General description

We are one of the largest, most diverse universities in the UK with over 120,000 students in London, and a further 50,000 studying across 190 countries for a University of London degree.

The University of London was established by Royal Charter in 1836 for the public benefit and is recognised globally. Throughout our long history, the University has offered access to a wide range of academic opportunities. As a world leader in higher education, the University has pioneered change in the sector. We were the first university to admit students regardless of their gender, race or religion, the first to admit women to degree programmes and, in 1865, the first to give students the opportunity to study wherever they are, providing access to higher education across the globe. For almost 200 years, we have improved the lives of millions of people around the world through our unique approach to education, prompting Charles Dickens to term us the 'People's University'.

Why choose University of London

We are a federation of 17 independent member institutions of outstanding global reputation, ranging from larger universities such as UCL or King’s College London to smaller specialised institutions such as the Royal Academy of Music or the Courtauld Institute of Art.

There are also research institutes, united through the School of Advanced Study(Opens in new window), offering postgraduate study and research in the humanities as well as the University of London Institute in Paris and our flexible and distance learning programmes.

Students of the member institutions are also University of London students, giving them access to our wide range of services in central London. The academic quality of your qualification is of the very highest standard, wherever you study.