3 min read

University of Leeds (UK)

Apart from being one of the largest universities in the UK, the University of Leeds has some of the most beautiful buildings I've seen on a university campus.

The Brotherton Library, for example, is absolutely breathtaking, along with the Great Hall, the Business School based in a converted church and more.

It's so photogenic that you can read a piece on the top 20 most instagrammable places on campus on medium.com.

Established in 1904, Leeds is also a top 100 in the world (QS, 2025) Russell Group university.

Here are some of the highlights from my visit!

Dating back to 1894, the Great Hall is where graduations take place, among other things

Leeds city

Leeds is small, compact city that's easy to navigate.

It's only 2 hours north of London on the train, and it was also voted the 'UK's Best Student City' by the Independent newspaper.

It's very much a student city, home to four universities in total.

But it's not small in population; Leeds is actually the UK's third largest city, with a population close to 1 million.

However, it's also a place where you can be out in the countryside within a 20-minute drive!

Other unique parts of Leeds is the fact that it's the only city outside of London with a resident opera and ballet company, so it clearly values the arts.

There is also no lack of shopping options either, with the largest covered market in Europe, home to the original Marks & Spencer store.

The Corn Exchange, built in 1829, was my favorite place though!

It's full of independent shops and treats!

And there are plenty of festivals, too, such as the Leeds International Film Festival, the Leeds Festival (the biggest music festival after Glastonbury) and Thought Bubble (a comic art festival).

Campus and academics

The University of Leeds campus is a short walk from the city centre but is made up of 100 acres (similar size to Vatican City).

Nearly 40,000 students share its four libraries, the most beautiful of which is the Brotherton Library in the Parkinson Building.

Parkinson Building, where students often sit and hang out

It contains the research collections for the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures, as well as Special Collections.

Built in 1936, it's a neoclassical building with art deco fittings; pictures simply don't do it justice!

The Great Hall is another example of the university's stunning architectural diversity; unfortunately, there were exams going on, so I couldn't go inside!

Fun fact: there are 1,400 trees on campus, too!

The heart of campus is the Students' Union, home to more than 300 clubs, the student bar and plenty of places to grab a bite.

In fact, The Refectory at Leeds also has a unique history of its own -- as a music venue that has welcomed a long list of famous bands, including Led Zeppelin, The Who, Queen, Paul McCartney, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd and more.

Heading west, you'll find the psychology buildings and student well-being support.

The brick roads, red brick buildings and the university's use of what looks like houses reminded me a lot of my four years at Ohio University.

But one of my favorite surprises about Leeds was finding the Business School in a converted church!

Typically, the UK does really well in converting churches to concert venues or pubs -- but never have I seen an actual university take ownership of this!

The Leeds Business School is also one of the best in the world, with the rare Triple Crown accreditation (EQUIS, AMBA and AACSB).

Across the street from the Business School is a large block of student residences.

Leeds also offers a huge number of engineering degrees, from civil to electrical to medical to automotive to chemical to aeronautical, all of which have their own building and ample facilities.