2026 marks an important milestone for UCL – 200 years since we were founded as the first university in London.
Here, we were the first university in England to admit students regardless of their religion, beliefs or social background and the first to welcome women into higher education alongside men.
On 11 February 2026, the same day we were founded 200 years ago, UCL will begin a year of celebration to mark our Bicentenary. Join us for UCL200, an exciting and varied programme of events, activities and storytelling that will reinforce UCL’s commitment to our founding values, highlight the excellence and impact of our ground-breaking work and people, and present an ambitious and inspiring portrait of our future.
Everyone is invited to join us for our bicentennial celebrations, including staff, students, alumni, partners and our local and global communities.
Find out more about how we’re marking 200 years of research, education and impact.
UCL was the UK’s first secular university founded on the ethos that higher education was accessible to all regardless of social background. I am incredibly proud to lead IOE into this landmark year as UCL200 Faculty Lead, carrying that spirit forward with impact around the globe. It is a privilege to work alongside such a vast and diverse community of thinkers. I look forward to commemorating this special year and celebrating our achievements with the UCL community and the world.
UCL200 at IOE
Get an overview of the events that IOE is hosting to celebrate UCL200.
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Exhibition: Traces of Territories | 5 February - 6 March 2026 |
| Education MA’s Chinese New Year Celebration 2026 | 9 February 2026 |
| UCL Illuminated | 11-13 February 2026 |
| Tracing the history of student life in London over 200 years | 11 February 2026 |
| A world where many worlds fit | 11 February 2026 |
| Two Centuries Here: The UCL200 exhibition | from 18 February 2026 |
| Universities and student life in Europe in the 19th and 20th centuries | 19 February 2026 |
| Student London: Researching 200 years of student life in the capital | 25 February 2026 |
| Centre for Doctoral Education’s doctoral student poster conference (IOE students and staff only) | 5 March 2026 |
| Making and re-making everyday lives: Practitioner experiences in participatory arts and wellbeing spaces | 18 March 2026 |
| Book launch: Student life in London since 1826 | 24 March 2026 |
| Re-thinking the collective and the community in interculturality | 28 April 2026 |
| CCCSE in UCL celebratory reception | April (TBC) |
| Beyond the glass-cabinet view of cultures | 7 May 2026 |
| Engaging intercultural creativity through ‘multiple selves as the muse’ approach | 14 May 2026 |
| ITE Partner Schools networking and celebration event (invitation only) | 14 May 2026 |
| Professorial Lecture - Georgina Brewis | May (TBC) |
| Student London: 200 years of student life in the capital – an illustrated talk | 11 June 2026 |
| ‘Anniversary cultures’: New histories of students and higher education - ICHRE annual conference | 18 June 2026 |
| Professorial Lecture - Victoria Showunmi | 24 June 2026 |
| 20 years of the Citizenship PGCE | 26 June 2026 |
| PsychEd in Ed Conference | June/July 2026 (TBC) |
| National conference for teachers and researchers on CCSE | July 2026 (TBC) |
| London International Conference on Inclusive Education (LICIE) 2026 | 27-29 July 2026 |
| Professorial Lecture - Jessica Ringrose | October 2026 |
| Keeping your curriculum broad and balanced: Celebrating the arts and humanities in primary schools | 19 November 2026 |
| ACE Ministerial Event at COP31 | November 2026 (TBC) |
| Pulse of progress: A drums and mass movement performance | December 2026 (TBC) |
| International Network of Educational Institutes (INEI) UCL200 Conference (invitation only) | (TBC) |
What's on
Upcoming UCL200 events at IOE
18 Mar
17:00 - 18:00
07 May
Latest UCL200 news
200 years of student life: New book repositions students as central to London’s history
Student London: A new history of higher education in the capital, written by IOE academics, delves into London’s rich history of student life – launching today for UCL’s bicentenary.
11 Feb 2026
The power of youth in co-creating education
Championing children and young people’s voices in recognition of their role as global citizens, not citizens-to-be.
28 Jan 2026
Analysing government's implementation of school-based nursery policy
Research by the UCL Institute of Education and the UCL Bartlett School of Architecture investigates 300 schools which were awarded the first set of capital grants to offer new early years places.
Creating a Decolonised and Liberated Curriculum Self-Assessment Tool (DeLCSAT)
An UCL Institute of Education working group creates an educational resource that helps colleagues to critically evaluate their modules and programmes, while offering guidance for meaningful change.
Two Centuries Here: The UCL200 exhibition
Explore UCL’s past, present and future in Two Centuries Here, a major new exhibition marking 200 years since UCL's founding as the first university in London.
About UCL200
Find out everything that's happening across UCL throughout this bicentennial year.
Learn moreImage
Image at the top: Double Take Projections for UCL.