Editing University of Leicester

{{Short description|Public university in England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{More citations needed|date=May 2018}}
{{Infobox university 
| name = University of Leicester
| image = Escutcheon of University of Leicester.svg
| image_upright = 0.7
| caption = Shield of the University of Leicester
| motto = {{langx|la|Ut Vitam Habeant}}
| mottoeng = So that they may have life
| established = {{ubl|{{start date and age|1921}} (as Leicestershire and Rutland University College)|{{start date and age|1957}} (gained [[Universities in the United Kingdom|university status]] by [[royal charter]])}}
| type = [[public research university]]
| endowment = [[Pound sterling|£]]25.9&nbsp;million (2024)<ref name="Leicester2024">{{cite web|url=https://le.ac.uk/-/media/uol/docs/about-us/publications/financial-statements/mrf-148400-financial-statement-23_24.pdf|title=Annual report and accounts 2023–24|publisher=University of Leicester|access-date= 19 December 2024}}</ref>
| budget = [[Pounds sterling|£]]384.6 million (2023/24)<ref name=Leicester2024/>
| chancellor = [[Maggie Aderin-Pocock|Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock]]
| vice_chancellor = [[Nishan Canagarajah]]
| head_label = [[Visitor]]
| head = [[Charles III]]
| academic_staff         = {{HESA academic staff population|INSTID=10007796}} ({{HESA staff year}})<ref name="HESA staff citation">{{HESA staff citation}}</ref>
| administrative_staff   = {{HESA non-academic staff population|INSTID=10007796}} ({{HESA staff year}})<ref name="HESA staff citation"/>
| students               = {{HESA student population|INSTID=10007796}} ({{HESA year}})<ref name="HESA">{{HESA citation}}</ref><br/>{{HESA FTE student population|INSTID=10007796}} [[Full-time equivalent|FTE]] ({{HESA year}})<ref name="HESA" />
| undergrad              = {{HESA undergraduate population|INSTID=10007796}} ({{HESA year}})<ref name="HESA"/>
| postgrad               = {{HESA postgraduate population|INSTID=10007796}} ({{HESA year}})<ref name="HESA"/>
| city = [[Leicester, England|Leicester]]
| country = England, UK
| coordinates = {{Coord|52|37|17|N|1|07|28|W|display=inline,title|region:GB-LCE_type:edu_source:dewiki}}
| campus = Urban parkland
| colours = {{Scarf|start}}{{Cells|3|#660000}}{{Cells|1|#ffffff}}{{Cells|3|#003300}}{{Cells|1|#ffffff}}{{Cells|3|#660000}}{{Scarf|end}}
| website = {{URL|https://le.ac.uk/}}
| logo = UniOfLeicesterLogo.svg
| logo_size = 250px
| affiliations = {{hlist|[[Association of Commonwealth Universities|ACU]]|[[Association of MBAs|AMBA]]|[[European University Association|EUA]]|[[Midlands Innovation]]|[[Sutton Trust#Sutton Trust 30|Sutton 30]]|[[Universities UK]]}}
}}

The '''University of Leicester''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=En-leicester.ogg|ˈ|l|ɛ|s|t|ər}} {{respell|LEST|ər}}) is a [[public university|public]] research university based in [[Leicester]], England. The main campus is south of the city centre, adjacent to [[Victoria Park, Leicester|Victoria Park]]. The university's predecessor, '''University College, Leicester''', gained university status in 1957.

The university had an income of £384.6 million in 2023/24, of which £74.5 million was from research grants.<ref name=Leicester2024/>

The university is known for the invention of [[genetic fingerprinting]], and for partially funding the discovery and the DNA identification of the remains of [[exhumation of Richard III|King Richard III]] in Leicester.<ref>{{cite web |title=Richard III Society pays tribute to exemplary archaeological research |url=http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/press/media-centre/non-university-press-releases/richard-iii-society-pays-tribute-to-exemplary-archaeological-research |date=15 October 2012 |publisher=University of Leicester |access-date=12 February 2013}}</ref>

== History ==
===Desire for a university===
[[Image:Fielding Johnson Building, University of Leicester.jpg|thumb|The Fielding Johnson Building (built 1837)]]

The first serious suggestions for a university in Leicester began with the Leicester Literary and Philosophical Society (founded at a time when "philosophical" broadly meant what "scientific" means today).<ref>{{harvnb|Simmons|1958|p=51}}</ref> With the success of [[Owens College]] in Manchester, and the establishment of the [[University of Birmingham]] in 1900, and then of [[University of Nottingham|Nottingham University College]], it was thought that Leicester ought to have a university college too. From the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century [[University college#United Kingdom|university colleges]] could not award degrees and had to be associated with universities that had degree-giving powers. Most students at university colleges took examinations set by the [[University of London]].

In the late 19th century the co-presidents of the Leicester Literary and Philosophical Society, the Revered James Went, headmaster of the [[Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College|Wyggeston Boys' School]], and J. D. Paul, regularly called for the establishment of a university college<ref>{{harvnb|Simmons|1958|p=58}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.leicesterlitandphil.org.uk/history/ |title=History |website=Leicester Lit and Phil Society }}</ref> However, no private donations were forthcoming, and the [[Leicester City Council|Corporation of Leicester]] was busy funding the [[De Montfort University#Origins|School of Art and the Technical School]]. The matter was brought up again by Dr Astley V. Clarke (1870–1945) in 1912. Born in Leicester in 1870, he had been educated at [[Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys|Wyggeston Grammar School]] and the [[University of Cambridge]] before receiving medical training at [[Guy's Hospital]]. He was the new president of the Literary and Philosophy society. Reaction was mixed, with some saying that Leicester's relatively small population would mean a lack of demand. With the outbreak of the [[First World War]] in 1914, talk of a university college subsided. In 1917 the ''Leicester Daily Post'' urged in an editorial that something of more practical utility than memorials ought to be created to commemorate the war dead. With the ending of the war both the ''Post'' and its rival the ''Leicester Mail'' encouraged donations to form the university college. Some suggested that Leicester should join forces with Nottingham, Sutton Bonington and Loughborough to create a federal university college of the East Midlands, but nothing came of this proposal.

