UCL was one of the best-performing universities in the most recent assessment of research quality in UK universities, with 43% of its research rated world-leading and a further 39% rated internationally excellent. In 2014 the neuroscientist Professor John O’Keefe was a recipient of both a Kavli Prize in Neuroscience and a Nobel Prize for his discovery of specialised brain cells that allow humans and other animals to orient themselves.
Almost 17,000 undergraduates and nearly 19,000 postgraduates fill its tightly-knit campus in Bloomsbury in central London. The university has plans to open a second campus on the site of the London 2012 Olympic Park in east London in 2019.
UCL is a truly global university, with 40% of its academic staff and 38% of its students from overseas. Its excellence lies across all academic disciplines, from The Bartlett, its world-renowned centre for architecture, to the Institute of Education - which won a Queen's Anniversary Prize in 2015. It is also one of Europe’s most productive centres of medical and life sciences research, with links to London’s major hospitals.
Case studies
The case studies below are just a snapshot of the range of activity taking place at the University College London. From world-class research and collaboration with industry to innovative programmes designed to improve access for all students to higher education.