Before you arrive

If you are looking for financial support while you study and to help pay your course fees, you can apply for student finance.

Applications will need to be approved by your parents/guardians/partner and include your household income assessment which will allow the University to assess your eligibility for a bursary.

Further financial support and advice can be found here:

• Postgraduate fees and funding
• International financial and insurance
• GOV.UK Student Finance 
• Student Finance Wales
• Student Finance Northern Ireland
• Student Awards Agency for Scotland
• Finance for students from the EU 
• Information for international students
• Professional and Career Development Loans

For useful information to support your visa application from your home country, visit the 'Apply for a visa from outside the UK' page. If you are making a visa application from within the UK, visit our page on applying within the UK.

As well as visa advice and application checks for students, the University's International Student Advisory Team can help you with:

• familiarising yourself with the Student visa application requirements;
• updates on Immigration Rule changes;
• information on working and travelling during and after your studies;
• advice and guidance on supporting you comply with your visa conditions;
• advice on how changes to your studies may affect a Tier 4 student visa;
• the EU settlement scheme.

The Disability Advisory Service (DAS) provides support for students with any disability, long term health condition, mental health condition, or specific learning difficulty (SpLD) to enable access to learning where previously this may be a difficulty.

If you declare a disability/long term medical condition on your UCAS application, have applied to us and have chosen Reading as your first choice we will contact you ahead of your arrival at the University, to ask more about your disability. It’s important to respond to us so we can work out how best to support you. If we’re an insurance option for you, please contact us.

We’ll send you a registration form which asks you to tell us a bit more about you and the support you might need while here. We’ll also ask you to send us medical evidence/reports. Once we have information from you, we will be in touch to help get support set up ready for you starting with us.

If you did not declare your disability/condition on your UCAS application or haven’t heard from us but believe you should have, please contact us directly on disability@reading.ac.uk or call us on 0118 378 4202.

If you require daily personal care or assistance to live independently and are based in the UK, you should contact your Social Services team from your local authority as early as possible to discuss the options available to you. It is likely they will carry out an assessment of your care needs which can take 6-12 months to complete.

We have put together some more detailed resources to help you:

• How to access support for independent living/personal care
• A timeline of events from your application to the start of term
• Information for students with disabilities coming to the University of Reading

Find out more about how to pay your tuition fees and for information about what methods of payment the University supports.

Your halls E-induction provides you with all the information you need to know about living in University accommodation, including important information such as your bed size, what to bring and what to expect on your arrival day.

Your halls E-induction will take around 30 minutes to complete and it is compulsory that you do this before you arrive on campus. At the end of your E-induction, you are also able to book your arrival slot to let us know when you are planning on arriving using the home at halls app.

How to access the E-induction

Once you have accepted your offer of accommodation and paid your deposit, you will receive an email asking you to complete your E-induction on the Accommodation portal.

1. Log in.
2. Click "Actions" from the top menu bar, then select "Accommodation" from the drop-down menu.
3. On the following page, click 'Connect to Accommodation Online'.
4. Once in the Accommodation portal, click 'View' to open your bookings dashboard and start your E-induction.

Booking your arrival slot

Once you have completed your E-induction, you can then proceed to book your arrival slot using the Home at Halls app. Search for ‘Home at Halls’ in your app store. Once you’ve downloaded the app, you will be asked to register with your first name, last name, student ID and email address. 

To book your arrival time using the app, select the ‘Intake’ tile. You will see the dates and times available – just select your preferred option.  

Need to change your arrival date? No problem. Go back into the app and you can make a change to one of the other available slots.

If you cannot use the app or are having any difficulty with booking a time, contact the Halls Hotline who will be able to help you. Telephone: 0800 029 1984, Email: Reading.Helpdesk@upp-ltd.com. 

If your contract starts on Thursday 31 December but you need to arrive earlier than this date please contact the Accommodation Office at accommodationonline@reading.ac.uk by Friday 18 December to request this.

• Photo ID (this could be a valid passport, national identity card, Military ID or EU photo driving licence) 

If you do not have photo ID, please email campuscard@reading.ac.uk 

Please note: If you would like to work alongside studying, please ensure you bring your passport and/or birth certificate with you. These documents are needed to conduct 'right to work' checks for all students (UK and international).

Other documents you should bring with you:

• Any official paperwork you have received from the University
• Bank details, cards, chequebook and paying in book
• National Insurance Number (if applicable)
• NHS card (if applicable)
• Details of your student finance arrangements (if applicable)

Please see our suggestions for what items to bring below, and don't forget that the most important thing to bring is something that will make Reading feel like home - it could be photos of friends and family, posters, or your favourite bedding.

Don't worry if you forget any of the items on the list below. There are plenty of shops in Reading where you can buy these items cheaply. Buying some of your items in Reading after you’ve arrived, such as kitchen equipment, can save you having to pack and unpack heavy items, especially if you’re travelling from abroad. 