===Establishment===
The old asylum building had often been suggested as a site for the new university, and after it was due to be finished being used as a hospital for the wounded, Astley Clarke was keen to urge the citizens and local authorities to buy it. Fortunately, Clarke quickly learned the building had already been bought by [[Thomas Fielding Johnson]], a wealthy philanthropist who owned a [[worsted]] manufacturing business. He had bought 37 acres of land for £40,000 and intended not only to house the college, but also the boys' and girls' grammar schools. Further donations soon topped £100,000: many were given in memory of loved ones lost during the war, while others were for those who had taken part and survived. King [[George V]] gave his blessing to the scheme after a visit to the town in 1919.<ref>{{harvnb|Simmons|1958|p=69}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable floatleft"
|-
! Year !! No of students<ref>{{harvnb|Simmons|1958|p=139}}</ref>
|-
| 1944–45 || 84
|-
| 1945–46 || 109
|-
| 1946–47 || 218
|-
| 1947–48 || 448
|-
| 1948–49 || 568
|-
| 1949–50 || 706
|-
| 1950–51 || 730
|-
| 1951–52 || 764
|}
Talk turned to the curriculum with many arguing that it should focus on Leicester's chief industries hosiery, boots and shoes. Others had higher hopes than just technical training. The education acts of [[Education Act 1902|1902]] and [[Education Act 1918|1918]], which brought education to the masses was also thought to have increased the need for a college, not least to train the new teachers that were needed. Talk of a federal university soured and the decision was for Leicester to become a stand-alone college. In 1920, the college appointed its first official. W. G. Gibbs, a long-standing supporter of the college while editor of the ''Leicester Daily Post'', was nominated as secretary. On 9 May 1921, Dr R. F. Rattray (1886–1967)<ref>{{harvnb|Burch|1996|p=16}}</ref> was appointed principal, aged 35. Rattray was an impressive academic. Having gained a first class English degree at Glasgow, he studied at [[Manchester College, Oxford]]. He then studied in Germany, and secured his PhD at Harvard. After that, he worked as a [[Unitarianism|Unitarian]] minister. Rattray was to teach Latin and English. He recruited others including Miss Measham to teach botany, Miss Sarson to teach geography, and Miss Chapuzet to teach French.<ref>{{harvnb|Simmons|1958|p=81}}</ref> In all, 14 people started at the university when it opened its doors in October 1921: the principal, the secretary, three lecturers and nine students (eight women and one man). Two types of students were expected, around 100–150 teachers in training, and undergraduates hoping to sit the external degrees of London University. A students union was formed in 1923–24 with a Miss Bonsor as its first president.<ref>{{harvnb|Simmons|1958|p=94}}</ref>

In 1927, after it became University College, Leicester, students sat for the examinations for external degrees of the [[University of London]]. Two years later, it merged with the [[Vaughan College|Vaughan Working Men's College]], which had been providing adult education in Leicester since 1862.<ref>{{cite book |last=Brown|first=Cynthia|year=2012 |title=A Blessing to the Town: 150 Years of Vaughan College, Leicester|publisher=University of Leicester|isbn=9780901507723|page=42}}</ref> In 1931, Dr Rattray resigned as principal. He was replaced in 1932 by [[Frederick Attenborough]], who was the father of [[David Attenborough|David]] and [[Richard Attenborough]]. He was succeeded by [[Charles Wilson (political scientist)|Charles Wilson]] in 1952.

===University status to modern day===
[[File:Archaeologist working in Trench.jpg|right|thumb|Archaeologists working on the site of [[Richard III]]'s grave, in the former Greyfriars Church, in September 2012]]
In 1957, the University College was granted its [[royal charter]], and has since then had the status of a university with the right to award its own degrees. The Percy Gee Student Union building was opened by [[Queen Elizabeth II]] on 9 May 1958.<ref>BBC: How Royal visits have changed https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-17300813</ref>

Leicester University won the first ever series of ''[[University Challenge]]'', in 1963. The university's motto ''Ut Vitam Habeant'' –"so that they may have life", is a reflection of the war memorial origins of its formation. It is believed to have been Rattray's suggestion.<ref>{{harvnb|Simmons|1958|p=93}}</ref>

The university medical school, Leicester Medical School, opened in 1971.

In 1994, the University of Leicester celebrated winning the [[Queen's Anniversary Prize]] for its work in Physics & Astronomy.{{citation needed|date=October 2018}} The prize citation reads: "World-class teaching, research and consultancy programme in astronomy and space and planetary science fields. Practical results from advanced thinking".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.royalanniversarytrust.org.uk/the-prizes|title=The Prizes|website = The Royal Anniversary Trust}}</ref>

In 2011, the university was selected as one of four sites for national high performance computing (HPC) facilities for theoretical astrophysics and particle physics. An investment of £12.32 million, from the Government's Large Facilities Capital Fund, together with investment from the [[Science and Technology Facilities Council]] and from universities contribute to a national supercomputer.<ref name="auto">[http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/press/press-releases/2012/june/multi-million-pound-new-national-supercomputer-to-perform-astronomical-feats], Multi-million pound new national supercomputer to perform astronomical feats. Retrieved 22 March 2015.</ref>

In September 2012, a ULAS team [[Exhumation of Richard III of England|exhumed the body]] of King [[Richard III]], discovering it in the former [[Greyfriars, Leicester|Greyfriars Friary Church]] in the city of [[Leicester]]. As a result of that success Prof King was asked to investigate whether a skeleton found in Jamestown was that of [[George Yeardley]], the 1st colonial governor of Virginia and founder of the [[Virginia General Assembly]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2018/07/30/richard-iii-expert-called-identify-headless-jamestown-skeleton/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2018/07/30/richard-iii-expert-called-identify-headless-jamestown-skeleton/ |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Richard III expert to help determine if headless skeleton is colonial governor and 'hero' of Jamestown|author=Sarah Knapton|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=30 July 2018|access-date=31 July 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

In January 2017, Physics students from the University of Leicester made national news when they revealed their predictions on how long it would take a zombie apocalypse to wipe out humanity. They calculated that it would take just 100 days for zombies to completely take over earth. At the end of the 100 days, the students predicted that just 300 humans would remain alive and without infection.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2017/01/05/zombie-apocalypse-would-wipe-humankind-just-100-days-according/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2017/01/05/zombie-apocalypse-would-wipe-humankind-just-100-days-according/ |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title= Zombie apocalypse would wipe out humankind in just 100 days, according to university research|work=The Telegraph|date=5 January 2017|access-date=6 January 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

