University College London (UCL)

Key facts

Checked against the sources listed at the bottom of this page on 9 November 2026.

About University College London (UCL)

UCL was founded in 1826 as London University, without university status or degree-awarding powers. It received a royal charter as University College, London in 1836 and became a college of the University of London; it adopted the name University College London in 1977 and received formal university status in 2023.^[8] UCL says it is “London’s leading multidisciplinary university”, with more than 18,000 staff and 51,000 students from over 150 countries.^[1]

The main campus is in Bloomsbury in central London; a second campus, UCL East, is at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, East London.^[8] The university is organised into 11 constituent faculties.^[8]

How is UCL ranked?

In the QS World University Rankings 2027, published on 18 June 2026, UCL is 8th in the world, the fourth UK university in that edition after Imperial College London (2nd), the University of Oxford (4th) and the University of Cambridge (6th).^[2][10]

Rankings differ by publisher and year, so treat one position as one view. How we compile rankings. See also the UK university ranking.

What can you study at UCL?

The undergraduate prospectus covers degrees such as Architecture BSc, Computer Science BSc, History BA, Mathematics BSc and the six-year Medicine MBBS BSc.^{[11][5][3][12][4]} Taught master’s degrees include Data Science MSc, Economics MSc and Management MSc, each with its own entry requirements and fees.^[9][13][14]

Some undergraduate programmes require an admissions test; UCL names LNAT, UCAT, TARA, TMUA and ESAT, and tells applicants to check the programme page.^[6] Graduate applicants may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate courses (or one for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.^[9]

How much does UCL cost in 2026/27?

Undergraduate (2026/27 entrants, first-year fee)

These are examples from programme pages, not a complete list; the full searchable fee schedule is a dynamic tool that we could not read.^{[3][11][12][5][4][15]} UK fees are shown as subject to parliamentary approval, are for the first year only and may increase in later years.^[5] Most international undergraduates benefit from a cohort guarantee, meaning their tuition fees will not increase during the programme. MBBS Medicine and intercalated medicine years are excluded and are subject to increases of no more than RPI-X each year.^[15] UCL reserves the right to pass on government levies or taxes on tuition fees.^[15]

Postgraduate taught (2026/27, per year)

Postgraduate taught students benefit from a cohort guarantee, meaning that their tuition fees will not increase during the programme.^[9][13][14] Economics and Data Science list a full-time and a part-time fee; the Management MSc page shows a single fee for UK and overseas students without naming a study mode.^[9][13][14] An application fee of £90 applies to the Data Science MSc online application.^[9]

The pages we read are archived copies from 2025–26; confirm the current fee on the live programme page. For living costs in London, see our United Kingdom guide.

How do you apply to UCL?

• Undergraduate: all applicants to full-time undergraduate programmes apply through UCAS; UCL does not accept direct applications. UCL’s UCAS code is U80 and there is no campus code. The process is the same for international and UK applicants.^[6][16]
• Graduate: apply for a specific programme from its page (for example Data Science MSc); applications are highly competitive, with over 20 applications per place in the previous cycle for that programme.^[9]

We give no deadlines here because they change every year. Check the programme page for the current cycle; the UCAS guidance we read was written for the September 2026 entry cycle.^[6]

Which English level do you need?

Anyone who is not a national of a UK Home Office majority English-speaking country must provide recent evidence of English proficiency. You do not need to provide it with your UCAS application; an offer is conditional on evidence at the right level.^[7]

Each programme page in the undergraduate prospectus states which level applies. IELTS Academic Online is accepted; IELTS One Skill Retake is not. TOEFL iBT is accepted, with new score requirements for tests taken from 21 January 2026.^[7] The graduate Data Science MSc page lists Level 1, and UCL offers Pre-Master’s and Pre-sessional English courses for graduate applicants.^[9]

More about studying in United Kingdom (UK)

• United Kingdom (UK): best universities
• Cost of Studying Abroad
• International Student Scholarships
• University Ranking Methodology

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