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UCL's Bicentenary (UCL200)

2026 marks UCL's 200th Anniversary and the start of a year of Bicentennial activity and celebration.

2026 is the year in which we mark 200 years since UCL’s establishment as the first University in London. The ambition of the Bicentenary year is to celebrate and reinforce UCL’s founding values. Highlighting the excellence and impact of UCL’s ground breaking work, whilst also presenting an ambitious and inspiring portrait of our future.

Through an exciting and varied programme of activities and events, UCL200 will show our commitment to our core values, embrace our entrepreneurial spirit, inspire future leaders, and contribute to a world where knowledge, research and innovation serves as a force for positive good. As well as reflecting on our past, we will use the bicentenary year to frame the future, to position ourselves as a forward-facing university, and to convey the type of organisation we will become during our third century.

Highlights in UCL's 200-year history

 

Explore more highlights

 


UCL200 news

St Michael statue, Flaxman Gallery

UCL200 SharePoint Community (UCL Staff)

Visit the Community page to receive exciting programme updates, access UCL200 resources, and find out how you can get involved in the Bicentennial work.

exhibition

Spotlight on UCL200 Exhibition: bringing to life UCL’s past, present and future

Learn about the exhibitions being planned as part of UCL's bicentennial celebrations, meet the teams working behind the scenes, and find out how you can get involved.

Scrapbook of Will Metcalfe who was at UCL 1913-4. Donated by Dr Mark Curtin

Call for input: Generation UCL

Generation UCL is a research and engagement project that explores two centuries of student life in London. This is the last chance to let the research team know about potential alumni, stories and sources to be included in the commemoration book to be published in 2026.

Building to UCL200 visual (portico)

Building to UCL’s 200th Anniversary

UCL has identified three Physical Legacy projects that will help improve our campus as UCL enters its third century. Find out about the plans for the Quad, Wilkins Building and Gordon Street.

Generation UCL portico graphic

Generation UCL - 200 years of student life in London

As UCL starts the countdown to its bicentenary in 2026, a new research and engagement project puts students and alumni at the heart of the history of UCL, now one of the largest student-led organisations in the world.

desk with laptop and archived record

200 years of UCL data (part 1)

In this blog, Zhiruo He, BA Education Studies student, introduces their summer research project working on recording and analysing students number data for UCL's past 200 years, using archived records from UCL Special Collections. 

UCL students celebrating Lunar New Year

200 years of UCL data (part 2)

In this second blog, Zhiruo He, BA Education Studies student, outlines some of the most interesting findings from their summer internship working on UCL historical student numbers - examining students by gender and exploring changing trends in the number of students from two selected regions of the world. 

Professor Dame Hazel Genn

UCL appoints Pro-Provost (Bicentennial), Professor Dame Hazel Genn

"It will be a pleasure to connect with UCL’s wider community, including our students, staff, alumni, academic and industry partners, and donors – to plan and deliver an inspiring programme of events that marks and celebrates UCL’s pioneering achievements over the past 200 years."

Meet the UCL200 team

UCL Community - share your ideas around UCL's 200th anniversary with the UCL200 team.

Get in touch with the UCL200 team at UCL200@ucl.ac.uk

Meet the team below and find out more about each team member here.

Professor Dame Hazel Genn
Professor Dame Hazel Genn
Pro-Provost Bicentennial

Lucy Briggs
Lucy Briggs
Programme Director Bicentennial

Asyma Raheel
Asyma Raheel
Project Manager Bicentennial

Sarah Sterlini UCL200 team
Sarah Sterlini
Project Officer Bicentennial

Olivia Scher
Olivia Scher
Team Coordinator Bicentennial

Tania Trosini
Tania Trosini
Head of External Engagement, Office of the President and Provost