On 17 March 2026 it will be 100 years since the University of Reading was granted a royal charter and became a university. We’ll be celebrating the occasion throughout 2026 and the planning is underway.
Our centenary year gives us the opportunity to showcase the past, present and future impact of the University and its people and we can’t wait to share more details with you of events and activities closer to the time.
We would love for you to get involved in our centenary planning. Our alumni are a crucial cog in our community – after all, a university is nothing without its people.
Thank you to everyone who already helped us by voting for the symbol of our centenary celebrations. Here is the winning logo:
This was designed by Hannah Milway, Head of Creative and Print Services at the University of Reading, and a University of Reading typography alumna. It features the University’s heraldic crest and the year of our Royal Charter, with the typeface giving the logo a modern twist.
Read on to find out more about how you can get involved in the centenary planning.
Share your stories
The Centenary 2026 project is about creating a legacy for the next century, building on the foundation created by the staff, students, alumni and wider University community.
We want to celebrate this rich history by telling the many stories of the diverse people that make up the University of Reading community, and the ways in which their lives have been changed by living, studying or working here.
We want serious stories, funny or poignant memories, personal perspectives, and everything in-between.
Your stories – or excerpts of them, and any images you may send us – may be shared in the online alumni magazine, CONNECTED, as well as on other Alumni and Supporter Engagement or wider University of Reading or Reading Students Union platforms and channels – including websites, emails, social media, or in other marketing materials and campaigns. As we are collecting material for our centenary in 2026 please note that your story may not be shared immediately.
If you would like to share your memories please email alumni@reading.ac.uk.
Centenary Project Grant Scheme
A £250,000 fund to support centenary projects will launch in late September 2024. Do you have an idea to commemorate our centenary and develop our legacy for the next century? If so, this could become a reality.
The Centenary Project Grant Scheme will give members of our University community the opportunity to put forward their ideas for projects and activities that will both mark our centenary year, and forge a lasting legacy for the University.
Alumni, as well as staff and students, will be able to bid for a share of the £250,000 portion of the centenary budget that has been earmarked for the scheme.
The scheme will fund grassroots projects which should aim to showcase our past, current or future impact and thereby increase the profile of our research, education or reputation locally, nationally or internationally. Ideally, each project or activity will create a legacy, which will benefit our community.
Alumni, staff and students, can apply for funding from Monday 30 September, with applications open for a period of five weeks. Get ahead of the game and read the guidance notes now and start putting together your project bid ahead of the application window.
Find out more
As part of the centenary celebrations the University is also proud to be supporting the delivery of the National Education Nature Park initiative; and creating an enduring legacy for the next 100 years by fully cataloguing our archive to make it more accessible.