In January 2021, around 200 [[University and College Union|UCU]] members at the university passed a no-confidence motion in Vice Chancellor [[Nishan Canagarajah]] because of proposed cuts putting 145 staff members at risk of redundancy. There was anger at his claim that redundancies are needed to "continue to deliver excellence".<ref>{{Cite news|last=Martin|first=Dan|date=26 January 2021|title=UCU members 'overwhelmingly' back no-confidence motion in Leicester University vice-chancellor|work=Leicester Mercury|url=https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/ucu-members-overwhelmingly-back-no-4931836|access-date=3 February 2021}}</ref> In April, the UCU urged academics to boycott the university due to the planned redundancies, including encouraging people to not apply for jobs at Leicester or collaborate on new research projects.<ref>{{citation |url=https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/union-calls-global-boycott-university-5372857 |title=Union calls for global boycott of University of Leicester as redundancy dispute escalates |newspaper=Leicester Mercury |first=Dan |last=Martin |date=4 May 2021 |access-date=4 May 2021}}</ref>

==Campus==
[[Image:University of Leicester towers 2010.jpg|thumb|University of Leicester seen from [[Victoria Park, Leicester|Victoria Park]] – left to right: [[University of Leicester Engineering Building|the Engineering Building]], the Attenborough Tower, the Charles Wilson Building.]]
The main campus is a mile south of the city centre, adjacent to [[Victoria Park, Leicester|Victoria Park]] and [[Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College]]. The skyline of the university is punctuated by three distinctive, towering, buildings from the 1960s: the Department of Engineering, the Attenborough Tower and the Charles Wilson Building.

===Fielding Johnson Building===
The [[Fielding Johnson Building]] was designed by William Parsons in a late Georgian provincial style as the Leicestershire and Rutland County Asylum. From 1921 the building was home to most of the university departments until purpose-built accommodation was created, and it was renamed the Fielding Johnson Building in 1964. It now houses the university's administration offices, Leicester Law School (including the original university library Harry Peach Law Library, the Legal Advice Clinic, moot court), and the university's council chambers.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.storyofleicester.info/city-heritage/built-heritage-continued/fielding-johnson-building/ |title=Fielding Johnson Building |last= Milvaques|first=Victoria |date= August 2013|publisher=Leicester City Council |website=Story of Leicester |url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170904155226/http://www.storyofleicester.info/city-heritage/built-heritage-continued/fielding-johnson-building/|archive-date = 4 September 2017}}</ref> The south wing of this building includes the university's Accessibility service for disabled students and access to the Peter Williams lecture theatre and Ogden Lewis Seminar Suite in the lower storeys of the David Wilson main library building.

===Attenborough Tower===
{{main|Attenborough Tower}}[[Image:Attenborough Tower, Leicester University.jpg|thumb|upright|The Attenborough Tower, home of many of the university's arts departments]]

The 18-storey Attenborough Tower is home to the College of Social Sciences and has undergone extensive renovation.

===Engineering Building===
{{main|University of Leicester Engineering Building}}

The Engineering Building was the first major building by British architects [[James Stirling (architect)|James Stirling]] and [[James Gowan]]. This Grade II* listed building<ref>{{NHLE|num=1074756|desc=Engineering Building, University of Leicester|access-date=9 July 2019}}</ref> comprises workshops and laboratories at ground level, and a tower containing offices and lecture theatres.

===Other buildings===
[[File:Charles Wilson Building from Victoria Park.jpg|thumb|The brutalist Charles Wilson Building by [[Denys Lasdun]]]]
Opposite the Fielding Johnson Building are the Astley Clarke Building, home to the School of Criminology and Sociology, and the Danielle Brown Sports Centre.

The Ken Edwards Building, built in 1995, lies adjacent to the Fielding Johnson Building and is home to part of the School of Computing and Mathematical Science, the School of Modern Languages and learning spaces shared by a variety of the university's schools.

Built in 1957, the Percy Gee Building is home to Leicester University's Students' Union. Percy Gee was one of the first treasurers of the University College.

The David Wilson Library was opened by [[Queen Elizabeth II]] on 4 December 2008, following an extensive refurbishment with a budget of £32 million.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www2.le.ac.uk/library/about/building/building-the-david-wilson-library/key-facts-and-figures|title = Key Facts and Figures – University of Leicester|access-date =22 September 2014|publisher=University of Leicester}}</ref>

The Bennett Building, Physics and Astronomy Building, the Chemistry Building and the Adrian Building lie beyond the Charles Wilson Building. Across University Road, linked by pedestrian bridges, lie the Maurice Shock and Hodgkin Buildings. Further along University Road is the George Davies Centre building (built 2016), home to Leicester's Medical School.

The Adrian Building was built in 1967 and designed by Courtald Technical Services which became W.F Johnson & Partners.<ref name= "FRAMEWROKPLAN2008">{{cite web |url=https://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/estates/information-for-estates-staff/dfp/downloads/Section15 |title=Building by Building |date=2008 |publisher=University Leicester Framework Plan}}</ref> It was named after [[Edgar Adrian]] the first chancellor of the university (1957–1971).
The Charles Wilson Building was designed by Denys Lasdun and completed in 1967. It's distinctive brutalist silhouette created by the additional upper storeys and related structures have led to it being likened to the Transformer [[Optimus Prime]] by local residents and alumni.

Along London road is the Brookfield campus home to the College of Business (previously known as the University of Leicester School of Business or ULSB) and the post-graduate centre. It was sympathetically renovated, with the original building being built in 1870 and was home to Thomas Fielding Johnson, the founder of the University of Leicester.

Further along University Road and on Salisbury Road and Regents Road is the School of Education.

On Lancaster Road there is the [[Attenborough Arts Centre]], the university's arts center.

Leicester's halls of residence are noteworthy: many of the halls (nearly all located in [[Oadby]]) date from the early 1900s and were the homes of Leicester's wealthy industrialists.   Accommodation on campus is at Freemen's Common and Nixon Court.

