King's College London

History

• King's is one of the oldest and largest colleges of the University of London.
• King's is a member of the Russell Group, a coalition of the UK's major research-based universities.
• King's has played a major role in many of the advances that have shaped modern life, such as the discovery of DNA, and is now the largest centre for the education of doctors, dentists and other healthcare professionals in Europe and home to five Medical Research centres.

Location and transport

• London's most central university, with four river-side campuses in a single square mile in the heart of London.
• The campuses are located either side of the Thames - Strand, Waterloo, Guy's and further south, Denmark Hill.
• The college is associated with four great hospitals of Guy's, St Thomas', King's College Hospital and South London and the Maudsley. Together with these hospitals the College has formed King's Health Partners, an academic health science centre.

Entry standards

• King's welcomes students with a range of qualifications from all over the world.
• The minimum undergraduate entry requirement is A*AA–AAB for the majority of programmes, with a few specialist health programmes requiring BBB–BBC.
• See entry requirements for all King's courses online.

Student mix

• King's has some 14,493 undergraduate and 8,879 graduate students in nine schools of study.
• 60% female and 40% male.
• King's has a strong international community including students from over 140 countries.

Course flexibility

• Offers additional study options such as study abroad, language programmes, work experience, internships and a unique Associate of King's College London (AKC) qualification.
• Aims to offer choice and flexibility so that, within a chosen degree, a student can take modules suited to their interests.
• Within certain schools it may be possible to complete an undergraduate degree on a part-time basis over five-six years.

Teaching standards

• Excellent teaching staff, active in research, bringing their cutting-edge thinking into the classroom.
• Strong commitment and investment in educational technology.
• A rigorous and challenging academic environment, supported by a tradition of caring reaching back 180 years and beyond.

Research standards

• One of the UK's top universities for research earnings, with income from grants and contract of around £144 million each year.
• The only UK university to have six prestigious Medical Research Council centres.
•  60% of research activity at King's has been deemed 4* and 3*, meaning that this is regarded as world-leading or internationally excellent. In total 91% of research activity entered is internationally recognised.

Academic strengths

• Teaching and research drawing on a lively interdisciplinary climate and collaboration with many partner institutions, organisations and industrial commercial enterprises.
• Students will work with academics who are often national or international leaders in their field.

Student facilities, including library and computing

• Library Services and IT Services are two departments at King’s that work together to provide students with the information resources, software applications and the support they need to work effectively throughout their academic career.
• Libraries and IT resources are available at each campus.
• Access to huge multi-disciplinary information resource base, including over a million books and thousands of journals.
• A multi-million-pound investment has been made to achieve a state-of-the-art 'virtual campus' that supports mobility and enables reliable 24/7 access.

Disability services

Students' union

• The union supports clubs and societies, including 43 sports clubs and 71 different societies covering diverse interests.
• The union also provides a wide range of recreational and volunteering opportunities, social information/support and welfare services including cafes, bars, nightclubs, shops and gym.
• It is a venue for gigs, attracting many up-and-coming, and more established artists.

Sport

• Sports grounds close to central London provide facilities for hockey, rugby, football, cricket, tennis, netball and croquet.
• There are rifle ranges at the Strand, the KCLSU Kinetic gym at Waterloo, and a swimming pool and gym at Guy's campus.

Recent/prospective new builds

• The expansion of King’s Strand Campus into the East Wing of Somerset House early in 2012 is a historic moment in the College’s history. The College’s School of Law gains premises appropriate to its standing as one of Europe’s premier law schools and reflecting its 175-year-old tradition of excellence.
• The College has invested in new student centres (The Compass) at each Campus and has recently completed a major upgrade of the library and student space at our Waterloo Campus as well as teaching and social spaces at the Strand and Guy’s.

Availability of part-time work

• King's Careers Service advertises vacancies through its electronic JobOnline system for part-time, temporary, voluntary and vacation work.
• A Student Ambassador Scheme provides many paid working opportunities for example one-to-one mentoring, student talks and campus tours.
• A wide range of paid work is available via the Students' Union.

Notable alumni

• Nick Barratt
• Alain de Botton
• Rory Bremner
• Arthur C Clarke
• William S Gilbert
• Professor Peter Ware Higgs
• Susan Hill
• John Keats
• Hanif Kureshi
• Michael Nyman
• Dame Nancy Rothwell
• Desmond Tutu
• Virginia Woolf

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