University of Reading Reviews

Reading is one of the best universities in the world, ranking in the top 1% of world universities. It is an institution held in high regard in the world of industry, research and academia. I loved my time there. It is a vibrant, stimulating community with great facilities in a lovely parkland campus. For those who love tradition, the original city campus, with its cloisters and quadrangles, is still in use. My experience there shaped me for a successful life and career and I'm still in touch with many friends I made there.

Good uni. Kind sucks sometimes with some things.

Great uni! Brilliant English and Film department, wish the societies were a bit more accessible to first years, they can feel a bit cliquey at times. The campus is very green which is great for mental health and as far as I'm aware their mental health team are very good. The new library is a state of the art building new for 2019. The Eduroam WiFi is great once you've sorted it out, but setting it up can be a bit fiddly. I personally haven't found the careers service very useful, but that may be because of the degree I'm taking.

Reading uni has overall been a great experience so far, the only issue i have encountered is the lack of societies. Only a few that already exist are actually worth joining, and even then there are barely any overall to choose from. However apart from that all the facilities are well kept, the library is very nice and i haven't met a single person who hasn't been friendly yet.

The union here is brilliant and I am in lots of societies which are well ran.

3rd year saved them a bad review. If it wasn't for a couple of lecturers makinghe course worth it, it felt like the whole thing was a scam.

Careers was the most dissapointing for me as i did everything myself with no boost what so ever

Stunning campus with lots of green space. The library refurbishment has had a huge impact on my studies but will be great once it’s finished. The students union could be improved and some buildings are tired.

Enjoying my time here, it is a campus based uni thus there is a good sports environment and lots of different societies to get involved in

The hall i was in was dreadful.

Absolutely love Reading Uni. It’s super fun social and has amazing events to go to !

Loved my time here! Amazing uni, amazing social aspect and the support is amazing

Great facilities and great support for furthering your career

Reading is a decent uni, lovely campus, wide range of societies to join but internet is unreliable at times and the library still isn't finished.

Lovely campus. Basic facilities. Needs better student support

I absolutely loved my time at Reading uni. It has a great, friendly atmosphere as well as a really fun student's union. I loved my course, the campus is beautiful - 10/10, going to miss it so much!

Good in parts, however the ECF scheme is extremely difficult to complete when actually ill. Secondly, the University has fired 39 staff for catering and all but 5 porters around campus.

In all honesty, this is a great university. It has everything and they really care about your well being and your studies. Night life is also great.

Had an excellent year here, can't fault the hardworking staff who are willing to push you to your maximum potential, particular nods to the staff of FTT and the English literature department who have made it a great first year.

Park bar is the best place on campus

I always had lots of support available in my department, when there was an issue my voice was heard and taken seriously. I couldn’t have gotten through my degree without the support I received from this university

Always enjoyed my time here and the people I've shared my experiences with.

Overall super good uni with great facilities

The campus has everything you want, facilities, bars, study space and a beautiful wildlife rich campus allowing space and reflection.

The campus is so beautiful and big but the university is poor in terms of academic teaching and relevance of some modules with their course

For food science it has a whole factory underneath the building Busisness and life science very modern buildings Libary and urs used for studying Internet everywhere Union is good loads of events

I have had very tough second year due to sickness and the death of a friend. Student support has been amazing to say the least! Another factor that makes reading amazing is the rusu with amazing social events.

My university experience here has been really good! The campus is beautiful and feels so safe, as well as the staff and support here being amazing. My only negative is that there is not enough study space in the library.

Lovely campus, great social with lots of events!

Great university, very posh traditional campus

I loved Reading! Went to Cardiff uni too but although it was beautiful it wasn't nearly as supportive. When you start uni you can so easily get lost. Reading was much nicer and much better at handling individuals.

Taught myself the entire degree... considering I’m going into healthcare it’s slightly worrying

Good campus facilities and students union. Good academic levels of teaching.

Good university, great facilities. They do have a really good careers service but just not for me personally

Campus and favolities are very good, however libary is being refurbished till 2020 so less study space available. Students union and clubs are all really good! Wide range of soceities to join. Union every Wednesday and Saturday are always good. Have a good careers service and placement help. WiFi is sometimes slow and doesn’t work but give you an Ethernet cable for your room!

I have enjoyed every day at uni everyone makes you feel welcome and the solitude around campus are great

A beautiful campus with fabulous faculty members.