<gallery class="center">
Image:Leicester University Engineering Building.jpg|The Engineering Building, designed by [[James Stirling (architect)|James Stirling]], [[James Gowan]] and [[Frank Newby]]
Image:Physics and astronomy building, University of Leicester.jpg|The Physics and Astronomy Building, part of a larger complex by [[Leslie Martin]]
Image:Leicester University analemma sundial.jpg|''Eye of Time'' [[Analemmatic sundial|sundial]]
Image:Jewry Wall ruins panorama 3.jpg|[[Vaughan College]], the university's former adult education college, is [[Listed building|Grade II]] listed and faces the [[Jewry Wall]] Roman ruins
File:Astronomical Clock at Leicester University.jpg|[[Leicester University astronomical clock]]
</gallery>

===Development===
In recent years, the university has disposed of some of its poorer quality property in order to invest in new facilities, and is currently undergoing a £300+ million redevelopment. {{citation needed|date=April 2015}} The new John Foster Hall of Residence opened in October 2006. The David Wilson Library, twice the size of the previous University Library, opened on 1 April 2008 and a new biomedical research building (the Henry Wellcome Building) has already been constructed. A complete revamp of the Percy Gee Student Union building was completed in September 2010.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www2.le.ac.uk/staff/announcements/percy-gee-building-update|title=Percy Gee building update – University of Leicester|last=rmt22|website=www2.le.ac.uk|language=en|access-date=2019-07-23}}</ref> Nixon Court was extended and refurbished in 2011.  In the early 2020s the Freemen's Common accommodation was demolished, replaced with new accommodation named known collectively as both Freemen's Common and Freemen's, a multi-storey carpark and the Sir Bob Burgess Building, a building with learning facilities and offices that is shared across multiple departments of the university.

==Organisation==
The university's academic schools and departments are organised into colleges. In August 2015, the colleges were further restructured with the merging of ''Social Sciences'' and ''Arts, Humanities and Law'' to give the following structure:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/vc/heads-of-college/heads-of-college|title=Pro-Vice-Chancellors and Heads of College|access-date=12 September 2016|website=University of Leicester|archive-date=4 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161104051034/https://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/vc/heads-of-college/heads-of-college/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===College of Life Sciences===
The college has the following academic schools:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.le.ac.uk/colleges/medbiopsych/structure|title=College of Life Sciences Structure – University of Leicester|website=www2.le.ac.uk}}</ref>
* [[Leicester Medical School]]
* School of Biological Sciences
* School of Psychology
* School of Allied Health Professions

The research departments and institutes:
* Cardiovascular Sciences
* Genetics and Genome Biology (including the Leicester Cancer Research Centre)
* Health Sciences (including the Leicester Diabetes Centre)
* Infection, Immunity and Inflammation
* Molecular and Cell Biology
* Neuroscience, Psychology and Behaviour (including the Centre for Systems Neuroscience)
* Leicester Precision Medicine Institute (including Leicester Drug Discovery and Diagnostics)
* Leicester Institute of Structural and Chemical Biology

====Leicester Medical School====
{{Main|Leicester Medical School}}
The university is home to a large medical school, Leicester Medical School, which opened in 1971. The school was formerly in partnership with the [[University of Warwick]], and the Leicester-Warwick medical school proved to be a success in helping Leicester expand, and Warwick establish. The partnership ran the end of its course towards the end of 2006 and the medical schools became autonomous institutions within their respective universities.{{Citation needed|date=October 2018}}

=== College of Science and Engineering===
The college comprises the following departments:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.le.ac.uk/colleges/scieng/structure|title=College Departments – University of Leicester|website=www2.le.ac.uk}}</ref>
 
* Chemistry
* Informatics
* School of Geography Geology & the Environment
* Engineering
* Computing and Mathematical Sciences
* Physics and Astronomy

There are also interdisciplinary research centres for Space Research, Climate Change Research, Mathematical/Computational Modelling and Advanced Microscopy.

====Engineering====
[[Image:University of Leicester Engineering Building from Victoria Park.jpg|thumb|The [[listed building|Grade II* listed]] Engineering Building]]

The department offers MEng and BEng degrees in Aerospace Engineering, Embedded Systems Engineering, Communications and Electronic Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and General Engineering. Each course is accredited by the relevant professional institutions. The department also offers MSc courses.{{Citation needed|date=October 2018}}

====Physics and Astronomy====
The department has around 350 undergraduate students, following either [[Bachelor of Science|BSc]] (three-year) or [[Master of Physics|MPhys]] (four-year) degree courses, and over 70 postgraduate students registered for a higher degree.<ref name="FAQ">[https://le.ac.uk/physics/study|title= Study Physics], University of Leicester</ref>

The main Physics building is the primary base for two research groups — Planetary Science and Astrophysics – as well as centres for [[Supercomputer|supercomputing]], [[microscopy]], [[Gamma-ray astronomy|Gamma]] and [[X-ray astronomy]], and the [[Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Mission|Swift]] UK Data Centre. [[Space Park Leicester]], officially opened in 2022, is the main home of the Earth Observation Science and Space Projects and Instrumentation groups. The department also runs the University of Leicester Observatory in Manor Road, Oadby. With a 20-inch telescope it is one of the UK's largest and most advanced astronomical teaching facilities.<ref name="oadby">{{cite web|url =http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/physics/news/news_items/the-university-of-leicester-opens-the-most-advanced-astronomical-teaching-facility-available-at-a-uk-university|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20121219054647/http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/physics/news/news_items/the-university-of-leicester-opens-the-most-advanced-astronomical-teaching-facility-available-at-a-uk-university|url-status =dead|archive-date =2012-12-19|title = The University's new observatory is opened |website=The University of Leicester}}</ref> The department has close involvement with the [[National Space Centre]] also located in Leicester.

The department is home to the university's ALICE 3400+ core supercomputer<ref>{{cite web|url =https://alice-docs.le.ac.uk/|title= ALICE Documentation|website= University of Leicester}}</ref> and is a member of the UK's DiRAC (DiStributed Research utilising Advanced Computing) consortium. DiRAC is the integrated supercomputing facility for theoretical modelling and HPC-based research in particle physics, astronomy and cosmology.<ref name="auto"/>

===College of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities===
The college has 10 schools including:

* American Studies	
* Archaeology and Ancient History	
* School of Arts
* School of Business	
* Criminology	
* Education	
* History, Politics and International Relations
* Leicester Law School	
* School of Media, Communication and Sociology
* Museum Studies

====Archaeology and Ancient History====
The ''School of Archaeology and Ancient History'' was formed in 1990 from the then Departments of Archaeology and Classics, under the headship of [[Graeme Barker]]. The academic staff currently (as of January 2017) include 21 archaeologists and 8 ancient historians, though several staff teach and research in both disciplines.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/archaeology/people|title=All Staff and Associates|access-date=13 January 2017}}</ref>

