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Our Story

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Our Story

Royal Holloway is the backdrop to many stories – historical, architectural, and cinematic, as well as academic and personal.

At Royal Holloway, you will join an inspiring community of gamechangers. One that has been brought to life over decades by our outstanding students, incredible colleagues, world-class academics, global partners, royal connections, and our beloved mascot Colossus.  

We’re excited about the future and passionate about making a difference in the world. As a thriving community, driven by our rich history, we’ve got many more stories still to tell.  

Come and explore the things that matter to you and be a part of the story as it unfolds.

Discover Royal Holloway on the  screen. Learn more about our fascinating history, get to know Colossus, or be inspired by our honorary graduates and fellows.

 

In TV and film

An inspiring location in study and on screen

Royal connections

As our name suggests, we’ve had royal support since our earliest days – and so it continues.

Honorary awards

We recognise outstanding contributions to education with honorary fellowships and degrees every year.

Our mascot, Colossus

Colossus – a full-size stuffed grizzly bear, sculpture and mascot

Explore Royal Holloway

Scholarships

Get help paying for your studies at Royal Holloway through a range of scholarships and bursaries.

Clubs and societies

There are lots of exciting ways to get involved at Royal Holloway. Discover new interests and enjoy existing ones.

Accommodation

Heading to university is exciting. Finding the right place to live will get you off to a good start.

Support and wellbeing

Whether you need support with your health or practical advice on budgeting or finding part-time work, we can help.

Departments and schools

Discover more about our academic departments and schools.

Research Excellence Framework

Find out why Royal Holloway is in the top 25% of UK universities for research rated ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’.

Challenge-led research themes

Royal Holloway is a research intensive university and our academics collaborate across disciplines to achieve excellence.

Research institutes and centres

Discover world-class research at Royal Holloway.

Royal Holloway today

Discover more about who we are today, and our vision for the future.

Our history

Royal Holloway began as two pioneering colleges for the education of women in the 19th century, and their spirit lives on today.

Our alumni

We’ve played a role in thousands of careers, some of them particularly remarkable.

Governance

Find about our decision-making processes and the people who lead and manage Royal Holloway today.