University of Leeds

HISTORY

The University of Leeds is a redbrick university located in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, established in 1831. Originally named the Yorkshire College of Science and later simply the Yorkshire College, it incorporated the Leeds School of Medicine and became part of the federal Victoria University alongside Owens College and University College Liverpool. In 1904, a royal charter, created in 1903, was granted to the University of Leeds by King Edward VII.

The university is a founding member of the prestigious Russell Group – the leading research-intensive universities in the UK, the N8 Group for research collaboration,  the Worldwide Universities Network, the Association of Commonwealth Universities, the European University Association, the White Rose University Consortium, the Santander Network and CDIO and is also affiliated to the Universities UK. The Leeds University Business School hold the ‘Triple Crown’ accreditations from AACSB, AMBA and EQUIS, placing them in the top 1% of business schools globally.

The university has 31,790 students, the seventh largest university in the UK (out of 166). From 2006 to present, the university has consistently been ranked within the top 5 (alongside Manchester University, Manchester Metropolitan University, Nottingham University and Edinburgh University) in the United Kingdom for the number of applications received.

COURSES

The university runs courses in:

• Computing
• Research
• Medicine

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

The University of Leeds is shaped by its values of academic excellence, community, professionalism, integrity and inclusiveness. Its admissions policy aims to provide fair and equal access to those who have the potential to succeed on their chosen course. In 2015 the average entry UCAS tariff score was 434. Full details of the entry requirements for each of the university’s courses are available on their website.

ACADEMIC STRENGTHS

Teaching is informed by the very latest research, so students are taught by the people doing that research. Undergraduates also have the opportunity to carry out cutting-edge research themselves. Leeds champions knowledge transfer between universities, other research organisations, businesses and the wider community to enable product/service development. The High Fliers report on the Graduate Market in 2015 puts us in the UK top 10 for graduate recruitment. Leeds’ research strengths are in areas such as energy, water, cities, culture, food, health and high value engineering. Leeds had the tenth largest research grant and contract income in the sector in 2013–14 (Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Feb 2015). They received the highest amount of funding in the UK from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) (Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Feb 2015). University of Leeds is second nationally in terms of the number of spin-outs formed (since 1995), having established over 105 companies. Leeds current company portfolio includes the largest number of market listed companies of any UK university. The current value of active University of Leeds spin-out companies is estimated in the region of £500 million, employing over 600 staff.

TEACHING STANDARDS

Staff at Leeds have been awarded 22 National Teaching Fellowships – more than any other English, Northern Irish or Welsh university reflecting the excellence of their teaching.

In the latest Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) review the university was one of only three institutions to receive a commendation, the highest category of praise available, for their enhancement of student learning opportunities. Leeds staff have won prestigious national awards for quality and innovation in teaching. Leeds Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) gives students instant access to a wide range of learning resources, including reading lists, past examination papers, skills guides and assessment guidelines. It also provides an interactive learning forum through a range of tools including tests, blogs, lecture notes, podcasts, surveys, wikis and discussion boards. So, as well as practical sessions, lectures and seminars, students benefit from a whole raft of supplementary and interactive learning material. 90% of their final year students are satisfied with their experience at Leeds (National Student Survey (NSS 2015). 91% of their final year students rated their courses as intellectually stimulating (National Student Survey (NSS 2015).

CAREERS STANDARDS

They award-winning Careers Centre offers a range of services to help plan student’s careers and make well-informed decisions along the way. Their experienced, qualified careers advisors can help students find work experience, offer advice on improving CVs, job applications, preparing for interviews and what to do after university. As well as teaching accredited, career-related discovery modules, the Careers Centre also provides a daily drop-in service and a dedicated job site advertising hundreds of vacancies targeted at University of Leeds students.  They can also put students in touch with their graduates for careers advice through the Leeds Network.  Leeds graduates are highly sought after by employers. They are one of the top 10 universities in the UK for graduate recruitment (the Graduate Market in 2014, High Fliers Research). 92% of their graduates are employed or studying within six months of leaving according to the latest report from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (June 2013).