Queen Mary, University of London

Rooted in the East End since the 18th century, QMUL fuses its distinctive focus on social justice and combines its research-led status with a deep-seated mission to improve lives through education. This autumn, 140 years after it was built to support the local community, a new atrium to be used as a social, learning and events space will welcome students to the grade II listed Queens’ building on Queen Mary University of London’s (QMUL) Mile End campus. It forms part of extensive upgrades sweeping through the Russell Group’s East End of London outpost. Students in the School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science have an upgraded informatics teaching laboratory and the business school will soon have a dedicated home as well as a new base for QMUL’s free legal advice centre. The developments should further boost rising rates of student satisfaction: up 33 places to rank 58= for the student experience in our analysis of the latest National Student Survey. 

Offering a campus-based community in the capital, QMUL has best-of-both-worlds appeal, backed by academic power reflected in its 42-place climb in the QS World University Rankings over the past three years, where it is 103rd in the 2027 edition. 

Need to know

Category

Result

Rank

Entry standards (Ucas points)

145

32

Teaching quality

84.5%

98

Student experience

83.7%

58=

Research quality

58.7%

16

First and 2:1s

85.5%

18=

Continuation rate

94.4%

35=

Graduate prospects

68.6%

81=

People & Planet

54.5%

59

How much it costs

UK fees

£10,050

Fees (placement year)

£1,955

Fees (overseas year)

£1,465

Fees (international)

£25,500-£32,950

Fees (international, medical)

£53,950

Places in accommodation

2,913

Rent per week

£177-£329

Rent for catered accommodation per week

n/a

Social inclusion index

Social inclusion ranking

70=

State school (non-grammar) admissions

79.4%

Grammar school admissions

13.4%

Independent school admissions

7.4%

Ethnic minority students

77.1%

Black awarding gap

-10.4%

White working-class males

1.7%

First-generation students

45.2%

Low-participation areas

3.8%

Low-participation areas dropout

2.4%

Mature students

9%

Overseas students

35%

Disabled students

12.1%

Student satisfaction with teaching quality

Accounting and finance

80.6%

Aeronautical and manufacturing engineering

83.5%

Bioengineering and biomedical engineering

83.3%

Biological sciences

84.8%

Biomedical Sciences

89.5%

Business, management and marketing

85.2%

Chemical engineering

76.6%

Chemistry

81.4%

Communication and media studies

86.2%

Computer science

81.4%

Cultural Studies

95.9%

Dentistry

81.9%

Drama, dance and cinematics

78.1%

Economics

84.9%

Electrical and electronic engineering

76%

English

91.6%

French

88.2%

General engineering

85.5%

Geography and environmental science

95.2%

History

94.2%

Iberian languages

88.5%

Law

80.7%

Liberal arts

91.2%

Linguistics

89.7%

Materials technology

80.1%

Mathematics

80.6%

Mechanical engineering

85%

Medicine

83.4%

Pharmacology and pharmacy

88.3%

Physics and astronomy

88.6%

Politics and international relations

87.2%

Psychology

80%

What is Queen Mary University of London’s academic reputation? 

QMUL can count nine Nobel laureates among its alumni and former staff and ranks 16th based on its results in the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021). Some 92 per cent of its submission was assessed as world-leading or internationally excellent, with drama and film departments producing some of the best results, along with politics and international studies, engineering, economics and history. 

It was the first Russell Group university to deliver degree apprenticeships, and ranks sixth for the proportion of ethnic minority students in our social inclusion table, demonstrating its outstanding commitment to serve students from all backgrounds.

The latest Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF 2023) awarded QMUL silver overall, praising its “very high rates of continuation and completion”. However, it received bronze for student experience, which aligns with its historically mixed results in the National Student Survey, but improvements such as a digital interface that answers student inquiries round the clock are going down well. In our analysis of the NSS 2026, QMUL has entered the top 100 (98th) for teaching quality, a 14-place improvement, as well as its big gain for the student experience. 

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What are Queen Mary University of London’s entry requirements — and my chances of getting in?

Standard offers range from A*AA to BBB at A-level, while contextual offers can reduce entry requirements by up to three grades. Almost a quarter (24 per cent) of 2025 entrants received a contextual offer and the number of accepted applicants in that admissions year surged by more than 20 per cent. Nearly a quarter of entrants gained their places through clearing.

JONATHAN COLE

What is Queen Mary University of London's campus like?

QMUL’s main campuses are at Mile End and Whitechapel, with sites at Charterhouse Square, West Smithfield and Lincoln’s Inn Fields. It also has international sites in Paris, Malta and China.Recent investments include 500 study spaces in the 24-hour library and Bloc, a new cinema and arts lab. The Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry in Whitechapel features the Neuron Pod, an award-winning science education centre, while the School of Business and Management will open a new canalside home in 2027.

The refurbished Garrod building, also on the Whitechapel campus has a library and study spaces, along with a multifaith centre, fitness studio and bookable areas for activities. The People’s Palace in Mile End is another part of the QMUL estate, where the art deco Great Hall has been restored to host events. 

When can I visit?

qmul.ac.uk

Everything you need to know about Queen Mary University of London’s student life

East London has a grittier cool to it, with the hip enclaves of Brick Lane and Shoreditch near to QMUL. The Qmotion sport and fitness centre on the Mile End campus offers more than 25 classes a week, and students have access to facilities at the nearby Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Music is well supported with scholarships and student-led ensembles. In the People's Palace, there are practice rooms equipped with instruments, such as pianos and drum kits. 

There has been significant investment in wellbeing services, offering everything from mindfulness workshops and a knitting group to counselling and one-to-one support. Advice on housing, money, immigration concerns and emotional wellbeing is readily available. 

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What do the students say?

“I chose London because it’s a global financial hub, and I knew there’d be opportunities for internship experience, but Queen Mary also offers a real-world application of my course. Added to that, the university feels like a diverse and close-knit community, with everyone being together.”
Matthew McClean, BSc economics and finance

What about student accommodation at Queen Mary University of London?

Accommodation is guaranteed either on or near campus to first-years who have a firm offer and apply by the deadline. In 2025-26, about a fifth of first-year students lived in halls, and 79 per cent off campus, primarily commuting from home. Rent for second and third-year students in the private sector costs about £200 a week.

How diverse and inclusive is Queen Mary University of London?

QMUL has the sixth-highest intake of students from black and minority ethnic backgrounds (77.1 per cent). Extensive outreach schemes help, such as Access to Queen Mary, an 18-month programme helping to prepare students for higher education, and Queen Mary Futures, four weeks of activities that introduce some of the university’s subjects. There is targeted information for families who are supporting their student in progressing to university, and travel bursaries for prospective applicants who get free school meals.

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What financial assistance is available? 

More than a third of undergraduates are expected to receive financial support, with the majority qualifying for the Queen Mary Bursary, worth up to £1,700 a year depending on household income.