Address: Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, United Kingdom
Public Health, Tropical Medicine, Epidemiology, Infectious Diseases, Health Policy
The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine began in 1899 as the London School of Tropical Medicine, founded by Sir Patrick Manson with a donation from the philanthropist B. D. Petit. It was first based at the Albert Dock Seamen’s Hospital in the London Docklands, moved to Endsleigh Gardens in 1920 and received its royal charter under its present name in 1924. The building on Keppel Street in Bloomsbury, near the Gower Street intersection, opened in 1929.
In 2024 and 2025 about 945 students studied on campus, 735 on a full-time equivalent basis, and roughly 3,000 more studied through distance learning. According to national statistics, about 53 percent of students were international in that year, 48 percent from outside the European Union and 5 percent from the European Union. In London the school employed 1,050 academic and 725 administrative staff in 2023 and 2024, and more than 3,500 staff work across the United Kingdom, the Gambia and Uganda.
The school is organised in three faculties. The Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health has about 300 academic staff and 150 research students. The Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, formed in 1997, has over 500 staff, and the Faculty of Public Health and Policy has over 250 staff.
Research funding exceeds 180 million pounds a year. In 2023 and 2024 the income of the school was 255.7 million pounds, including 170 million pounds from research grants and contracts. Four WHO Collaborating Centres are based at the school, and its work spans more than 100 countries. The Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia joined the school in 2018, and it is one of two large Medical Research Council units that LSHTM runs, together with the MRC/UVRI and LSHTM Uganda Research Unit.
Alumni include Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization since 2017, Max Theiler, who received the 1951 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for work on yellow fever, and Jerry Morris, the first to establish the role of physical exercise in preventing heart disease. Fees differ for home and international students. Check the current tariff. Teaching is in English.
Domains taught:
Bioinformatics, Data Analytics, Life Sciences, Microbiology and Genetics, Statistics
Diplomas*:
Doctor, Graduate Certificate, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
MRC Unit The Gambia at LSHTM, the MRC/UVRI and LSHTM Uganda Research Unit, four WHO Collaborating Centres, and research partners in more than 100 countries.
Research:
Epidemiology and population health, infectious and tropical diseases, public health and policy, with income from research grants and contracts of 170 million pounds in 2023 and 2024.
Famous Alumnis:
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Max Theiler, Jerry Morris
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
1775
Current students***:
3900
Foreign students***:
53%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
Leading school of public health, central London location in Bloomsbury, two Medical Research Council units in Africa, very international.
Cons
Graduate programmes only, high cost of living in London, high fees for international students.
Best For
Graduate students and researchers in public health, epidemiology and tropical medicine, on campus in London or by distance learning.
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Most Similar Schools Locally
The comparison with London School of Economics and Political Science is straightforward on subjects, since both focus on statistics and data analytics, and it is far larger, with about 12,950 students against roughly 3,900 here, and is also a public institution.
A good alternative in the same country is Royal Veterinary College, which likewise covers bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and life sciences; it covers agriculture and bioengineering as well, and is smaller, enrolling about 2,500 students against roughly 3,900 here.
University of St Andrews takes a similar route through life sciences and data analytics, and it covers astroscience and marine science as well, and is larger, enrolling about 11,645 students against roughly 3,900 here.
University of Kent shares the core fields of this institution, namely bioinformatics, statistics and life sciences; it is far larger, with about 20,500 students against roughly 3,900 here, and is also a public institution.
Also strong in life sciences and data analytics, Leeds Trinity University makes a sensible second look at home; it also offers bachelor's programmes and covers AI and machine learning and software engineering as well.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
University of California, San Francisco in the United States shares the bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and statistics orientation of this institution, and it is also a public institution, and runs the same master's, doctoral and graduate certificate programmes.
Beyond national borders, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston stands out as a comparable school for bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and statistics; it is slightly larger, at about 5,241 students against roughly 3,900 here, and is also a public institution.
If this school is on your list for bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and statistics, Karolinska Institute in Sweden deserves a comparison, because it covers bioengineering as well, and is larger, enrolling about 6,500 students against roughly 3,900 here.
If this institution is on your list for bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and life sciences, Medical University of Graz in Austria deserves a comparison, because it also offers bachelor's programmes, and is slightly larger, at about 5,110 students against roughly 3,900 here.
Medical University of Innsbruck offers an international parallel to this institution, with bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and life sciences as common ground; it has almost the same size, at about 3,800 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 the LSHTM?
On Keppel Street in Bloomsbury, central London.
When was it founded?
In 1899, as the London School of Tropical Medicine, by Sir Patrick Manson.
When did it receive its present name?
With its royal charter in 1924.
How many students does it have?
About 945 on campus and roughly 3,000 by distance learning in 2024 and 2025.
How international is it?
About 53 percent of the students were international in 2024 and 2025.
How many faculties does it have?
Three: Epidemiology and Population Health, Infectious and Tropical Diseases, and Public Health and Policy.
What is the MRC Unit The Gambia?
A large Medical Research Council unit that joined the school in 2018.
How much research funding does it receive?
More than 180 million pounds a year.
Which alumni are well known?
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Max Theiler and Jerry Morris.
What does it cost?
Fees differ for home and international students. Check the current tariff.
Biology, COVID-19, Innovation, Research and Development
*: 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.
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