The School has particular strengths in Mediterranean archaeology, ancient Greek and Roman history, and the archaeology of recent periods; and is also home to the ''University of Leicester Archaeological Services'' (ULAS).<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.le.ac.uk/ulas/|title= University of Leicester Archaeological Services|website = University of Leicester}}</ref>

====Business====
[[Image:University of Leicester Ken Edwards Building.jpg|thumb|The Ken Edwards Building, former home of the School of Management, now part of the School of Business]]

The ''School of Business'' was founded in 2016, bringing together the expertise of the School of Management and the Department of Economics. The new school now has approximately 150 academic staff, 50 from Economics and 100 from Management. In 2010 the former School of Management was ranked 2nd after [[Oxford University]] by the ''Guardian''.<ref>Guardian University guide 2010: Business and Management studies. [https://www.theguardian.com/education/table/2009/may/12/university-guide-business-management-studies guardian.co.uk] Retrieved 16 September 2010.</ref>{{Update inline|date=October 2018}}

The School of Business provides postgraduate and undergraduate programmes in Management, Accounting and Economics. The School of Business, is one of the approximately 270 Schools/Universities in the world accredited by [[Association of MBAs|AMBA]].<ref>[https://www.associationofmbas.com/business-schools/accreditation/accredited-schools/] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100922150347/http://www.mbaworld.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=172&Itemid=53|date=22 September 2010}}. mbaworld.com Retrieved 16 September 2010.</ref>

====English====
The ''School of English'' teaches English at degree level. The school offers English studies from contemporary writing to Old English and language studies. It contains the ''Victorian Studies Centre'', the first of its kind in the UK. {{citation needed|date=February 2015}}. [[Malcolm Bradbury]] is one of the department's most famous alumni: he graduated with a First in English in 1953.{{Citation needed|date=October 2018}}

====Historical Studies====
The ''School of Historical Studies'' is one of the largest of any university in the country. It has made considerable scholarly achievements in many areas of history, notably urban history, English local history, American studies and Holocaust studies.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.le.ac.uk/hi/ug/welcome.html|title=History at Leicester|access-date=29 June 2015}}</ref> The school houses both the East Midlands Oral History Archive (EMOHA)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.le.ac.uk/emoha/|title=East Midlands Oral History Archive|access-date=29 June 2015}}</ref> and the [[Media Archive for Central England]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.macearchive.org.uk|title=Mace Archive -|website=Mace Archive}}</ref>

====Law====
The ''School of Law'' is one of the biggest departments in the university. According to the Times Online Good University Guide 2009, the Faculty of Law was ranked 8th, out of 87 institutions, making it one of the top law schools in the country.<ref>"Law." Times [London, England] 19 June 2008: 4[S4]. The Times Digital Archive. Accessed 17 January 2017.</ref>{{Update inline|date=October 2018}}

== Academic profile ==
===Admissions===

{| class="floatright"
| 
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:85%; text-align:center; margin-bottom: 5px"
|+UCAS Admission Statistics
!
!2024
!2023
!2022
!2021
!2020
|-
| '''Applications'''{{efn-lg|name=mainscheme}}<ref name=UCASEoC>{{cite web |title=UCAS Undergraduate Sector-Level End of Cycle Data Resources 2024 |url=https://www.ucas.com/data-and-analysis/undergraduate-statistics-and-reports/ucas-undergraduate-end-cycle-data-resources-2024 |at=Show me... Domicile by Provider |website=ucas.com |date=December 2024 |publisher=UCAS |access-date=7 February 2025}}</ref>
| 26,690
| 27,195
| 24,940
| 20,995
| 19,475
|-
| '''Accepted'''{{efn-lg|name=mainscheme}}<ref name=UCASEoC/>
| 5,005
| 4,960
| 4,555
| 3,690
| 3,715
|-
| '''Applications/Accepted Ratio'''{{efn-lg|name=mainscheme}}
| 5.3
| 5.5
| 5.5
| 5.7
| 5.2
|-
| '''Offer Rate (%)'''{{efn-lg|name=ukjune}}<ref name="UCAS Offer Rate">{{cite web|title=2024 entry UCAS Undergraduate reports by sex, area background, and ethnic group|date=7 February 2025|url=https://www.ucas.com/data-and-analysis/undergraduate-statistics-and-reports/ucas-undergraduate-end-cycle-data-resources-2024/2024-entry-ucas-undergraduate-reports-sex-area-background-and-ethnic-group|publisher=[[UCAS]]|access-date=7 February 2025}}</ref>
| 74.3
| 69.5
| 67.5
| 69.0
| 74.2
|-
| '''[[UCAS Tariff|Average Entry Tariff]]'''<ref name="CUG Entry">{{Cite web | url=https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings?tabletype=full-table&sortby=entry-standards | title=University League Tables entry standards 2024 |work=The Complete University Guide}}</ref>
| {{n/a}}
| {{n/a}}
| {{n/a}}
| 132
| 129
|}
{| style="font-size:80%;float:left"
|{{notelist-lg|refs=
{{efn-lg|name=mainscheme|Main scheme applications, International and UK}}
{{efn-lg|name=ukjune|UK domiciled applicants}}
}}
|}
|}
{| class="wikitable floatright sortable collapsible mw-collapsible"; style="font-size:85%; text-align:right;"
|+ class="nowrap" |HESA Student Body Composition (2023/24)
|-
!Domicile<ref name="Table 1">{{cite web|url=https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/students/table-1|title=HE student enrolments by HE provider, permanent address, level of study, mode of study, entrant marker, sex and academic year|publisher=[[Higher Education Statistics Agency|HESA]]|access-date=3 April 2025}}</ref> and Ethnicity<ref name="HESA ethnicity">{{cite web|url=https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/students/whos-in-he/characteristics|title=Who's studying in HE?: Personal characteristics|date=3 April 2025|publisher=[[Higher Education Statistics Agency|HESA]]|access-date=3 April 2025}}</ref>
! colspan="2" data-sort-type=number |Total
|-
|[[White people in the United Kingdom|British White]]{{efn|Not be confused solely with [[White British]]}}
|align=right| {{bartable|30|%|2||background:red}}
|-
|[[Classification of ethnicity in the United Kingdom#Collective terms for minority ethnic groups|British Ethnic Minorities]]{{efn|Includes those who indicate that they identify as [[British Asian|Asian]], [[Black British people|Black]], [[Mixed (United Kingdom ethnicity category)|Mixed Heritage]], [[British Arabs|Arab]] or any other ethnicity except White.}}
|align=right| {{bartable|46|%|2||background:green}}
|-
|[[European Union|International EU]]
|align=right| {{bartable|2|%|2||background:blue}}
|-
|[[International students in the United Kingdom|International Non-EU]]
|align=right| {{bartable|22|%|2||background:gray}}
|-
! colspan="4" data-sort-type=number |Undergraduate [[Widening participation|Widening Participation]] Indicators<ref name="Table 1"/><ref name="Times25">{{cite web |date=24 September 2024 |title=Good University Guide: Social Inclusion Ranking |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk-university-rankings/league-table |work=[[The Times]]}}</ref>
|-
|[[Feminism in the United Kingdom#Education|Female]]
|align=right| {{bartable|52|%|2||background:purple}}
|-
|[[Private schools in the United Kingdom|Independent School]]
|align=right| {{bartable|7|%|2||background:orange}}
|-
|Low Participation Areas{{efn|Calculated from the Polar4 measure, using Quintile1, in England and Wales. Calculated from the [[Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation]] (SIMD) measure, using SIMD20, in Scotland.}}
|align=right| {{bartable|11|%|2||background:black}}
|}
New students entering the university in 2015 had the 42nd highest [[UCAS]] Points in the UK at 374 points.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings?o=Entry+Standards|title=University League Table 2018|publisher=Complete University Guide|access-date=26 April 2017}}</ref> According to the 2017 ''Times'' and ''Sunday Times'' Good University Guide, approximately 2% of Leicester's undergraduates come from independent schools.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://extras.thetimes.co.uk/gooduniversityguide/institutions/ |title=The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2017|work=[[Rankings of universities in the United Kingdom|The Good University Guide]] | location=London | access-date=16 August 2016}}{{dead link|date=April 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}{{subscription required}}</ref>

