University of Leeds Guide: Reviews, Rankings, Fees And More

The University of Leeds was initially established in 1874 as the Yorkshire College of Science and in the 1880s, merged with the Leeds School of Medicine and joined the federal Victoria University. It left Victoria University to be an independent university and was granted a royal charter in 1904 as the University of Leeds. The university is now one of the largest higher education institutions in the UK and a proud member of the reputable Russell Group. It offers a nurturing environment for business startups and has created 110 spin-out companies since 1995.

Summary of University

university of leeds review

Table of Contents

University of Leeds Overview

The University of Leeds has seven faculties teaching 29 subjects. 28 of these 29 subjects are ranked in the country’s top ten in its respective 2024 Subject League Tables by the Complete University Guide. During its earlier stage as the Yorkshire College of Science, the university focused purely on scientific studies and this specialism shows in the high ranking of its Engineering subjects. The university’s Creative Writing and Childhood & Youth Studies courses top their respective league charts. Its Manufacturing & Production Engineering courses are ranked second for the subject in the UK while Medical Technology & Bioengineering is ranked third in the latest subject league tables. The University of Leeds has partnered up with Southwest Jiaotong University in Chengdu, China on a unique UK-Chinese engineering curriculum. 

The University of Leeds has 312,000 alumni from 197 countries. Many Leeds graduates take on management roles and found that their courses have taught them relevant work skills. According to HESA’s survey on Graduate Outcomes of 2018/2019 graduates, 83% of the 3,107 UK-based Leeds graduates in employment were in professional or managerial level roles. 85% of them agree or strongly agree that what they are doing is meaningful. Meanwhile, 78.7% of Leeds graduates agree or strongly agree that what they are doing is in line with their future plans and 68.9% of them agree or strongly agree that they are using the skills learned during their studies. Many Leeds graduates enjoy a higher average salary range compared to the national average salary at an equivalent of $36,388.22 (£29,500) annually (Source: Indeed). 28.84% of the HESA survey respondents earn above £30,000 per year. Within two years after graduation, 18.5% of Leeds graduates went on to further their education.

Some of the most notable alumni from Leeds are:

  • Col Needham – Founder and CEO of IMDb – the online database for movies and TV series. He studied Computer Science at Leeds in 1988 and started IMDb in 1990.
  • Corinne Bailey Rae – Singer. Her most famous single “Put Your Records On” was released in 2006.
  • Stephen Jay Gould – Palaeontologist and evolutionary biologist known for his theory of punctuated equilibrium and book, “The Mismeasure of Man”.

University of Leeds Courses and Programmes

English Literature with Creative Writing BA

This degree aims to equip you with valuable skills as a writer and literary critic through studying a great range of historical and modern texts. Some notable authors among alumni and former staff include JRR Tolkien, a highly distinguished fantasy writer; Wole Soyinka and Ngugi wa Thiong’o, founding figures of African literature; Geoffrey Hill, an English poet described as one of the most important in the 20th century; and Professor Simon Armitage CBE, the Poet Laureate who currently teaches poetry at the university. At the completion of this course, students will be equipped with writing and literary critique skills, with a diverse creative portfolio and a final year project that demonstrates their abilities as an academic writer and researcher.

The School of English has the Leeds Poetry Centre, Stand, their self-produced literary magazine, and the world-class Brotherton Library with valuable Special Collections to best serve its students’ research needs. 

Childhood Studies BA 

This interdisciplinary degree gives students a broad understanding of childhood and youth in a wide range of social, cultural and educational contexts. Potential career options include roles in pre-primary care, primary school teaching, teaching assistant roles, social work, child and family law, and youth and community work. Post-graduate paths for this course include MA in Childhood Studies, MA in Special Educational Needs or teacher training with the School Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) partners, Red Kite. Students will get to shadow an educational professional, visit and read to children in hospitals and work with children in schools to gain practical experience for their careers in teaching. The University of Leeds tops the Complete University Guide’s League Tables of 2024 in Childhood & Youth Studies.

Architectural Engineering MEng, BEng 

This degree offers valuable hands-on experience to put into practice the theoretical principles through design studio work. Students can enjoy the use of excellent laboratory facilities and industry-standard software such as Revit for Building Information Modelling, IES for dynamic thermal modelling, and Robot for structural analysis. Graduates of this course will get an accredited architectural engineering degree which meets the highest quality chartered engineer standards by the Engineering Council via the JBM and CIBSE. The university is one of the few UK universities to have a working partnership with the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) to give their students a head start with obtaining the qualifications to be an Incorporated or Chartered Engineer with ICE (IEng or CEng MICE) The University of Leeds also ranked 2nd in the UK for Architecture according to the Guardian University Guide of 2024.

University of Leeds Entry Requirements

Undergraduate Study Entry Requirements (International students)

The minimum entry requirements are 5 Cs at the I/GCSEs, 3 Es at the A-Levels, or the equivalent in the student’s country. Those taking subjects that require numeracy will need to have a qualification in mathematics. These are university-wide minimum requirements, each course will have its own requirements which may be higher than the university’s requirements.

For a more detailed guide, find your country on this list here which details the equivalent grades to I/GCSEs and A-Levels for local qualifications.

Malaysian students

The following are the equivalent for the typical entry requirements into most courses at the university.

Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM/Malaysia Higher School Certificate).

AAA-BBB

Unified Examination Certificate (UEC)

A1 A1 A1 A2 A2 – B3 B3 B3 B3 B3

Diplomas from a public university with a minimum 3.0 GPA will be considered on a case-by-case basis for first or second-year entry; this depends on the degree course you are applying for.

English Language Minimum Requirements

International students will have to meet minimum English language requirements. Some subjects such as English will have higher English proficiency requirements.