I have had the best time at the uni. Its a lush campus and so sociable

Library rennovation bit problematic but what can you do? Still haven't been able to connect to the wifi on my phone, Wednesday union's the only thing keeping me going overall decent though

Average university, not great, not awful

All in all a good uni, lots of support and good facilities

The campus is so beaut and the societies have the best socials !!

I wasn’t looking forward to university as a whole but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my first year and wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

Decent Uni, good maths department

Great campus which is beautiful, helpful people

Great uni which is equipped with everything you could need!

Finished three years at Reading and had the best time!

I love this university. Library and resources are amazing. Beautiful campus and amazing staff.

Reading university’s guidance and student support was awful

Beautiful Campus. Union nights are amazing. Limited societies. WiFi is unreliable at times.

Amazing Uni if your looking for a good social life!

Wifi works well but not enough space in the library to actually revise, student union is also pretty poor although the dance events are okay.

Clean accomodation, perhaps bot the best catering, great vibe, nice campus, and very helpful staff.

Bad mental health care, transphobic professors, two student deaths on campus this year and no intent to change. Reading uni carries on blissfully unaware of our feelings about it.

Barely any library space to study but has a nice campus

A great uni! Really no better place to make friends. Great nights out, plenty to do in town and good facilities at the uni

I’ve enjoyed my time atReading but they definitely need to approve some aspects of the university

Lovely open, green campus and nice atmosphere, the closing of the library was a big disruption. Lots of societies and events going on during exam times which is nice, as is the food market every Thursday. However I wouldn’t go back and study at Reading again, mainly due to the library disruption still going on (I was in my third year when the library closed) I don’t think it deserves such a drop in the lead table as the teaching, range of modules and lectures are all great. Not to mention the researchers and forward thinking staff Reading has in its departments.

Absolutely fantastic university. A lot of fun

beautiful campus, lovely community

I've had a good time in general at uni but that's not been helped by the uni itself, facilities need improving as there is always building work going on but they would do better focusing money on the quality of teaching and practical study space as these areas are lacking, rather than making things look nice. The student union is helpful and well run and I've enjoyed getting involved with societies.

The course was poor, reading should not offer the BA war, peace & IR course as it cannot support it adequately, library refurbishment was handled poorly

Was brilliant until they closed the library for refurb, whilst still charging full tuition fees

Ugly campus, waste your student fees on rebuilding a library rather than the things that matters to students.

WiFi cuts out sometimes and have been having trouble lately but they’re working to fix it. Very proactive IT department. Study areas are nice

I love the campus and how it’s set out. The fact that everything is on campus is so convenient and it gives more of a safe kind of feeling.

The campus has almost everything you need; Starbucks, bubble tea, cafe's, bagelman, stationary shop, common rooms etc etc, all usually in one area, The library is under refurbishment until autumn 2019, but so far is really nice with a fantastic coffee shop in it. The SU nights can vary depending on the music, company and your level of drunkennes, but freshers was pretty good since a load of clubs joined in too. Plenty of societies available too, and support to get you settled down

It's not actually asked me any questions about the modules yet. So this is based on what exactly? WiFi range and careers offices? The questions are also compulsory five 1-5 rankings. Not good when I didn't interact with the careers service, so should opt out of ranking it. Finally, I don't need to verify my attendance at the institution before I can submit a response and it's not asking me when I attended, so how can rankings be kept up to date?

Wifi is very speedy. 3sixty is a spacious club. The one hour walk to town from the whiteknights campus is quite annoying, especially during the cold; but there is a bus stop on campus to town. Co-op doesn't have a big range of food and supplies. The lake is scenic and relaxing to chill at. Quite sad that the clubs in Reading centre are small and repetitive - building another club such as Pryzm would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Reading is a good uni, the SU club (3sixty) is good, the halls are all good and the courses are taught well. The Whiteknights campus is very nice, and the SU has alot of different things around and about to get involved in. The campus is a bit isolated from the rest of the Reading town, but its not too much of a pain to get to. Some of the clubs in town are dead, but there are a few good ones.

Keep in mind that these reviews reflect individual views of students and do not indicate how you will find your own personal experience at Reading. My personal experience has been negative, overall. Although the campus is quite nice, the town of Reading is not a pleasant place to live. There is very little to offer in terms of culture and night-life. The town is fairly ugly too. I feel mis-lead by the marketing for the university, as we were never told that our library would be closed for half of our degree, or that certain modules were only available to single-honours students. I also feel that the university is trying to recruit as many students as possible in order to fund it's massive investments in it's re-development project which won't be completed until 2026 (google '2026: Transform').They are not being selective about the students they take in, and this is leading to overcrowding in some departments. Funding to those departments does not seem to have increased proportionally.

