The University of London is one of the oldest, largest and most diverse universities in the UK. It is a federation of 19 distinct, separate and, in many cases, multi-faculty Colleges, together with 9 smaller specialist Institutes and the External Programme (the University's main distance learning provider). All differ considerably in size, age and tradition and in the courses of study they offer, but all Award University of London degrees. Collectively they ensure the standards of those degrees, and are research-based higher education institutions committed to undergraduate and/or postgraduate teaching of the highest quality in a research environment. The range and breadth of activity within the University provides it with a unique character and high level of distinction.

The University has a total student population of 115,000 plus an additional 32,000 on the External Programme. Students who study at a College or Institute belong both to that College or Institute and to the University. Students enrolled on the External Programme are students of the University only.
 

The University has its origins in the 1820s and 1830s with the creation of University College and King’s College. It received a Royal Charter in 1836, at which time the only other English universities in existence - Oxford and Cambridge - had limited entrance. Historically, the University of London has an unrivalled record in setting precedents - in awarding degrees without religious tests, in promoting teaching and research in laboratory science, engineering and modern languages, in admitting women to degrees and in appointing women professors.

The University has of course expanded and changed considerably since it was founded. However, it has always maintained the principles of its founders: to provide an institution open to all, irrespective of race, creed, or political belief. Full details can be viewed on UoL's website.