IELTS 6.0 overall, minimum 5.5 in each component

TOEFL – 80 overall

GCSE – C/4

For a list of all accepted English language qualifications, please check their page here.

For Malaysian students:

SPM – B (pre-2022)

CEFR – overall C1, minimum B2 in each component (1119/O level) 

University of Leeds Entry Deadline

In the UK, all university applications (including those submitted by international students like you) go through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, more commonly known as UCAS.

Most undergraduate courses will share the same deadline of 31 January of every year. Some courses such as Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Sciences and universities such as Oxford and Cambridge have an earlier deadline of 16 October in the year before admission.

For more information about key dates and other UCAS deadlines, take a look at our article UCAS Deadlines 2024.

University of Leeds Ranking

  • Ranked 16th in the University League Table 2024 by the Complete University Guide
  • Ranked 86th in the QS World University Rankings 2024
  • Ranked 128th in the World University Rankings 2023 by Times Higher Education
  • Ranked 140th in Best Global Universities 2024 by US News and World report
  • Top 40 most international universities in the world in 2020, according to the Times Higher Education
  • Top 5 most targeted universities by graduate recruiters in the UK (The Graduate Market in 2021, High Fliers Research)

University of Leeds Fees

The tuition fee in the year of 2024/2025 for international students doing a bachelor’s course at the University of Leeds ranges from £22,250-£27,500 for most subjects. Medical courses have higher tuition fees which start at £39,750 per year, including the intercalation year.

University of Leeds Accommodation

The University of Leeds provides a good range of accommodation to suit different budgets, from modern, purpose-built developments to traditional buildings. Students can choose either catered or self-catered options. There are three different groups of accommodations to choose from: Band A at under £125 per week; Band B spans across various areas on and off campus at between £125 and £155 per week; and Band C, with some extra catered options, costs more than £155 per week.

A large number of the rooms are en suite, but cost-conscious students can also choose a shared-bathroom option. Staying in the university’s accommodation means students will get plenty of chances to socialise with fellow students in the common rooms with TVs, pool tables and communal study areas.

University of Leeds Reviews

Names may be changed to protect anonymity

Jefferson Sanchez ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“My lecturers were involved in the latest robotic research, which impacts our lives in a big way. I learnt the theory in the classroom and then applied it practically in the lab. I enjoyed the hands-on element of working with electronics and mechanics. For one of my projects, I designed a robotic arm for a drone that could pick up and place objects. 

It’s great how you can think outside the box at Leeds.”

Faidat Akinwole Braimoh ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Discovery modules can take you out of your course bubble. It’s an option to be adventurous, as you can do something completely unrelated to your course.”

Harriett Howe ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“The opportunities on offer at Leeds inspired me to make my business a success. The support was absolutely amazing too – I got an office and industry experts as mentors.”

Robert Bruce – University of Leeds graduate, national radio show host at Capital XTRA ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“University is about learning and self-development, preparing you for the world beyond education. Leeds helped me do this. We had great guest speakers, industry experts and alumni on campus to give lectures, run workshops and talk to us about career progression. I had access to the Leeds Student Radio studios, allowing me to develop my craft, and my work placements let me build essential industry experience.”

University of Leeds Facilities

Libraries

The Leeds University Libraries are one of the major academic research libraries in the UK. Nearly two million visitors have used over two million books; 230,000 books in the Special Collections; 300,000 electronic books; and 26,000 print and electronic journals for their reading and research purposes. 

The university has many world-famous Special Collections, including a 4,500-year-old Babylonian clay tablet and handwritten materials by famous authors, medieval manuscripts and rare books from around the world. They also house a living company archive of Marks and Spencer – one of Britain’s best-loved retailers that originated in Leeds. 

The Edge

This is the university’s indoor sports facility that offers:

  • 250-station state-of-the-art fitness suite with the latest Technogym equipment and Sky TV
  • 25m eight-lane swimming pool
  • sauna and steam room
  • squash courts
  • strength and conditioning room
  • three studios offering a variety of exercise classes during term time and virtual classes on demand
  • personal training studio
  • climbing wall
  • swimming lessons and courses such as climbing, squash, self-defence and strength training.

Besides The Edge, the university also has Sports Park Weetwood, Bodington Playing Fields, Cromer Terrace, Gryphon Centre, an Outdoor Centre and a Climbing Wall spanning across Leeds and the Yorkshire area. All residents of the university’s accommodations will receive gym membership at these facilities.

The Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery

This is an Arts Council England-accredited gallery that houses an impressive collection of artwork from the 17th century. Moreover, the place hosts innovative art exhibitions throughout the year, including the latest works from the university’s students and graduates.

University of Leeds Student Activities and Clubs

The university offers more than 300 student-led clubs and societies such as football, debating, theatre, gaming, dance and photography. Students can also volunteer to support the local communities through Leeds RAG – the student union’s fundraising society – with many local, national and international charities. 

Sports at Leeds is popular and has great support from the university. There are 70 sports clubs and seven sports facilities in Leeds and the Yorkshire area to suit all interests and levels of skill. The university offers a Sports Scholarship programme for students who want to achieve sporting and academic excellence. Moreover, serious players can significantly benefit from the university’s top-quality coaches, as well as the leadership programmes and many local and international community sports projects.

University of Leeds Contact

Official website: https://www.leeds.ac.uk 

Phone: +44 (0)113 2431751

Address: Woodhouse Lane, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS2 9JT, United Kingdom.

Apply For University of Leeds - Contact Us

Join our UK Study newsletter and get helpful articles on UK study, admission tips, courses and more delivered to your inbox.




Apply To University Of Leeds

We provide free university application assistance and advice. Speak to one of our consultants now!