Address: Leeds, LS2 9JT, West Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom
Engineering, Business, Medicine
A large public research university, established in 1904, with roots in earlier institutions. A founding member of the Russell Group.
The University of Leeds received its Royal Charter in 1904, and its roots go back to the Yorkshire College of Science, founded in 1874 by industrialists to teach the sciences needed by the textile industry, and to the Leeds School of Medicine, which dates to 1831. It was a founding member of the Russell Group. The main campus is a short walk from the centre of the city, with Edwardian brick buildings, the Parkinson Building, completed in 1951 with its tower of white stone, and the Brotherton Library. It has about 39,500 students and 8,100 staff.
Early research focused on textiles, dyeing, leather, mining and fuel. William Henry Bragg was professor of physics from 1909 to 1915, and the work on X-ray crystallography done with his son Lawrence earned both the 1915 Nobel Prize in Physics. William Astbury, in the textile physics department, made early X-ray studies of DNA and proteins. These traditions of science and engineering remain, with strengths in physics, chemistry, medicine, engineering, transport studies and the environment.
The Leeds University Business School and the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures are among the largest in the country. The Brotherton Library Special Collections hold the Marks and Spencer Company Archive, the Liddle Collection on the First World War, and Arabic and Romany manuscripts. Wole Soyinka, the Nigerian writer who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986, studied English at Leeds. The Stage@Leeds theatre and the Great Hall support the arts.
The university is at the centre of a large student city that also includes Leeds Beckett University and Leeds Trinity University. Undergraduate applications go through UCAS. Tuition for home students is capped by the government at about nine and a half thousand pounds a year, while international students pay much higher fees. Check the current tariff. Teaching is in English, and scholarships exist.
Leeds offers a lively music scene and lower living costs than London. Direct trains reach London in about two hours and a quarter, and student housing is concentrated in Headingley, Hyde Park and the city centre.
Domains taught:
AI and Machine Learning, Engineering, Food Science, Life Sciences, Materials, Robotics, Software Engineering
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master, MBA
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Member of Russell Group and Worldwide Universities Network. Strong partnerships with industry (e.g. Rolls-Royce, P&G), NHS, and international universities. Part of N8 Research Partnership.
Research:
Extensive research across diverse fields, including engineering (robotics, materials), medical technologies, climate science (Priestley Centre), food science, and arts.
Famous Alumnis:
Chris Pine, Keir Starmer, Mark Knopfler, Piers Sellers, Harold Pinter
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
8100
Current students***:
39500
Foreign students***:
25%
Cumulative former students***:
285000
Pros
Major Russell Group university, wide range of courses, strong research output, vibrant city location, excellent student union and facilities.
Cons
Large student population, campus can be very busy, highly competitive for many courses.
Best For
Students looking for a major research university with a huge range of courses, strong research in engineering, medicine, and business, and a lively city student experience.
The University of Edinburgh follows much the same lines as this university, with robotics, life sciences and AI and machine learning as common ground, and it is also a public institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba.
University of Birmingham offers a comparable education in life sciences, AI and machine learning and software engineering: it has almost the same size, at about 37,000 students, and is also a public institution.
University College London works in much the same fields, chiefly robotics, life sciences and AI and machine learning, and it runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba programmes, and covers physics and data analytics as well.
Also strong in materials, life sciences and AI and machine learning, Imperial College London makes a sensible second look at home; it covers physics and mathematics as well, and is smaller, enrolling about 20,500 students against roughly 39,500 here.
The University of Manchester follows much the same lines as this institution, with materials, life sciences and AI and machine learning as common ground, and it is slightly larger, at about 46,500 students against roughly 39,500 here, and is also a public institution.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, based in the United States, is built around materials, life sciences and AI and machine learning much like this institution, and it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba, and covers mechanical engineering and data analytics as well.
On content, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur in India and this institution are close, as both teach food science, materials and AI and machine learning; it covers agriculture and manufacturing as well, and is far smaller, with about 13,000 students against roughly 39,500 here.
For food science, materials and life sciences outside the home country, Nanchang University in China is a natural reference; it is also a public institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba.
In the United States, University of California, Los Angeles teaches much the same core subjects, materials, life sciences and AI and machine learning, and it is slightly larger, at about 46,500 students against roughly 39,500 here, and is also a public institution.
University of Southern Denmark, in Denmark, takes a similar route through robotics, materials and life sciences; it is also a public institution and does not run the mba programmes found here.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is the University of Leeds?
In Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, a short walk from the city centre.
When did it receive its charter?
In 1904, with roots in the Yorkshire College of Science of 1874.
How large is it?
About 39,500 students and 8,100 staff.
What is the Parkinson Building?
A building completed in 1951 with a tower of white stone, and a symbol of the campus.
Which Nobel laureate worked there?
William Henry Bragg, professor of physics from 1909 to 1915, who shared the 1915 Nobel Prize in Physics with his son Lawrence.
What did William Astbury do?
He made early X-ray studies of DNA and proteins in the textile physics department.
What do the Special Collections hold?
Among others, the Marks and Spencer Company Archive and the Liddle Collection on the First World War.
Which Nobel writer studied there?
Wole Soyinka, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986.
How do you apply?
Undergraduate applications go through UCAS.
What does it cost?
Home tuition is capped at about nine and a half thousand pounds a year. International fees are much higher. Check the current tariff.
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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