University of Reading

Undergraduate applications

All undergraduate courses, including degrees with an integrated foundation year, are applied for through UCAS using institution code R12 (there is no campus code). The UCAS deadline for most courses is in January; late applications are considered until June, after which applications go into Clearing. Some courses require an interview or a portfolio, and applicants receive a conditional or unconditional offer, which can be held as a firm or insurance choice.

Typical offers

Typical offers are set out per course in A level, BTEC and International Baccalaureate terms (for example ABB or IB 32 points), and General Studies is excluded. Applicants need a good general education, usually at least grade C at GCSE in English and Mathematics. Other qualifications considered include Scottish Highers and Advanced Highers, the Irish Leaving Certificate (five Higher Level subjects), the European Baccalaureate (typical offer 70% to 77%), Access to HE Diplomas, the Cambridge Pre-U, Open University credits, OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diplomas (typically DDD to DMM) and T levels (overall Distinction for courses normally requiring ABB and above; Merit for BBB courses; grade C in the core component).

Applicants taking an Extended Project Qualification for a participating subject receive an alternative offer one A level grade lower plus a B in the EPQ (for example AAB becomes ABB + B in EPQ). Aspirational offers are sometimes made to applicants predicted a couple of grades below the entry requirements.

Contextual offers

Contextual offers, typically two grades below the top of the published range (for example BBC instead of ABB), are made to applicants from POLAR or IMD quintiles 1 and 2, applicants who declare a disability, Reading Scholars participants, care-experienced and estranged applicants, refugees and asylum seekers, young carers and children of military families. Contextual offers are not made for programmes with a foundation year.

International undergraduate entry

Reading accepts a wide range of overseas qualifications, including the Malaysian STPM, Hong Kong A levels and HKDSE, and Singapore and Brunei A levels, with guidance by country and region. Students without A level-equivalent qualifications can take the International Foundation Programme or a four-year degree with an integrated International Foundation Year, both run by the Global Academy and applied for online. IELTS requirements for the IFP range from 5.0 (no skill below 4.5) on the Science and Mathematics pathway to 6.5 (no skill below 5.5) for Speech and Language Therapy; the IFY requires 5.5 with no skill below 5.5. Students needing a Student visa for the IFP must take a Secure English Language Test (SELT).

English language requirements

For undergraduate courses, the standard requirement is IELTS (Academic) 6.5 with no component below 5.5, or equivalents including TOEFL iBT 88 (minimum 17 in Listening and Writing, 18 in Reading, 20 in Speaking), PTE Academic 69 (minimum 59 or 64 in each component depending on course), Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency 176 (no element below 162), Duolingo 125 (no sub-score below 100), TEEP 6.5, and WASSCE English grade C. Speech and Language Therapy requires IELTS 8.0 with no component below 7.5; Pharmacy and Nutrition require 6.5 with no component below 6.0. Most taught master's programmes require IELTS 6.5 with no element below 5.5 or 6.0, rising to 7.0 or higher in some subjects, and most PhD programmes require 6.5, with 7.0 for areas including Henley Business School and the School of Arts and Communication Design. Applicants below the required level can take the Pre-sessional English programme.

Master's applications

Master's applications are made online through the RISIS portal; PGCE and teacher training applications go through the Department for Education's Find Postgraduate Teacher Training service. Applicants upload transcripts (with certified translations if needed), an English language certificate where relevant, two referees' contact details, a statement of purpose and, for international students, a passport copy. There is no application fee. Most programmes do not formally close, but the University recommends that UK applicants apply by 1 August and international applicants needing a visa by 1 July for September entry. Some programmes require a deposit, which counts towards tuition fees.

PhD applications

PhD applicants normally need at least a 2:1 undergraduate degree or a master's degree in a related subject; in the arts, humanities, social sciences and business a master's is normally required. Applications should be submitted at least two months before the start date for UK applicants and four months for international applicants, with a research proposal where the applicant is defining their own project. Most doctoral students start in September.

Visas and CAS

International students receive a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) once they hold an unconditional offer, have accepted it and have paid any required deposit.

• Whiteknights campus, Reading (RG6 6UR): the main campus, set in 120 hectares of parkland with a lake, woodland and the Harris Garden. It houses most schools and departments, Henley Business School's purpose-built building (opened 2009), the Library, Reading Students' Union, SportsPark, the Chaplaincy, the Ure Museum of Greek Archaeology, the Cole Museum of Zoology, the ICMA Centre trading floor, the Atmospheric Observatory and the Chemical Analysis Facility, plus food outlets and a Co-op store. University halls are on or close to this campus.
• London Road campus, Reading (RG1 5AQ): the University's original campus, a short walk from Whiteknights and the town centre, with cloisters and green spaces. It houses the Great Hall, the School of Architecture, the Institute of Education, the Museum of English Rural Life and the University's Special Collections.
• Greenlands campus, near Henley-on-Thames (RG9 3AU): Henley Business School's riverside campus for the Global Executive MBA and executive education, with lecture theatres, seminar rooms, a dedicated Business Library and a 100-room on-site hotel.
• University of Reading Malaysia, EduCity Iskandar, Johor: two linked buildings with laboratories, a Learning Resource Centre, four lecture theatres, a financial dealing room and a psychology suite; programmes cover business, finance, psychology, law, real estate, surveying and pharmacy, with residences, healthcare and a library in the adjoining International Student Village.
• Henley Business School, South Africa: Henley's campus in Johannesburg.
• Research farms and sites: the Centre for Dairy Research at Shinfield, the Crops Research Unit at Sonning Farm, and the National Fruit Collection at Brogdale Farm, Kent.

Halls of residence (2026/27): Windsor, Stenton, Childs, Stenton Townhouses, Greenow and McCombie, Mackinder, Wessex, Bridges, Dunsden Crescent, St Patrick's, St George's, Wantage, Benyon and Sherfield, all between 0.3 km and 1.3 km from central Whiteknights, with weekly prices from £166.32 to £364.70. Adapted rooms and a small number of self-contained flats for couples, families and mature students are available.