THE RECORD breaking number of undergraduates starting at the University of Reading this week will be the first the cohort to sign a contract with the institution.

More than 4,200 new students enrolled this year, a seven per cent increase on 2015 that bucks the national trend of one per cent sector growth.

The new recruits are required to sign a contract that formalises the relationship between student and university for the first time in Reading's history.

Included in the 14 page document are terms relating to student behaviour, intellectual property rights and when and for what reasons the university can ask students to leave.

Sir David Bell, Reading's vice-chancellor, said: “University is a partnership between students and our staff. It is right that we have formalised that relationship in a new single contract for undergraduates enrolling this year.

“Students are investing heavily in their education and rightly have high expectations of us. These new contracts set out very clearly what students should expect from the university to complete their degrees successfully.

“It is also upfront about the responsibilities they have as members of the university – the behaviour expected and contribution they make to our community.”

If students are found to “materially breach” terms of the contract, including the university's code of conduct, they can be asked to leave.

In the students 'residing in accommodation' part of the code, unseemly, and potentially contract breaking behaviour includes the unhygienic storage of food and drink, causing fire alarms to go off through cooking and carrying offensive weapons without a valid and lawful excuse.

The contract also officially sets out students' requirement to go to lectures, seminars and tutorials and to pursue their studies conscientiously.