University College London, UK

Consistently ranked among the top ten higher education institutions worldwide, UCL currently has an enrolment  of 24,000 students from 140 countries around the world

The oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London, University College London (UCL, estb.1826) is consistently ranked among the top ten higher education institutions in the UK and the world. The QS World University Rankings 2010 place UCL No. 4 worldwide while The Sunday Times with The Guardian respectively rank it fourth and fifth in the UK. UCL is also rated the best research university in London, and third in Britain, for the number of ‘world-leading quality’ research submissions by the UK’s Research Assessment Exercise.

Currently UCL boasts the highest number of professors of any university in the UK, with 648 established and personal chairs, as well as the highest number of women professors. The first higher education institution in England to admit students irrespective of religious persuasion and women on equal terms with men, UCL currently has an enrolment of 24,000 students, one-third of whom are from 140 countries around the world. The teacher-student ratio is an enviable 1:9.

“UCL is an exceptional institution with a radical tradition and a distinctive character. The university’s commitment to excellence and innovation in research and teaching is central to its vision of enriching society’s intellectual, cultural, scientific, economic, environmental and medical spheres. The esteem in which it is held internationally is well reflected in its current ranking among the top five universities of the world,” says Prof. Malcolm Grant, president and provost.

UCL’s eight faculties (arts and humanities, built environment, law, biomedical sciences, engineering sciences, life sciences, mathematical and physical sciences, social and historical sciences) and the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, offer a wide menu of bachelors, Masters and doctoral programmes. UCL is especially famous and reputed for its unique BASc degree programme which allows students to design their own bespoke courses by combining arts and science subjects. Moreover all BASc students study a foreign language through their three/four-year degree programme.

London. The political, financial and cultural capital of Britain, London (pop. 7.8 million) attracts millions of visitors each year drawn mainly to its wealth of galleries, theatres and museums, palaces, parks and squares, restaurants and shops, not to mention famous and familiar landmarks such as Big Ben, the red bus, its black cabs and the Tower of London. Given UCL’s central location in this great city, students can stroll to the British Library, Royal Academy of Art, and the British Museum. At any given time, students have access to more than 1,700 parks and open spaces, 125 art galleries, world-class theatre and dance performances.

For those who believe that there’s more to the academic experience than study, London is another city by night. ‘Cosmopolitan’ does not do justice to the multiplicity of cuisines available and the range of theatres (West End and fringe), cinemas, music, clubs, pubs, social and cultural events, and lectures and discourses on offer.

Campus facilities. UCL’s main campus is in Gower Street in Bloomsbury and houses most of its faculties, the UCL Union, main UCL library, and the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology. Also sited on the main campus is the 530-seat Bloomsbury Theatre, which hosts professional performances including stand-up comedy, drama, dance and music through the year. The UCL Archway and Hampstead campuses of the Royal Free & University College Medical School are based within the city’s Whittington Hospital and Royal Free Hospital respectively.

The UCL library system comprises 16 bibliotheques spread across several sites within the main UCL campus, linked by a central networking catalogue. Together, the libraries house over 1.5 million books with the largest — the UCL Main Library — hosted in the dome-shaped UCL Main Building and the second largest — the UCL Science Library — sited in the DMS Watson Building in Malet Place. Moreover, UCL students have full access to the main libraries of the University of London which neighbour the main UCL campus in Bloomsbury.

Sports facilities on the main campus are offered by the Bloomsbury Fitness Centre featuring over 90 exercise stations. A short walk from UCL’s Bloomsbury campus is the Somers Town Community Sports Centre offering a variety of indoor sports including basketball, badminton, netball, football, volleyball, table tennis, short tennis and trampolining as well as fitness classes. Competitive fixtures for team sports are held at UCL’s outdoor pitches and courts in Shenley, Hertfordshire. In addition, membership is open to over 130 student-run societies covering a wide range of interests.

Admission. As with other universities in the UK, under-graduate admission applications to UCL must be made through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). Foreign students are required to apply online through the UCAS website www.ucas.com. UCL’s UCAS code is UCL U80. Students applying for postgraduate and doctoral programmes must apply directly to UCL.

The minimum eligibility requirement for admission into UCL’s undergraduate programmes is Plus Two and a bachelor’s degree for postgrad study programmes. All foreign students must also submit proof of proficiency in the English language (IELTS test score of 6.5). In addition some faculties stipulate additi-onal admission criteria. For further information contact University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT; Tel: +44 (0)20 7679 3000; email: study@ucl.ac.uk; www.ucl.ac.uk.

Accommodation. Three-quarters of UCL’s owned accommodation is in the heart of London, within 10-15 minutes walk of the main campus. Types of accommodation include halls of residence or student houses, with some purpose built, while others are older, period buildings which have been modernised and adapted. Most rooms are single study-bedrooms, equipped with a bed, desk, chairs, washbasin, cupboard and bookcases. There are also a small number of shared rooms.

Degree programmes. The university’s eight faculties and over 49 academic departments offer over 200 undergrad, postgrad and doctoral study programmes (see box).

Summiya Yasmeen