BA English and Philosophy
Student Life #DayInTheLife
About The Leeds
The University of Leeds is a public research university in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It was established in 1874 as the Yorkshire College of Science. In 1884, it merged with the Leeds School of Medicine (established 1831) and was renamed Yorkshire College. It became part of the federal Victoria University in 1887, joining Owens College (which became the University of Manchester) and University College Liverpool (which became the University of Liverpool). In 1904, a royal charter was granted to the University of Leeds by King Edward VII. Leeds is the tenth-largest university in the United Kingdom by total enrolment and receives over 68,000 undergraduate applications per year, making it the fourth-most popular university (behind Manchester, University College London and King's College London) in the UK by volume of applications. Leeds had an income of £990.8 million in 2024–25, of which £185.6 million was from research grants and contracts, with an expenditure of £999.3 million. The university has financial endowments of £95.9 million (2025), placing it within the top twenty British universities by financial endowment. The university is a member of the Russell Group, a consortium of leading research-intensive universities in the United Kingdom. Notable alumni include current prime minister of the United Kingdom Keir Starmer, current president of Ireland Catherine Connolly, former Home and Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, NASA astronaut Piers Sellers, Hollywood actors Emma Mackey and Chris Pine and two Nobel laureates.
What Students Say
The curriculum is highly engaging. An impressive 86% of students found this course to be consistently intellectually stimulating.
Marking and assessment is viewed as largely fair, with 79% of cohorts agreeing exams and essays were graded appropriately.
Academic support is accessible; 64% of students stated good advice was readily available when evaluating their module options.
Course organization structure is perfectly solid. Over 79% say the timetables were well-organized and running smoothly.
The community feel here is incredible. 93% of students agreed that they truly feel part of a community of staff and students.
The Students' Union does a massive amount of work here. 77% of us feel they effectively represent our academic interests.