===Teaching===
The university is held in high regard for the quality of its teaching.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.qaa.ac.uk/reviews/reports/instReports.asp?instID=H-0125 |title=QAA.ac.uk |access-date=28 November 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071018150915/http://qaa.ac.uk/reviews/reports/instReports.asp?instID=H-0125 |archive-date=18 October 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> 19 subject areas have been graded as "Excellent" by the [[Quality Assurance Agency]] – including 14 successive scores of 22 points or above stretching back to 1998, six of which were maximum scores.

Leicester was ranked joint first in the 2005, 2006, and 2007 [[National student survey|National Student Survey]] for overall student satisfaction among mainstream universities in England. It was second only to Cambridge in 2008 and again joint first in 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.le.ac.uk/ugprospectus/teaching.html|title=Undergraduate Courses|access-date=29 June 2015}}</ref>

=== Rankings and reputation ===
{{Infobox UK university rankings
| ARWU_W = 301–400
| QS_W = 285=
| THE_W = 191=
| LEIDEN_W = 561
| LINE_1 = 0
| Complete = 36
| The_Guardian = 34
| Times/Sunday_Times = 27=
| THE_UK = 27
| LINE_2 = 0
| TEF = Silver
}}
[[File:Leicester 10 Years.png|thumb|upright=1.2|University of Leicester's [[Rankings of universities in the United Kingdom|national league table]] performance over the past ten years]]
The university was named [[Times Higher Education University of the Year|University of the Year]] in 2008 by the ''[[Times Higher Education]]''.<ref name="le.ac.uk">{{cite web|url=http://www2.le.ac.uk/ebulletin/news/press-releases/2000-2009/2008/10/nparticle.2008-10-24.3357348950|title=University of Leicester – University of Leicester Named University of the Year|access-date=29 June 2015}}</ref> It is also the only university ever to have won a ''Times Higher Education'' award in seven consecutive years.{{Citation needed|date=October 2018}} The university was previously consistently ranked among the top 20 universities in the United Kingdom by the ''[[Times Good University Guide]]'' and [[Rankings of universities in the United Kingdom#The Guardian|''The Guardian'']].<ref name="Financial p3">{{cite web |title=Financial statements 2010/11 |publisher=University of Leicester|url=http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/finance/documents/Fin%20Statements/Financial_Statements_11.pdf/view}}</ref>

In 2017, the university ranked 25th in ''The Sunday Times Good University Guide.''

===Research===
The university has research groups in the areas of astrophysics, biochemistry and genetics. The techniques used in [[genetic fingerprinting]] were invented and developed at Leicester in 1984 by Sir [[Alec Jeffreys]]. It also houses Europe's biggest academic centre for space research,{{citation needed|date=April 2015}} in which space probes have been built, most notably the [[Mars]] Lander [[Beagle 2]], which was built in collaboration with the [[Open University]].

Leicester Physicists (led by Ken Pounds) were critical in demonstrating a fundamental prediction of [[Albert Einstein]]'s General [[Theory of Relativity]]{{citation needed|date=April 2015}} – that [[black holes]] exist and are common in the [[universe]]. It is a founding partner of the £52&nbsp;million [[National Space Centre]].

Leicester is one of a small number of universities to have won the prestigious [[Queen's Anniversary Prize]] for Higher Education on more than one occasion: in 1994 for physics & astronomy and again in 2002 for genetics.

The 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) exercise for the School of Archaeology and Ancient History, 74% of research activity, including 100% of its Research Environment, was classed as 'world-leading' or 'internationally excellent', ranking it 6th among UK university departments teaching archaeology and 1st for the public impact of its research.{{Citation needed|date=October 2018}}

The [[Institute of Learning Innovation]] within the University of Leicester is a research and postgraduate teaching group, directed by [[Grainne Conole]]. The institute has and continues to research on UK- and European-funded projects (over 30 as of August 2013),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.le.ac.uk/beyonddistance|title=Institute of Learning Innovation|access-date=29 June 2015}}</ref> focusing on topics such as educational use of podcasting,<ref>Edirisingha, P., Hawkridge, D., and Fothergill, J. (2010). "A Renaissance of Audio: Podcasting approaches for learning on campus and beyond," ''European Journal of Open Distance and E-Learning''.</ref> e-readers in distance education,<ref>Rogerson-Revell, P., M. Nie & A. Armellini (2012), "An evaluation of the use of voice boards, e-book readers and virtual worlds in a postgraduate distance learning Applied Linguistics and TESOL programme". ''Open Learning'', 27(2), 103–119.</ref> virtual worlds, [[open educational resources]] and open education,<ref>Nikoi, S., T. Rowlett, A. Armellini & G. Witthaus (2011). "CORRE: A framework for evaluating and transforming teaching materials into Open Educational Resources". ''Open Learning'', 26(3), 191–207.</ref> and learning design.<ref>Conole, G. (2013), ''Designing for Learning in an Open World'', New York: Springer.</ref>