Things for your room and kitchen equipment

• Clothes
• Towels
• Duvet, pillows and covers
• Toiletries
• Pots and pans
• Cutlery
• Bowls and plates
• Kitchen utensils

Things for your course

• Stationery (including pens, pencils and highlighters)
• Calculators 
• Dictionary and thesaurus
• PC/laptop (including all the cables)
• USB memory stick
• Lined paper and notepads
• A4 ring binder
• Post-it notes
• Scissors
• Stapler
• Any work from A Level/Baccalaureat/BTEC that you think might come in handy

Other things

• Your mobile phone and charger
• Your address book (or a list of important numbers in case you lose your phone)
• Enough cash to get you through your first few days while you wait for your loan to come through
• Food for the first few days
• Torch
• Washing detergent
• Paracetamol/aspirin
• Games/balls/sports equipment
• Umbrella

Covid-19 essentials

There are some additional items we recommend you pack in light of the Coronavirus pandemic. This includes:

• Face coverings
• Over counter medication, such as paracetamol
• Arrival cleaning products
• Hand soap and hand sanitiser

If you’re living in University accommodation you are able to reserve a bedding or kitchen pack in advance and collect upon arrival. More information on this can be found in your halls e-induction and arrival booking.

IMPORTANT: Please follow all UK government advice about travelling safely during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As a University we are striving to reduce our impact on the environment, and sustainable travel options for staff and students are a key part of this endeavour. Our campuses in the Reading area are within easy walking and cycling distance from local train stations, and are easily accessible by public transport.

Find us by bus

The 21 and 21a buses run from Reading train station in the town centre to our Whiteknights campus at regular intervals, 24 hours a day.

Once you arrive at the train station you can walk or cycle to either campus. If you choose to take a taxi or bus, the bus stops and taxi rank can be found outside the station. A taxi will cost you approximately £8 and a single bus journey will cost you £2.00 (a day ticket is £4.00. You purchase your ticket on the bus and will need either the exact change or a contactless bank card). The buses that run from the train station to the University are as follows:

- To Whiteknights campus (Shinfield Road) -  Number 21*
- To Whiteknights campus (Earley Gate) - Numbers 17 (frequent) or 9
- To London Road campus - Number 21

View central Reading bus stop and route maps, as well as further information about travelling to the University by bus from the surrounding area, on the Reading Buses website. 

Find us by train

Reading train station is a mainline train station and is easily accessible from most other places in the UK. There are direct rail links from many major cities, including Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, Cardiff, Bristol, and Exeter, as well as a number of routes through London.

If you are travelling from or via London, the quickest route to take is from London Paddington station. Trains from London Paddington to Reading run approximately every 15-20 minutes throughout the day and the average journey time is around 30 minutes. Find out more at the National Rail website.

Find us by car

We strongly advise against students bringing a car to campus and encourage staff, students and visitors to use public transport where possible. However, in a case where it is necessary to drive, this is how you can find us by car:

Whiteknights campus
Sat nav postcode for Shinfield Road and Pepper Lane entrances: RG6 6UR
Sat nav postcode for the Earley Gate entrance: RG6 7BE

London road campus
Sat nav postcode: RG1 5AQ

Greenlands campus
Sat nav postcode: RG9 3AU
For further information about how to reach the Greenlands campus visit the Henley Business School website.

Parking

Visitors to our campuses on Monday to Friday between 8am and 5pm should be aware that parking needs to be prearranged and that a parking permit must be displayed. Please contact the member of staff or department you are visiting and ask them to arrange a visitor's parking permit. Permits or prearranged parking are not required outside of these times. For further information please email reception@reading.ac.uk or phone +44 (0)118 378 7307.

Cycling to the University 

Not only is cycling to University environmentally friendly, but it can also save you money and help you to keep fit at the same time. Cycling is a popular way to travel among students and staff, and we have lots of services available to make cycling to University simple and affordable.

If you want to give cycling a go but don't own a bike yet, there are lots of options available to you. The Unicycle scheme run by the Students' Union loans recycled bicycles by the term or the year, and the University hosts second-hand bike sales. To find out more about getting a bike in Reading, visit our sustainability webpages.

The University also runs regular bike-maintenance sessions, where a mechanic will check and fix your bike for free, charging only for any parts that might be needed. 

If you'd like to start cycling to University but need a confidence-boost, we also run regular free cycle courses to help you improve your skills and become a safer and more confident cyclist. 
You can find more information about cycling in Reading as well as guidance on keeping yourself and your bike safe.

Find us from the airport

Reading is well connected to both London Heathrow and London Gatwick airports.

London Heathrow
RailAir offers a direct coach service that runs between Heathrow Airport and Reading town centre. Coaches offer free Wi-Fi and at-seat USB charging, and operate frequently: up to every 20 minutes on weekdays, and every 30 minutes at weekends.

For more information, please visit the RailAir website.

London Gatwick
A direct train service runs between Gatwick airport and Reading station. Trains run once an hour, during the day. and take about 75 minutes.

For more information please visit the National Rail website.