A public research university, one of the founding colleges of the University of London. Established in 1829. Highly regarded for humanities, law, sciences, and health (especially psychiatry and dentistry).
King’s College London, KCL, was founded in 1829 by royal charter, with the support of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington, as an Anglican alternative to the secular University College London. It is one of the founding colleges of the University of London. It has about 33,500 students and 8,600 staff, and around 40 percent of the students come from abroad. The Strand campus lies on the north bank of the Thames, next to Somerset House, and other sites are at Waterloo, Guy’s, St Thomas’ and Denmark Hill.
King’s has a long tradition in science and medicine. James Clerk Maxwell was professor of natural philosophy there in the 1860s, where he worked on the equations of electromagnetism. In the 1950s, Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins carried out the X-ray work at King’s that led to the discovery of the structure of DNA, and Wilkins shared the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Florence Nightingale’s training school for nurses, at St Thomas’ Hospital, became part of the college, and the Nightingale Faculty of Nursing carries her name.
The college is organised in nine faculties, which include arts and humanities, dentistry, oral and craniofacial sciences, law, life sciences and medicine, natural, mathematical and engineering sciences, nursing, midwifery and palliative care, psychiatry, psychology and neuroscience, and social science and public policy. The Department of War Studies, created in 1962, was the first of its kind in the world. Desmond Tutu studied theology at King’s.
King’s works with several hospitals through King’s Health Partners, an academic health sciences centre, and has clinical research strengths in neuroscience, cancer, cardiovascular medicine and mental health. Undergraduate applications go through UCAS. Tuition for home students is capped by the government at about nine and a half thousand pounds a year, while international students pay much higher fees, often between twenty-five and thirty-five thousand pounds, and more for medicine. Check the current tariff.
Teaching is in English. London is expensive, and students share flats or stay in university halls near the river.
Domains taught:
AI and Machine Learning, Data Analytics, Life Sciences, Mathematics, Physics, Robotics, Software Engineering
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Part of University of London. Numerous global health partnerships (King’s Global Health Partnerships). Strong links with legal, political, and cultural institutions in London. Part of King’s Health Partners AHSC.
Research:
World-leading research in health sciences (especially psychiatry, neuroscience, dentistry), humanities, law, and international affairs. Significant contributions to discovery of DNA structure.
Famous Alumnis:
Desmond Tutu, Virginia Woolf, John Keats, Rosalind Franklin, Sir Arthur C. Clarke
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
8600
Current students***:
33500
Foreign students***:
40%
Cumulative former students***:
205000
Pros
Prestigious historic university, strong research across many disciplines, central London location with multiple campuses, extensive global links.
Cons
Highly competitive, spread across multiple campuses in London, can be expensive, large student body.
Best For
Academically strong students seeking a research-intensive education in the heart of London, with strengths across humanities, law, health sciences, and increasingly AI and data science.
Where this institution leans on robotics, physics and life sciences, University College London does the same, and it is slightly larger, at about 48,000 students against roughly 33,500 here, and is also a public institution.
The University of Edinburgh is the closest domestic counterpart for robotics, physics and life sciences; it covers engineering as well, and is slightly larger, at about 46,000 students against roughly 33,500 here.
Queen Mary University of London offers a comparable education in robotics, life sciences and data analytics: it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes.
For students who like the physics, mathematics and life sciences focus of this school but want another option nearby, University of Cambridge fits well: it is also a public institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral.
On content, University of Bristol and this institution are close, as both teach physics, life sciences and AI and machine learning; it is slightly smaller, at about 29,000 students against roughly 33,500 here, and is also a public institution.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Looking internationally, Lomonosov Moscow State University in Russia is where physics, mathematics and life sciences get a comparable treatment; it runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes, and covers geotechnics and computer vision as well.
A foreign alternative with a similar emphasis on physics, life sciences and data analytics is McMaster University in Canada, and it is also a public institution and also offers mba programmes.
Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz offers an international parallel to this institution, with physics, mathematics and life sciences as common ground; it has almost the same size, at about 32,000 students, and is also a public institution.
For a study option in China with a comparable spread of physics, mathematics and life sciences, Yunnan University is the reference point: it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral, and covers chemistry and ecology and sustainability as well.
Masaryk University in the Czech Republic is the nearest foreign match on physics, mathematics and life sciences; it has almost the same size, at about 35,115 students, and is also a public institution.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is King's College London?
The Strand campus is in central London, England, next to Somerset House. Other sites are at Waterloo, Guy's, St Thomas' and Denmark Hill.
When was it founded?
In 1829, as an Anglican alternative to University College London.
How large is it?
About 33,500 students and 8,600 staff.
What did James Clerk Maxwell do at King's?
He was professor of natural philosophy in the 1860s and worked on the equations of electromagnetism.
What is the link with DNA?
Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins carried out X-ray work at King's in the 1950s that led to the discovery of the structure of DNA.
What is the Nightingale Faculty of Nursing?
A faculty named after Florence Nightingale, whose training school became part of the college.
What is the Department of War Studies?
A department created in 1962 that was the first of its kind in the world.
What are King's Health Partners?
An academic health sciences centre through which King's works with several hospitals.
How do you apply?
Undergraduate applications go through UCAS.
What does it cost?
Home tuition is capped at about nine and a half thousand pounds a year. International fees are much higher. Check the current tariff.
Biomedical Sensors, Human-Centered Design, Innovation, Medical Devices, User experience (UX)
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
Innovation.world is not affiliated with this school/university. We recommend to contact them directly on their website for any special request.
To complete or correct any information here or share your opinion, please comment below or > send us a direct message <.