In 2019, the university of Leicester ranked 76th in Reuters top 100 of Europe's most innovative universities. University of Leicester excelled in molecular and cell biology. {{citation needed|date=January 2022}}

Leicester has been ranked as one of the top performing universities in the UK for COVID-19 research, after being awarded more than £10.8 million of government funding since the pandemic began.
The university now sits alongside the [[University of Oxford]] and [[University College London]] and has been recognised globally for its work, including being the first in the world to discover the link between people from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds being more susceptible to severe cases of coronavirus. {{citation needed|date=January 2022}}

== Library special collections ==

=== Local history collections ===
The Library has one of the largest local history collections in the country. The main collection contains circa 37,000 items covering all the major counties of England. Much of this material has been collected for the Centre for English Local History since its founding in 1948.<ref>{{cite web |title=What's in the local history collections? |url=https://gradschoolreadingroom.blogspot.com/2019/05/whats-in-local-history-collections.html |website=DWL Research |access-date=4 September 2019}}</ref> In addition, there are several rare book collections and archives:
* Hatton Collection. This collection is focused on the early English county histories and works by the antiquarians. Thomas Hatton (1876–1943), a local businessman whose collection of nearly 2,000 books on English local history was donated to the Library of Leicester College in 1920. This was one of the first major donations to the Library.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Fyfe|first1=Christine|title=What do Laurel and Hardy and 2000 rare books have in common with the University?|url=http://www.le.ac.uk/ebulletin-archive/ebulletin/news/out-and-about/2000-2009/2006/06/nparticle.2006-06-01.html|publisher=University of Leicester|access-date=22 February 2015}}</ref>
* Chaproniere Collection. Photographic archive of English parish churches organised by geological region. Donated by Donna Chaproniere.<ref>{{cite web |title=Chaproniere Collection |url=https://www2.le.ac.uk/library/find/specialcollections/az/chaproniere/chaproniere-collection |publisher=University of Leicester |access-date=4 September 2019}}</ref>
* Fairclough Collection. Portrait prints and topographical illustrations of 17th century Britain. Donated by A. B. R. Fairclough in 1970.<ref>{{cite web |title=Fairclough Collection |url=https://www2.le.ac.uk/library/find/specialcollections/az/fairclough/fairclough-collection |publisher=University of Leicester |access-date=4 September 2019}}</ref>
* Thirsk Collection. Notes and data collected by Joan Thirsk for volumes 4 (1500–1640) and 5 (1640–1750) of The Agrarian History of England and Wales. Thirsk was the editor of these volumes and a research fellow at Leicester in the 1950s.<ref>{{cite web |title=Thirsk Collection |url=https://www2.le.ac.uk/library/find/specialcollections/az/joan-thirsk-collection |publisher=University of Leicester |access-date=4 September 2019}}</ref>

In recent years, the Library has digitised, and made [http://specialcollections.le.ac.uk/ available online], collections relating to local and urban history, including The Historical Directories of England and Wales<ref>{{cite web |title=Historical Directories of England & Wales |url=http://specialcollections.le.ac.uk/digital/collection/p16445coll4 |publisher=University of Leicester Special Collections Online |access-date=4 September 2019}}</ref> and the East Midlands Oral History Archive.<ref>{{cite web |title=East Midlands Oral History Archive (EMOHA) |url=http://specialcollections.le.ac.uk/digital/collection/p15407coll1 |publisher=University of Leicester Special Collections Online |access-date=4 September 2019}}</ref>

=== Modern Literary Archives ===
The library also holds a number of collections of 20th century writers and illustrators:

* The Joe Orton Collection. [[Joe Orton]] (1933–1967) was a Leicester-born playwright, the collection contains his manuscripts and correspondence.
* The Laura Riding Letters. The collected correspondence of the American poet and critic [[Laura Riding]] (1901–1991).
* The Sue Townsend Collection. The personal papers of [[Sue Townsend]] (1946–2014). The collection contains Townsend's literary correspondence and notebooks detailing her works.<ref>{{cite web |title=Modern Literary Archives |url=https://www2.le.ac.uk/library/find/specialcollections/c-themes/literary |website=University of Leicester |access-date=4 September 2019}}</ref>

==Student life==

The university has a number of different societies within its students' union. The Union has over 220 different societies.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://leicesterunion.com/studentgroups|title=Societies|access-date=29 June 2015}}</ref>

===Student media===
The students' union has three student groups producing media: Leicester Student Magazine, Galaxy Radio, and LUST (Leicester University Student Television).

Leicester Student Magazine was founded in 1957, and has previously been known as ''The Ripple, The Wave & Galaxy Press''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/GalaxyRadioLeicester/posts/1073984656001410 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/facebook/142954959104389/1073984656001410 |archive-date=2022-02-26 |url-access=limited|title=Galaxy Radio on Facebook|website=[[Facebook]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

LUST (Leicester University Student Television) was re-founded in 2002 after a period of dormancy. The station is affiliated to the [[National Student Television Association]] (NaSTA) and hosted the association's annual awards ceremony in 2008.