Beautiful campus with amazing garden. Friendly students and staff

I love the uni !Everything is close by! Town is 10 minutes away from main campus by bus..buses are frequent though! Nightlife is amazing.. safe to walk back to campus from town at 3AM ! Lectures are very useful and tutors are very helpful ! People there are super friendly! There's always something going on..

I have really enjoyed my first year at Reading University, particularly because I felt that support from my department was very good and I have achieved good grades! I have also enjoyed my free time in the town with lots of good clubs and bars and the range of societies on offer is excellent!

I have loved living at reading university, the campus has accommodated to all my needs and experiences.

A beautiful campus, home and work to wonderfully friendly people.

From the very beginning of my time at Reading it has been the best experience. The support on campus is outstanding and the medical support and recreational activities available are brilliant. I highly recommend coming to Reading!

Great sports facilities, campus life both night and day, innovative new food festivals and one of the best ranking business schools in the world. It is a pleasure to continue my final year of study in such a great establishment.

Beautiful campus but the current lack of proper library facilities is a complete embarassment

The campus is stunning with lots of places you can chill or meet with people.

The campus is beautiful and the overall experience of being at Reading uni is an unforgettable one.

Good campus and facilities. Bad halls

Clubs and societies were lacking, but it's only the fault of the students that are currently here.

The University of Reading has a beautiful campus with lots of modern and traditional buildings. The campus is evenly spread with plenty of green spaces dividing it. The sports facilities are excellent quality however there are not enough tennis courts and the gym is too overcrowded all the time. There are a wide range of sports available to partake in with lots teams. There are also a wide range of societies available to join which are all present at the societies fair at the beginning of the year. The Students Union is the largest club night in Reading which most students attend however can only be described as average, despite holding some good nights when large performers come. The real club scene is in town on friar street with the best two being Matchbox and Q club, which admittedly are very good. The Halls are all very good quality with very good WiFi covering the campus. I have had a very positive experience so far.

Lovely campus, lots of events on however I do think there should be another campus shop and a few more eating places. The library is great however especially during exam periods, the amount of seats available is a massive problem.

Great campus, lack of sports available for people who don’t get into teams, I know loads of people who want to play 11v11 football in a competitive league but can’t get in the teams, some unis have 7,8 teams we have 4.

Just a shame about the library. Everything else had been fantastic

Due to strikes my whole first year has been so poor, we only got 1/3 of the years lectures and even in our end of year exams there were typos and content we were told would not be on the test. I found the societies to be the best part of Reading, I'd encourage any fresher to join up. I would also advise students looking for a more social experience to apply to cheaper halls, I stayed in the expensive halls and only had 2 flatmates who spoke english (out of 8). The nightlife is average.

Love everything about the university of Reading.

Beautiful campus which makes it such a nice atmosphere to study and socialise. The union is also great and really active within the uni.

Limited mental health services to cater for the amount of students. Long waiting lists and low number of counsellors available. Fantastic university despite this!!

Just an all round bad experience, if you can go to any other university I highly recommend you do so, the lecturers don't seem to care about the subjects, the campus is dull and uninspiring and there is a overwhelming feeling that most students are disappointed but are just accepting their position rather than enjoying their experience.

Disappointed with the University, poor quality of teaching and abysmal support staffing, avoid this University if your looking for a good technical education. Following an awful year here that almost put me off completing my degree and instead attending another Uni has shown me why I originally took up the subject, to put you in mind I failed my year at reading and was constantly disenchanted with the teaching and now have graduated with a first elsewhere, where I renewed my love for the subject

Low quality of teaching terrible university.

Very poor university, while studying the lecturers would often not turn up without warning, lectures also talked in class about how they were looking to for other jobs while teaching, highly unprofessional. equipment was very outdated compared to other universities and very difficult to get in contact with any member of staff.

A very well planned campus with everything right around the corner. Every necessary facility is easy to access.

2 years ago I would've said it was so much better but since allowing almost 30% more students through its doors in 2 years while also closing the library and students union for refurbishment it has lead to a stunning lack and constant fight for study space or places to enjoy campus which is now massively overcrowded, always loud and for too busy. On top of this they got rid of the independent campus shop for a Co-Op which is stacked full of as many aisles as possible, making it difficult to manoeuvre (especially with the increased amount of student) and is constantly unstocked. Basically this unviversity is going massively downhill and is cared very little for its students only how much money it's making and what titles it has. So for it to drop out of the top 20 in this pointless table would be richly deserved.

