Reading named University of the Year for Scholarships 2026

The University of Reading has been named University of the Year for Scholarships and Bursaries 2026 in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026.

The accolade follows Reading’s 2025 position as Sustainable University of the Year and comes after the launch of the Global Sustainability Leaders Scholarships, which will offer up to 400 scholarships for high-achieving students, worth £6,000 a year across every year of study for undergraduates starting in 2026.

The University of Reading is ranked overall at 33 in the UK in the 2026 guide.

Professor Robert Van de Noort, Vice-Chancellor at the University of Reading, said: "After being named as the Sustainable University of the Year for 2025, we are proud that our new scholarships scheme for sustainability has led us to the position of the Times and the Sunday Times University of the Year for Scholarships and Bursaries 2026.

"Our Global Sustainability Leaders Scholarship programme represents one of the UK's largest-ever sustainability-focused undergraduate scholarship initiatives. It will create a community of future leaders across all subjects, from arts to sciences. This ambitious programme provides not just generous financial support but also specialised leadership development, learning experiences that bring together students from different fields, and access to industry networks and sustainability experts.

"At the start of a new academic year, when we are welcoming students to Reading for the first time, or welcoming them back to our campuses for a new year of study, this serves as a reminder of the value of our approach, giving students from a wide array of backgrounds the education, skills and experiences they need to change their own worlds while looking after our planet."

The Times and Sunday Times guide highlighted the growing number of students seeking scholarships and bursaries and praised Reading’s “generous” sustainability scholarships scheme – which it said was an emerging area of funding among UK universities.