King's College London

Overview

King's College London (KCL), founded in 1829 by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington, is one of the two original colleges of the University of London and a sister institution to University College London. As the fourth oldest university in England, KCL has grown to become Europe's largest healthcare education hub, encompassing three teaching hospitals. It is home to over 27,000 students, including nearly 10,500 postgraduates from 150 countries, who benefit from its strong programs in law, humanities, and social sciences.

The university's main campus is located on the Strand, in central London, along the River Thames, with additional campuses at Guy's Hospital, St Thomas' Hospital, and in Waterloo and Denmark Hill.

KCL is also renowned for its research, ranking 6th in the UK for research ‘power’ in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework, and consistently ranks among the world’s top universities in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.

Twelve Nobel laureates are connected to KCL, including Maurice Wilkins, who contributed to the discovery of DNA’s structure, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, an alumnus awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his anti-apartheid efforts in South Africa.

Other distinguished alumni include Romantic poet John Keats, modern nursing pioneer Florence Nightingale, and physicist Professor Peter Higgs. With over 150 global partnerships, KCL offers diverse study abroad opportunities with prestigious institutions such as Humboldt University in Berlin, Paris-Sorbonne, and the Universities of California, Hong Kong, and São Paulo.