Benefits of our work to society

Universities are funded from a variety of sources, but tuition fees and other public funding form a significant part. We remain focused on working as efficiently as possible and ensuring that the benefits of our work are shared beyond campus.

Teaching our students to the highest standards is at the heart of what we do and this provides a huge ongoing return to society, in both economic and social terms.

But it doesn’t stop there. The University has a much wider impact through:

• the economic and social contribution to the town and the region, such as training local teachers, working with the NHS, supporting local community initiatives and bringing £800 million into the local economy. Find out more about our economic and social impact (PDF 1,158KB).
• sharing facilities and skills with the local community: such as public events and lectures, free online courses, our free museums, access to our stunning parkland, community access to on-campus facilities, and support for businesses with the Reading Internship Scheme.
• the impact of our research including socially, economically, environmentally and to health and wellbeing