History of UCL
Just 180 years ago, the benefits of a university education in England were
restricted to men who were members of the Church of England; UCL was founded
to challenge that discrimination. UCL was the first university to be established
in England after Oxford and Cambridge, providing a progressive alternative to
those institutions’ social exclusivity, religious restrictions and academic
constraints.
The university's main building was designed by William Wilkins who went on to build the National Gallery.
Some Interesting Facts
- The first university in England to admit students of any race, class or religion, and the first to welcome women on equal terms with men.
- Students from outside London, and from overseas, present from the start.
- A teaching programme was established in which religious beliefs would not constrain the dissemination of knowledge and exploration of ideas.
- Academic disciplines introduced as required by the emerging industrial and commercial society; the first English university to offer the systematic teaching of law, architecture and medicine.
Landmarks In UCL's Early History
- 1826: UCL is founded, opening up education to wider social groups than those permitted into Oxford and Cambridge
- 1828: Twenty-four professorial chairs are established, many in subjects that had not previously been taught in English universities
- 1863: Five Japanese students come to UCL – some of the earliest ever to study in the West – and return to play major roles in the founding of modern Japan
- 1878: UCL becomes the first British educational establishment to admit women on equal terms with men
- 1893: first English university student union to offer athletic clubs and social activities established
