read more
The town isnt the...
The town isnt the biggest but had a wide variety of shops and restaurants read more
Lots of different...
Lots of different shops in the Oracle and a range of places to eat in. Definitely recommend cafes such as Yaylo read more
its a good enough...
its a good enough town but for a university town it lacks in nightlife while also being very expensive which i do understand being so close to london read more
Reading is nice p...
Reading is nice place to live, lots of things to do but can be expensive read more
Good town conveni...
Good town convenient and close yo London read more
Love the town rea...
Love the town reading prefer it over london read more
Huge shopping cen...
Huge shopping centre, and more shops on high street. There is the SU and then 5+ clubs in town aswell as bars and pubs. And the public transport, has a really good app. And is always on time and efficient. Also has a special ticket at a cheaper rate for students. And runs way into the night for getting home after clubbing read more
Buses help a lot...
Buses help a lot with getting around but there aren’t too many shops or big shopping centres read more
It’s lovely to st...
It’s lovely to stay in Reading for university - everything is close by read more
Good experiences,...
Good experiences, but not the best party city read more
Reading is a real...
Reading is a really nice town. read more
So many restauran...
So many restaurants opened up recently read more
Nice size uni tow...
Nice size uni town, different places for different types of people - although expect a lot of skinny jeans and schoffel no matter where you end up. Lots of food options and some nice bars too. Buses are quite good and the train makes it easy to get to London read more
Not many big shop...
Not many big shops close to the uni, but Asda is a bus ride away, and there’s a Tesco express not too far to walk read more
Reading is a bit...
Reading is a bit expensive but the nights out are great read more
Easy to travel ar...
Easy to travel around by bus and has great train links good nightlife with good mix of pubs and clubs. Shopping wide no varied read more
Very nice city wi...
Very nice city with lots of things to do!! read more
Small but suffici...
Small but sufficient. Got most of the things we need just right next to each other. Lovely town and very close to london. read more
Nice, quiet town...
Nice, quiet town with a large student community. read more
Reading is a love...
Reading is a lovely town, the transport is really convenient. The cost of living is a bit high, would expect lower living costs. read more
The cost of livin...
The cost of living is high The clubbing scene isn’t amazing , shopping and eating out are okay read more
Nice town, just n...
Nice town, just need more food read more
the uni is close...
the uni is close to town and has lots to do read more
Calm and safe, a...
Calm and safe, a lot of things to do but a bit pricy read more
Feels very dated,...
Feels very dated, clubs are small and boring read more
Great town very d...
Great town very diverse range of foods which is exciting. Easy to get round places using buses!! read more
Reading is the a...
Reading is the a really great town. Offers great accommodations, many shops and cafes and really nice for walks. read more
It is nice and qu...
It is nice and quiet, can find a bit of fun read more
Very good locatio...
Very good location, it only takes half an hour by train from London, the climate is comfortable, it rarely snows, and the winter is relatively warm compared to Scotland. The infrastructure in the town center is complete, food shops, pharmacies, and shopping malls are very concentrated. read more
This section does...
This section does not apply to me. read more
I like it here, s...
I like it here, small city with everything a student will need read more
I like the city o...
I like the city of Reading very much. It is very quiet and has good city facilities. Love everything here. read more
Its a very pretty...
Its a very pretty city.Many things to do,nice atmosphere.Love the location,very close to London. read more
There’s a good ni...
There’s a good night life. But not a lot to do during the day sadly. Buses re pretty good. Annoying cause it’s pretty much the same price as London. But we don’t get the same finance read more
As it's near Lond...
As it's near London you can expect the cost of living in Reading to be more than it would be nearer the north. In the town centre there are a variety of shops, restaurants and nightclubs, however there isn't much else in the way of entertaining daytime activities. It took us a while to find a decent bowling alley, swimming pool and little things like that. The public transport is usually consistent, but the student buses tend to be crowded. The're plenty of choices for nightclubs in Reading but the best two by far are Q Club and the Student Union. read more
Easy to get aroun...
Easy to get around by bus, nights out are okay however main club is basically the only option when student union isn't open so can be a bit repetitive read more
Although its a fa...
Although its a fairly expensive city to live in, you can understand why when looking at the range of shops, clubs, bars and how easy it is to get between all of these. Reading has greatly improved over the past 20 years and there are many lovely places to explore. read more
Really easy and a...
Really easy and affordable public transport, and Reading is great for shopping! read more
Nice town that ha...
Nice town that has a lot to offer and very easy to access read more
Reading is a grea...
Reading is a great town because it is accessible from most places due to being a station along multiple train routes. The night life is great, there is a student night all weeknights, bar Wednesday due to the Union, at multiple venues. While slightly lacking, there are alternative club nights of Skint Mondays, Propaganda (tends to play a lot of the same indie/alternative songs from circa 2006-2010 most weeks, but that's kind of its charm), also there is the Purple Turtle bar for a 'quieter' alternative evening. Reading also has an extensive selection of restaurants and all the key chain shops and bars. The only downside to this is that Reading fails to have many independent or quirky shops.. read more
After coming from...
After coming from London, Reading is a similar town, with less hustle and busyness. With the Oracle and also Reading town centre, there's plenty of shopping choices, and you can get pretty much anything you'll need in town. Plenty of buses running regularly, as well as Reading Station which is well connected to the rest of the England. Also only about 30 mins away from Heathrow airport if you need to fly, so can't fault the public transport. There are also several clubs throughout town to go to. read more
public transport...
public transport is great, really efficient and well connected plus easy to use. Reading is very small and quite dingy. read more
Reading isn't so...
Reading isn't so bad, it's got the high end stores but also the cheap and cheerful ones we love, there's supermarkets close by and all the big ones are close. Nights out in reading are good fun, if you up for that sorta thing, I've never had a massive problem and always enjoyed my night out ! read more
The transport int...
The transport into town and the train statiom comes around every 10-20 minutes and is very accessible and easy to navigate. It is expensive to rent a decent student house. read more
Great shopping ce...
Great shopping centre and great links to London, but a bit difficult to navigate around. Nights out are all fairly crowded, clubs entry price is expensive but drinks are usually a decent price. Don't eat out much as it's quite far but there's a few good places in the shopping centre. read more
Great place to be...
Great place to be at uni, loads to do and all very convenient read more
Reading is very e...
Reading is very expensive but the Oracle is really lovely and there is a good variety of restaurants and shops. Public transport is really good, easy to get to London and the buses are frequent read more
In general it is...
In general it is a fairly nice place to live. read more
Very good town, e...
Very good town, easy to move about due to public transport which is 24 hours and there's lots to do. read more
Great location, a...
Great location, and has everything you need! Got a great choice for everything, and public transport is the best read more
The Oracle has al...
The Oracle has all the shops and eateries you need, from Primark to Hollister. Buses run regularly and are cheap (£2.40 return). There are 5 or 6 main clubs in town all offering different student nights - there is always something for everyone. read more
Great place to li...
Great place to live - town centre is awesome, every shop and restaurant you'd want. Perfect Public Transport with easy connections from Reading's Train station - 25 minutes to London, or easy connections elsewhere in the country. read more
Rent in student a...
Rent in student areas that are popular such as kendrick road is expensive but it is worth it as the quality of the houses is fab read more
brilliant 24 hour...
brilliant 24 hour bus service between town and university. The town centre has a wonderful vibe with all the shops and restaurants you want with most restaurants situated along the canal with beautiful views read more
Cons?
living is quite expensive but in line with southern prices in general