University College London named 17th most prestigious university in the world (2024)

FAQs

How prestigious is University College London? ›

UCL has held a top 10 position since 2013, among global peers including MIT, Stanford and Harvard. Prof Geraint Rees, UCL Vice-Provost (Research, Innovation and Global Engagement), said: “It's fantastic that UCL continues to be recognised as one of the world's top 10 universities.

Its research output and impact have seen UCL move up to eighth place this year in the Quacquarelli Symonds world university rankings, ahead of Yale and Princeton despite having investments and reserves only a fraction of those enjoyed by the Ivy League members.

1. Imperial College London. Imperial College London is a leading research institute that established enduring teaching and research traditions in medicine, science and engineering.

The UK is home to five of the world's top twenty universities, with four of those (Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial and UCL) ranked in the top ten. UCL has held a top 10 position since 2013, among global peers including MIT, Stanford and Harvard.

On the whole, courses are incredibly competitive and high grades go a long way in making your application stand out. Most of UCL's courses require ABB-A*A*A. For some of the most competitive subjects, including Computer Science and European Social and Political Studies, the entry requirements are as high as A*A*A-A*AA.

UCL is ranked 9 in QS World University Rankings by TopUniversities and has an overall score of 4.2 stars, according to student reviews on Studyportals, the best place to find out how students rate their study and living experience at universities from all over the world.

The overall University College London acceptance rate is approximately 30%. However, the acceptance rate for specific programmes can vary significantly. For example, the acceptance rate for masters at UCL is 38%, with some highly competitive courses having much lower acceptance rates.

There's no question that Oxford, Cambridge and London have produced outstanding universities. In the QS World University Rankings, Cambridge sits at number 4 globally, Oxford at 6, University College London at 7 and UCL at 9.

What is the British version of the Ivy League? ›

Is the Russell Group the same as the Ivy League? No, the Russell Group is a UK consortium of research-intensive universities, while the Ivy League is a group of elite US private universities. Both are prestigious but different entities.

Ivy League universities in the US and Russell Group universities in the UK both share similarities as elite groups of institutions that are known for academic excellence, research, and global recognition.

Royal Holloway, University of London

The Château de Chambord, Loire Valley, France inspire the gothic-style university buildings consisting of turrets, towers and impressive pillars. The University is located on 135 acres of beautiful parklands just outside of London in Surrey.

Trinity College, Cambridge, is the wealthiest of the individual colleges with published assets worth £1.3bn in its latest accounts. In Oxford, St John's College tops the table with close to £600m in assets.

UCL is a diverse global community of world-class academics, students, industry links, external partners, and alumni. Our powerful collective of individuals and institutions work together to explore new possibilities.

UCL remains ranked in the top 10 globally in 10 subject areas in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024, the world's most consulted university ranking, including two first-place rankings.

About King's College London

KCL is now the largest healthcare learning centre in Europe, incorporating three teaching hospitals and providing a home to more than 27,000 students (including nearly 10,500 postgraduates) from 150 countries who also benefit from its strengths in law, the humanities and social sciences.