King's College London

Overview

King’s College London is England’s third oldest university, founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829. It is ranked in the top 10 UK universities in the world (QS World University Rankings 2025) and has 14 Nobel Prize laureates among its alumni and current and former faculty. It is spread across five campuses in central London and currently has over 41,000 students enrolled.

King’s College London has played a major role in many of the advances that have shaped modern life, such as the discovery of the structure of DNA, and it is now the largest centre for the education of doctors, dentists and other healthcare professionals in Europe. It is also home to six Medical Research Council centres – the most of any British university - and hosts the largest dental school in Europe and the world's oldest professional nursing school. Studying at King’s College London will open up several opportunities to study around the world. The University has over 150 global partner institutions that allow you to study abroad for a semester, a year, or a summer.

King's College London Students' Union has nearly 300 societies and sports clubs (including the Boat Club, which rows on the River Thames and the Rifle Club, which uses the College's shooting range located at the disused Aldwych tube station beneath the Strand Campus) and other student activity groups to join, operates five fantastic venues, and offers a wide range of volunteering opportunities. King's Sport & Wellness operates four gyms across King’s campuses and halls of residence, delivering a range of opportunities for students to get involved in sports and physical activity.

Services for International Students

King’s College London runs pre-sessional English lessons up to 16 weeks before the start of term for students who want or need to improve their English scores before starting. The Student Advice Service can assist all students with money and housing, well-being and welfare, and visa-related matters.

Ranking

• 24th in the Times University Guide 2025
• 28th in the Guardian University Guide 2025
• 40th in the QS World University Rankings 2025
• 38th in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024
• 53rd in the Academic Ranking of World Universities 2024

King's achieved excellent results in REF 2021, sustaining the College's position among the world’s best universities for research excellence and power. 55.1% of the work submitted was rated 4* (world-leading).

Accommodation

King’s College London students have access to the halls of residences owned by King’s and those by the University of London. All accommodation is within Zone 1 or 2 of the London Underground; most are close to the teaching campuses. A wide range of private accommodations is available, and the Student Support Officer can advise.

Location

King’s College London is the most central university in London, with four of its five campuses within a square mile beside the Thames between Westminster and London Bridge. The five are The Strand Campus, Guy’s Campus, Waterloo Campus, St Thomas’ Campus, and Denmark Hill Campus.

The Strand is King's founding campus, built on land granted to the College next to Somerset House. Medicine has been taught at the Guy’s and St Thomas’s campuses for centuries.

Alumni

• Peter Higgs (Nobel Laureate for Physics)
• Desmond Tutu (Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town)
• Virginia Woolf (Author)
• John Ruskin (Art critic and patron)