The university library has been closed since the summer I arrived and will be closed until I graduate. If I knew this beforehand I would not have come to the university. I would have scored the student union higher also however they too have closed the main club this term which has affected my time as it was one of the biggest student nights out. The internet is always reliable and there are plenty clubs and societies to be a part of.

I currently study German at the University. The German department is not at all good. The Lecturers are opinionated and narrow minded. They are detached and if truth be told rather rude.

The Campus is fairly easy to navigate. The quality of facilities varies from building to building. The teaching quality also varies enormously as it does with all universities. Sports societies are fairly strong but other societies are limited and all are expensive. If you don't enjoy standard nights out to a club, the Reading nightlife won't be for you as there is next to no diversity in venues. My biggest grievance with Reading is the boredom. Unless you have to money to take advantage of it's shopping center you will struggle to find a way to occupy the time.

All round good facilities and so many clubs/societies, you get a lot of choice! The student union is huge and can't go wrong with £2 snakebites. Only complaints are that the student portal is a pain to use, and Blackboard is confusing.

I like how the campus is green campus environment where it is not just buildings

Shop on campus, and many places to grab a coffee. They're there if you'd like to use them. The shop is expensive, but people will obviously still use it. Lots of clubs available, just need to go out there and get involved. Having to pay £5 a night to get into your own student union seems ridiculous to me, with drinks inside being even more of a blow to the wallet.

Can't fault it, amazing university, amazing facility, union is the best club, lots of societies. Wifi everywhere

I love Reading so much! The social side is absolutely amazing that I miss it whenever I go home. There's so many opportunities on offer and facilities to use.

Rusu can often be a bit too pushy with some of their campaigns and promote facts that aren't reliable when it comes to topics such as feminism. As well as this , money is pushed up in the campus shop because a percentage goes to rusu , so I would prefer it wouldn't go towards campaigns that do nothing

Wifi is awful, really old fashioned login. Always lapses. Club and societies really over priced, literally have to pay for everything extra. Really pretty campus and facilities. Student union is the best club in reading

The university has a great campus. The town is incredibly beautiful and the quality of education they provide is one of the best in the country.

Its a nice universty with a lot of options

Great university. So much on campus, amazing union and so many events put on daily - roadshows, vintage fayres, food markets, plant markets. Shops, banks, coffee shops, food halls, restaurants all on campus. Beautiful lake on campus and so much greenery. Security patrolling all the time, so you feel safe. Only a 20 minute bus journey to centre of town, £1.50 for return, lovely town. You have everything you could possible need.

the university has many clubs and societies so there's something for everyone. the nightclub on campus is very nice and plays a variety of music. internet on campus is also very good. sometimes can disconnect but usually it is very very good.

Easily accessible and easy to learn your way around, with great nights out and fantastic clubs

The University of Reading is fantastic!! It was definitely the right decision to study here and experience the beautiful campus and amazing facilities.

Absolute cracking uni. Loads of green spaces, huge library, great social life and both amazing and interesting people.

There are many great societies at the uni

Stunning campus and great for links to London etc. Great accommodation and an all round amazing uni!

Facilities on campus are varied. Some buildings reasonably old, however there are many modern buildings as well. Library in particular very large and modern to study comfortably as well as the business school. The campus itself has pros and cons. As nice as it looks, the layout of the university was obviously not well-planned. There is a lot of greenery for no reason and this leaves no places for halls near campus. Therefore most halls are a long walk away. Also if you're going reading and don't have a car, grocery shopping is out of the question. The closest supermarket (not express) is a 30 minute bus drive away. As useful as the students union is, it lacks diversity. This unfortunately leads to the same boring planned events. E.g. buses to clubs in london or coach tours elsewhere is out of the question. The wi-fi here constantly disconnects from your phone. Town and the oracle shopping centre are good places to chill, shop or eat and a 20 minute bus drive away.

Weakest area is the clubs of Reading. Great if you're someone that only goes out on weekends like me, but after a week or two of every other night, you start to run out of places on Friarstreet. London is only a short trip away though..

Simply put: It's AMAZING! Trust me on this, take my word as gospel. It's really beautiful, the library is 24/7, we have an effective JobShop, tons of clubs and societies and the Wifi is sooo fast, it's unbelievable.There is wifi everywhere around the school and the halls.

i d never recommend this university