UCL (University College London) is a public research institution in London, United Kingdom. It is the second-biggest university in the United Kingdom by overall enrollment [11], and the largest by postgraduate enrollment. It is a member institution of the Federal University of London.
UCL was the first university institution to be established in London and the first in England to be completely secular and to admit students regardless of their religion. It was founded in 1826 by founders motivated by Jeremy Bentham’s radical ideas. In 1878, it was one of the first universities to accept women alongside men. Politics forced it to accept the status of a college in 1836, and it became one of the two founding colleges of the University of London.
It has expanded through mergers, including those with the Institute of Education, the School of Pharmacy, the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, the Institute of Ophthalmology, the Institute of Neurology, the Royal Free Hospital Medical School, the Eastman Dental Institute, and the School of Slavonic and East European Studies.
UCL is a large university in central London with 11 constituent faculties and around 100 departments, institutes, and research centres. It oversees many museums and collections and manages the annual Orwell Award in Political Writing. It earned £1.75 billion in revenue in 2021–2022, of which £525 million came from grants and contracts for scientific research.
UCL is part of UCL Partners, the biggest academic health science centre in the world, and is a member of several academic associations. It is part of southeast England’s “golden triangle” of research-heavy institutions and is involved in publishing and business ventures.
Undergraduate courses
How to apply
We know applying to university can be a daunting prospect, so we’ve broken the process down into a step-by-step guide.
We’ve also put together some specific guidance and information for international applicants, mature students and disabled students.
Step 1. Choose your programme (or programmes)
A complete list of UCL’s undergraduate programmes can be found in the Undergraduate Prospectus.
All our programmes are taught in person during the daytime. We do not offer any online-only programmes.
You are welcome to apply to more than one programme at UCL. Please be aware that each programme will take up one of your five UCAS choices.
Most UCL degree programmes do not consider additional personal statements. Therefore, we will use your UCAS personal statement as part of our assessment for each course you apply to at UCL. If your programme permits an additional statement, we will contact you directly to request it.
Start dates
In September, all undergraduate programmes begin. We don’t have any programmes that start in January.
Step 2. Check our entry requirements
To guarantee your application gets considered, you must meet all our entry requirements.
Learn more about our entry requirements
Specific grade and subject requirements are shown on each programme page of the Undergraduate Prospectus.
Step 3. Decide which year you want to enter into
With the exception of the Engineering Foundation Year, UCL does not provide integrated foundation years for undergraduate programmes starting in 2023 (also known as point of entry 0).
Engineering Foundation Year eligibility and how to apply
Any other application we receive for ‘Year 0’ entry will automatically be considered for ‘Year 1’ entry and must meet our advertised programme entry requirements.
UCL Undergraduate Preparatory Certificates (UPC)
Undergraduate Preparation Certificates, rigorous one-year foundation courses, are offered by UCL (UPCs). These are for non-UK citizens who want to enrol in undergraduate degree programmes at UCL and other prestigious UK institutions.
Applications for our UPCs are NOT made through UCAS. Please see our UPC website for further information.
UCL Undergraduate Preparatory Certificates (UPC)
Second Year Entry and Transfer Students
Most of our programmes only allow entry into the first year (point of entry 1).
None of our programmes allow third year entry under any circumstances.
A few of the programmes mentioned below do accept second-year applicants (point of entry 2). Programs that are not on this list UNDER NEVER CIRCUMSTANCES CONSIDER second year entrance.
To be considered for a second year transfer you must:
- Meet the A Level or equivalent first year entry requirements for the programme
- Have covered similar content to the first year at UCL (at a standard judged equivalent) at your current higher education institution.
- In some cases, achieve a 2.1 or 1st in your first year at your current higher education institution
- Have applied through UCAS by the equal consideration deadline, selecting point of entry 2.
If appropriate, we will email you a form to complete for prior learning accreditation. Please be aware that there could be an administrative fee involved and that UCL only reserves the right to grant advanced standing.
You will be automatically considered for admittance into the first year if you are not qualified to begin in the second year. The admissions office will immediately make this adjustment and let you know about it via UCAS.
Step 4. Decide when you want to start
We encourage students who wish to spend their pre-university (gap) year engaged in productive work, whether they do it in the UK or abroad, to apply.
If you request postponed entrance, your application will be reviewed a year before the regular application deadline.
Our BA and BFA Fine Art programmes are the only ones that do not accept postponed entrance.
You may only postpone your admission for one year at a time. A request cannot be postponed twice. Included in this are those who initially chose delayed entrance in their UCAS application.
See our Guidelines for International Applicants if national military service is a requirement in your home country.
Guidance for international applicants
Step 5. Check our tuition fees and funding opportunities
Have a look at our information about tuition fees, loans, and other costs of university.
We also have guidance for how and when you should pay your tuition fees, how much they’ll be, and how to access funding.
More from UCL on fees and funding
Step 6. Learn how to apply and complete your application
Applications are submitted via UCAS for our undergraduate degree programmes. To enrol in our full-time undergraduate programmes, you must apply indirectly. On our UCAS explained page, you can get additional details about how to apply and how to complete your application.
How to apply and complete your application
UCAS explained
We know applying to university can be daunting, so we’ve made this guide to help you through the application process and answer any questions you might have.
Part-time study
Applications for part-time study are made directly to UCL rather than to UCAS.
Our degrees are designed to be taken on a full-time basis with all teaching taking place during the daytime (9am-6pm from Monday to Friday). However, some departments do allow part-time study.
Departments that allow part-time study:
- Greek and Latin
- Hebrew and Jewish Studies
All other departments do not offer part-time study.
If you are considering part-time study at UCL, enquire with the contact listed on that programme’s page in the Undergraduate Prospectus.
Step 7. Make your application
The last step is to submit your completed application to UCAS, and we will receive the application within a couple of days.
We look forward to receiving your application!
More information
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