The University of London is one of the oldest, largest and most diverse universities in the UK. Established by Royal Charter in 1836, the University is recognised globally as a world leader in higher education. We are unlike many other universities in that we are a federal university, made up of 18 autonomous member institutions of outstanding reputation with more than 120,000 students based mainly in London and a number of highly acclaimed central academic bodies and activities.

The University of London is located within the Bloomsbury precinct in the intellectual heart of London. Our central location provides easy access to exceptional research resources and the expertise of local academic centres, museums, and libraries. The British Museum, British Library, UCL, SOAS, Birkbeck, School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, LSE and King's College are all nearby.

Our Central Academic Bodies

Among our highly acclaimed central academic bodies is the School of Advanced Study, which brings together nine internationally renowned research institutes to form the UK's national centre for the support of researchers and the promotion of research in the humanities. Founded in 1994, the School performs a vital role as a driving force for knowledge sharing across the humanities in the UK and beyond, and received special funding for this purpose from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). The School offers nearly 30 full- and part-time postgraduate programmes (MA, MRes, LLM, MPhil and PhD in a broad range of humanities subjects.

A further highly valued and recognised part of the University of London is University of London Worldwide. University of London Worldwide reaches and connects over one million students in 180 countries (with 50,000 registered for full study programmes). Across the globe, the International Programmes is proving to be a vibrant and dynamic organisation which is greatly esteemed and renowned for its internationally distinguished study programmes and for its positive impact on the lives of individuals, society and the world at large.

Senate House Library

Senate House Library is one of the largest academic libraries in the UK within its subject fields of the arts, humanities and social sciences. Together with the specialist libraries of the nine institutes that make up the School of Advanced Study, it provides a vast array of research material and expertise with more than three million books and journals. Particular strengths of the library include its periodical holdings (more than 20,000 titles) and its extensive Special Collections (printed books, pamphlets, maps, manuscripts, and artworks).

We believe our exceptionally committed people, coupled with our students from the School of Advanced Study and the International Academy, make the University of London the undoubted worldwide success it is today. Our people in London are at the heart of this vibrant and dynamic organisation and allow us to create an excellent reputation for our high quality teaching and research.