About us and our values

If the pursuit of knowledge feels like a walk in the park then you probably aren’t trying hard enough. We think a university should be about empowering people to explore what they don’t know; through passionate, dedicated teaching and innovative, world-changing research. By embracing the fact that we’re all coming at it from a slightly different place, and that every journey is personal, we’ve managed to achieve some remarkable results in our time.

We believe that the best universities are not just the privilege of elites. We’re proof that you can stand alongside the best and open up the competition for everyone.

Some universities consider their primary purpose to be high quality research, others concentrate on excellent teaching. At Leicester we think that the two are not only complementary, they’re inseparable. We believe that teaching is more inspirational when delivered by passionate scholars engaged in world-changing research – and that research is stronger when delivered in an academic community that includes students. 

With these ideas at heart, Leicester is re-framing the values that govern academia and re-defining what a university needs to be in the 21st century. We are constantly finding new ways of being a leading university. 

When we were named University of the Year for 2008-9 by Times Higher Education,  the judges applauded Leicester’s very different approach, calling us “elite without being elitist.”

What qualifies us as ‘elite’? Could it be our uniformly high rankings across the various national university guides published annually by different newspapers? Or our consistently excellent results in the National Student Survey? Or perhaps it’s a commitment to these core values: 

• An inclusive and accessible culture
• A personal, supportive experience for those who use our services
• A commitment to high quality, innovation and rigorous academic standards
• A belief that teaching and research are synergistic