====Galaxy Radio====
Founded in 1996, Galaxy Radio (previously LUSH Radio, LUSH FM) is run and presented exclusively by students and broadcasts a mixture of music, chat and news.<ref name="Radio">{{cite web|title=Galaxy Media - About|url=http://galaxymedia.org.uk/about/}}</ref> Some notable personalities from the early days of the station (LUSH FM at the time) who have gone on to work in the media are Lucy O'Doherty (BBC 6 Music) and Adam Mitchenall (ETV). 
Niraj Dave hosted a show on LUSH FM from 2007 to 2008 and has worked for Asian Sound Radio and Sunrise Radio, London, two of the largest British Asian radio stations in the country. {{Citation needed|date=June 2015}}

Galaxy Radio holds an annual 24-hour charity broadcast. In 2011, £300 was raised for [[Comic Relief (charity)|Comic Relief]]. In 2013 the station held its first '69 Hour Broadcast', which raised over £450 for Comic Relief.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://my.rednoseday.com/sponsor/LUSHradio|title=Giving Pages Search – Red Nose Day – Red Nose Day|access-date=29 June 2015}}</ref> For the 2018 fundraiser GR worked with fellow student group Leicester Marrow to raise £1,000 for [[Anthony Nolan]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The Student Awards 2018 Winners! — University of Leicester |url=https://www2.le.ac.uk/students/studying/events/student-awards-2018 |website=www2.le.ac.uk |access-date=4 July 2018 |language=en}}</ref>

Galaxy Radio has broadcast live the annual [[List of British and Irish varsity matches|varsity match]] against [[De Montfort University]] for both football from the [[King Power Stadium]] and rugby union from [[Welford Road Stadium]].

== Notable people ==
{{main list|List of University of Leicester people}}
<gallery class="center">
File:Anthony Giddens at the Progressive Governance Converence, Budapest, Hungary, 2004 October.jpg| [[Anthony Giddens]], sociologist
File:Peter Atkins - EdSciFest 2014.jpg|[[Peter Atkins]], chemist
File:Sir Liam Donaldson.jpg|Sir [[Liam Donaldson]], medical doctor and university chancellor
File:Natalie_Bennett-IMG_4086.jpg| [[Natalie Bennett]], British politician
File:Norman_Lamb_%282013%29.jpg|[[Norman Lamb]], MP
File:Bob Mortimer in Middlesbrough in 2010.jpg| [[Bob Mortimer]], comedian
</gallery>

Notable academics from the university include; [[Anthony Giddens]], prominent sociologist who taught [[social psychology]], [[Sarah Hainsworth]], Professor of Materials and Forensic Engineering, involved in analysing the wounds on the skeleton of [[Richard III]], [[Jeffrey A. Hoffman]], NASA astronaut and physicist, Sir [[Alec Jeffreys]], inventor of [[genetic fingerprinting]]; [[Philip Larkin]], librarian and poet; [[Charles Rees]], organic chemist; [[Martin Rees, Baron Rees of Ludlow|Lord Rees of Ludlow]], the [[Astronomer Royal]], visiting professor at Leicester. [[Jeremy Howick]] joined the University of Leicester as director of the new Stoneygate Centre for Excellence in Empathic Healthcare.

Numerous public figures in many diverse fields have been students at the university. Alumni in science include [[Peter Atkins]], physical chemist; [[Philip Campbell (scientist)|Philip Campbell]], editor-in-chief of ''[[Nature (journal)|Nature]]''; Sir [[Liam Donaldson]], Chief Medical Officer

Alumni in politics and government include [[Natalie Bennett]], former leader of the [[Green Party of England and Wales]];  [[Atifete Jahjaga]], [[President of Kosovo]]; [[Jyrki Katainen]], Prime Minister of Finland;<ref>[http://www2.le.ac.uk/news/blog/2013/april/finnish-pm2019s-politics-formed-at-the-university-of-leicester "Finnish PM’s politics formed at the University of Leicester"], University of Leicester, 1 May 2013.</ref> [[Norman Lamb]], MP; [[Princess Mako of Akishino]], a member of the Japanese Imperial Family; [[Aaron Porter]], President, [[National Union of Students (United Kingdom)]] 2010–11; [[Peter Bedford (politician)]] Member of Parliament for Mid Leicestershire; [[Jen Craft]] Member of Parliament for Thurrock.

Alumni in the arts include [[Malcolm Bradbury|Sir Malcolm Bradbury]], author; [[Pete McCarthy]], writer, broadcaster, comedian; [[Bob Mortimer]], comedian; [[Bob Parr (producer)|Bob Parr]] [[Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire|MBE]], multi [[Emmy Award]]-winning television producer; [[C. P. Snow]], author; [[John Sutherland (author)|John Sutherland]], [[The Guardian|Guardian Columnist]], Emeritus Professor of English Literature, [[University College London]]; author, television presenter and archaeologist [[John-Henry Phillips]].

===The Attenboroughs===
[[Image:University of Leicester College House 2.jpg|thumb|College House, childhood home of [[David Attenborough|David]] and [[Richard Attenborough]]]]

The University of Leicester is commonly associated with the Attenborough family. [[Richard Attenborough|Richard]] and [[David Attenborough]] (with their younger brother John) spent their childhood in College House, which is now home to part of the Maths department (and is now near to the Attenborough tower, the tallest building on the campus and home to many of the arts and humanities departments). Their father [[Frederick Attenborough]] was Principal of the University College from 1932 until 1951. The brothers were educated at the adjacent [[Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College|grammar school]] before attending the [[Royal Academy of Dramatic Art]] and the [[University of Cambridge]] respectively.

Both have maintained links with the university—David Attenborough was made an honorary Doctor of Letters in 1970 and opened the Attenborough Arboretum in [[Knighton, Leicestershire|Knighton]] in 1997. In the same year, the ''Richard Attenborough Centre for Disability and the Arts'' was opened by [[Diana, Princess of Wales]]. Both brothers were made Distinguished Honorary Fellows of the university at the degree ceremony in the afternoon of 13 July 2006.

==See also==
*[[Armorial of UK universities]]
*[[List of universities in the UK]]
*[[National Space Centre]]
*[[Peer English]], an academic journal published by the Department of English
*[[Stanley Burton Centre for Holocaust Studies]]
*[[University of Leicester Botanic Garden]]

==References==
{{notelist}}
{{reflist|30em}}

===Further reading===
*{{citation |last=Simmons |first=Jack  |year=1958 |title=New University |publisher=Leicester University Press }}
*{{citation |last=Burch |first=Brian  |year=1996 |title=The University of Leicester, A History, 1921–1996 |publisher=University of Leicester}}

== External links ==
{{commons category|University of Leicester}}
* {{official website|http://www.le.ac.uk/}}
* [http://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/image/epw014911?quicktabs_image=0 Aerial photograph of University College (later Leicester University) in April 1926]

{{Universities in the United Kingdom}}
{{Universities and colleges in the East Midlands}}
{{1994 Group}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leicester, University Of}}
[[Category:University of Leicester| ]]
[[Category:Universities and colleges established in 1921]]
[[Category:1921 establishments in England]]
[[Category:Universities UK]]