In the 200 years since UCL’s establishment as London’s first university, it has championed a pioneering spirit: it was the first British university to accept students regardless of religion or social background and the first to admit women on equal terms. The main campus in Bloomsbury is firmly in the heart of the capital — and now UCL East campus has added a future-facing focus in the regenerated East Bank on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. More than 50 cross-disciplinary degree programmes are offered at UCL East across nine faculties.
A research heavyweight on a global scale, UCL has secured its top 10 rank in the QS World University Rankings for the 14th year running. Proud to be the home of “disruptive thinking” since 1826, UCL now wants to lead the discussion in academia and the wider community on “disagreeing well”. Students are encouraged to learn how to exchange views about difficult or sensitive topics and live with outcomes where consensus is not possible.
Everyone is on the same side, however, when it comes to mass events such as the UCL Campus Run or the Swimathon at Olympic Park.
The student experience in 2026 will sparkle: a light show will shine on the bicentenary opening ceremony in February and the year ahead is packed with events, art installations, public lectures and creative workshops to mark UCL’s big birthday.
What is University College London’s reputation?
UCL is the biggest component of the University of London Federation with about 40,000 students. Thirty Nobel laureates have developed their expertise at UCL and its research continues to make a global impact. The university is fifth in our research quality index, based on the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021), in which 93 per cent of its work was rated world-leading or internationally excellent. Law; medicine; area studies; and social sciences were among the highest-scoring subject areas. The connected curriculum framework means that undergraduates have the opportunity to take part in research too.
UCL was the Sunday Times University of the Year two years ago. It was awarded silver overall in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF 2023), with silver for student experience and gold for student outcomes.
Yet students have given UCL mixed reviews in successive National Student Surveys — a common trend at research-led, big city universities. UCL falls seven places to 66= for the wider experience, although there is a four-place recovery for satisfaction with teaching quality to 110. Even so, their reservations hold UCL back in our academic table and help to explain a slip of two places year-on-year rank ninth overall.
In an attempt to turn things around, the Student Life Strategy, a collaboration between UCL and the students’ union, has expanded activities for students in sport, the arts and volunteering.
What degree courses have been discontinued and what new courses are available?
UCL has withdrawn its Greek and English degree from 2025. It has introduced ten new options — including art and technology; communications; and philosophy and computer science — and UCL’s first degree apprenticeship: mathematics and secondary mathematics education teaching.
Another four undergraduate programmes begin in 2026: creativity, innovation and impact; management for social change; population health sciences with data science; and technology and innovation.
What are University College London’s entry requirements — and my chances of getting in?
The A-levels to aim for to get a place on a degree course range from A*A*A to ABB. Foundation years have lower requirements and contextual offers are typically one to two grades lower than standard, benefiting about a third of new entrants. Just 5 per cent of undergraduates gained a place through clearing.
The number of students accepted onto courses in 2024 rose by 20 per cent year on year, representing a two thirds increase on enrolment in a decade.
What are the graduate prospects?
UCL is eighth according to our analysis of the Graduate Outcomes survey, with 87.5 per cent of leavers in highly skilled jobs or further study within 15 months. The university is a top recruiting ground for large employers. It also has a strong record on producing entrepreneurs: in 2025, 12 UCL alumni and students made it onto Forbes’s 30 Under 30 list of leading entrepreneurs and creatives in Europe. The university’s free extracurricular entrepreneurship programme provides student start-ups with a springboard.
What is University College London's campus like?
The Main Building on UCL’s quad, facing Gower Street in central London, fits the image of an academic heavyweight with its grand portico and cloisters. UCL has 16 specialist libraries and a new student centre with 1,000 extra study places. Finance students practise on a virtual trading floor. UCL’s medical school is among the largest in Europe.
At UCL East, the One Pool Street building houses multidisciplinary research laboratories for exploring ecology, robotics, sensor technology, urbanism, culture and heritage. There is a lecture theatre which doubles as a cinema, as well as housing for more than 500 students. The Marshgate building has workshops and houses the multidisciplinary UCL Institute of Making.
When can I visit?
ucl.ac.uk
Everything you need to know about University College London’s student life and wellbeing support
There are 450 sports clubs, societies, volunteering projects and community networks. Indoor sports and fitness facilities are on campus but outdoor pitches are a free coach ride away in Hertfordshire. The fashionable East End enclaves of Hackney Wick are within reach from UCL East, while the West End is on the doorstep of the main campus. On and off campus, the cultural and artistic opportunities are boundless. UCL has three museums — Grant Museum of Zoology, the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology and the UCL Art Museum — and UCL’s Slade School of Fine Art and Bartlett School of Architecture hold annual summer exhibitions.
UCL has a successful YouTube channel with more than 41,000 subscribers, where students post “Day in the Life” content and can find advice or watch lectures and performances.
Student advisers help first-years to settle in and those seeking to boost their wellbeing can spend time with therapy dogs. UCL’s free mental health support includes counselling, psychiatric support and workshops. In their final year, all undergraduates are offered a counselling session, and there is tailored support for international students from countries in conflict.
What do the students say?
“UCL students are go-getters — passionate, sharp, and full of energy. You can spot one a mile away! Whether debating big ideas or cheering on TeamUCL at Varsity, there’s a real spirit here that balances ambition, fun, and community.”
Rachel Lim, students’ union welfare and community officer, BSc social and data science
What about student accommodation at University College London?
First-years who apply in time have priority for more than 8,000 residential places. Self-catering rent starts at £145 a week. UCL guarantees university accommodation to students aged under 18, care-leavers and those with additional needs for the duration of their studies.
How diverse and inclusive is University College London?
An ethnically diverse intake puts UCL 22nd and it has climbed 27 places to 80th overall in our social inclusion index, earning it Highly Commended for University of the Year for Social Inclusion 2026. UCL spends more than £3 million a year on summer and Saturday schools, literacy and study skills programmes and other activities to encourage wider participation. In 2023, UCL opened a summer school in India to prepare students for university.
Everything you need to know about scholarships and bursaries at University College London
About three in ten UK undergraduates receive some financial aid. UCL’s main undergraduate bursary — £1,000 to £3,000 — is awarded to those with household income below £42,875. Accommodation bursaries are offered in the first year to students from lower-income backgrounds or groups with lower participation in higher education.
Most scholarships based on academic merit are means-tested.
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