Overview

The University was founded as Leicestershire and Rutland University College in 1921. The site for the University was donated by a local textile manufacturer, Thomas Fielding Johnson, in order to create a living memorial for those who lost their lives in First World War. This is reflected in the University's motto Ut Vitam Habeant – 'so that they may have life'. Students were first admitted to the college in 1921. In 1927, after it became University College, Leicester, students sat the examinations for external degrees of theUniversity of London. In 1957 the college was granted its Royal Charter, and has since then had the status of a University with the right to award its own degrees. The University won the first ever series of University Challenge, in 1963.

Established year: 1921

Location

Leicester, with a population of more than 300,000, is a commercial and cosmopolitan city in the heart of England. Surrounded by beautiful countryside, Leicester lies 160km north of London (just over one hour by train) and within easy reach of many other major towns and places of interest - including Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare, and both Oxford and Cambridge, the sites of the ancient universities.

All teaching buildings are within a few minutes' walk of each other on the University of Leicester's compact campus. Leicester train station is within walking distance of the campus and offers regular services to London. Supermarkets, a cinema complex, local shops, bars and restaurants are all nearby.

The University of Leicester's buildings represent over a century of architectural styles which reflect our history and growth. The first university building, the Fielding Johnson, dates from 1837 and is a fine example of late Georgian architecture. Many of the more recent buildings have won architectural awards for design excellence.

From London by train: 1 hour and 9 minutes

Address: University Road, Leicester, LE1 7RH, United Kingdom.

Learning environment

• In 2011 a new £15-m Students' Union building was opened. The Union also houses a 1,500 capacity O₂ Academy – making Leicester the only university campus in Britain with its own O₂.
• The state-of-the-art £36-million David Wilson Library opened in 2008 at the heart of campus. The library provides over one million printed volumes and extensive online resources, along with group study rooms, self-service check-out and returns, wireless connectivity and seminar rooms.
• A new £5-m Health and Fitness club opened in September 2012 at Oadby (next to Halls of Residence). This comprises a new gym, 25m swimming pool, aerobics room, steam rooms and spa pool will feature. Outside there are new tennis courts, a floodlit all-weather pitch, a floodlit FieldTurf five-a-side pitch and the superb University pitches at Stoughton Road. Another sports centre including gym and swimming pool on main campus gives extra flexibility.

Highlights/Advantages

• Traditional British university: 85 years of teaching excellence
  
• World-class research across a full range of disciplines
  
• Extra academic and English workshops
  
• A city centre campus in the heart of England
  
• It was here that DNA Genetic Fingerprinting was invented by Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys
  
• It was here where Professor Ken Pounds was critical in proving a fundamental law of Einstein's General Theory of Relativity – that black holes exist and are common in the universe.
  
• Leicester led the successful search for the lost grave of King Richard III using cutting edge techniques to solve a centuries old mystery
  
• Over 19,000 students from 150 countries

Rankings

Top 20 in the UK for:

• Management (16th, Guardian 2013)
  
• Media (7th, Complete University Guide 2013)
  
• Engineering (7th , Guardian 2013)
  
• Geology (5th, Times 2013)
  
• Archaeology (9th, Guardian 2013)
  
• Law (20th, Guardian 2013)
  
• Criminology (4th, Guardian 2013)
  
• Biological Sciences (4th, Guardian 2013)
  
• Modern Languages (4th, Guardian 2013)
  
• Sociology (7th, Guardian 2013)
  
• Chemistry (11th, Guardian 2013)
• 20th in the Times University Guide 2015
  
• 21st in the Guardian University Guide 2015
• 19th in the Complete University Guide 2015
• 211th in the QS World University Rankings 2015

Accommodation

The University of Leicester has over 4,000 spaces available, meaning that it can guarantee a room to all first year students. Both catered and self-catered rooms are available, as are studio apartments and shared rooms. Many second and third year students also choose to live in halls, but most live in and around the city. The accommodation office can assist students who wish to live outside halls in private rented accommodation.

ISC students can live new, centrally located student residence, St Georges Tower, which offers self-contained ensuite studios. Students will also benefit from the convenience of living in close proximity to the ISC, minutes from the centre of the city, yet only a 15-20 minute walk from the University of Leicester campus.