Leeds is among the top ten universities for research in the UK and is internationally acknowledged as a centre of excellence in a wide range of academic and professional disciplines.

We have an ambitious vision to join the top 50 universities in the world by 2015 through our distinctive ability to integrate world-class research, scholarship and education. A jump of 41 places to 80th in the THES-QS world university league table in November 2007 brings our ambition a step closer.

Integrating research and learning and teaching is at the heart of our strategy. Our courses are taught by staff who are engaged in world-class research and cutting-edge professional practice.

We invest our own resources in helping organisations turn university research into world-class products and services. From the invention of the Ultracane which helps blind and visually impaired people, to a spin-out company which provides expert services and new technologies for the biopharmaceutical, defence and healthcare sectors, we are at the forefront of innovation.

Our size and international reputation enables us to offer one of the widest ranges of academic courses in the UK. During the current academic year there are over 30,500 students attached to 700 undergraduate and 474 postgraduate degree programmes. A further 31,382 men and women are enrolled on short courses with the University.

Our graduates are highly sought after by employers and go on to succeed in all walks of life and are leaders in their field. Have a look at who has been here.


It was here at the University that economist and logician WS Jevons formulated the principles of modern economics.

Lewis Namier and AJP Taylor are just two of the world-famous names to grace the University's distinguished Department of History.

It was at Jodrell Bank in Cheshire that a young Bernard Lovell built the world's largest steerable radio telescope just after the Second World War.

Great traditions have also flourished in theology, architecture, mathematics, music and law and many other areas.

The catalogue of virtuosity goes on and on. Today's University is built on the shoulders of some real academic giants.

Vision for the future
The President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Manchester, Professor Alan Gilbert, is leading a bold and exciting plan - the Manchester 2015 Agenda, which aims to make The University of Manchester one of the top 25 universities in the world.

The merger of UMIST and The Victoria University of Manchester in October 2004 presented a unique opportunity to rethink the very idea of a modern university and formulate a blueprint for the future.

The plan identifies goals for all the University's principal activities:

High international standing
World-class research
Exemplary knowledge and technology transfer
Excellent teaching and learning
The UK's most accessible research intensive institution
Empowering collegiality
Efficient and effective management
Internationally competitive resources
Increasingly effective community service
The vision for the University's future is an ambitious one. Its realisation will demand energy and commitment and superb execution.