London's Global University: 7 things that make UCL international

An international history, international teaching and international impact - just some of the things that make UCL London's Global University.

Check out this full list that demonstrates our past, present and future commitment to international teaching, research and collaborations.

1. An international community 

Of UCL's 39,473 students registered to study with us for the 2016-17 academic year, 16,414 are from other countries. We have the largest population of international students of any other UK university, and we are committed to continuing to welcome and value students from across the world, including the EU. Most recently, we teamed up with youth organisation Let us Learn to offer funding to undergraduate students unable to study at a UK university because their immigration status makes them ineligible for a student loan. 

 2. International teaching 

As well as encouraging an international community, UCL also draws on global expertise and knowledge to inform its teaching, demonstrated by the rich diversity of subjects and courses on offer across its 11 faculties. For example, the UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies (UCL SSEES) is the largest centre for Russian studies in the UK, with more than 20 full-time Russian specialists covering language, literature, culture, history, economics and political science. 

 3. International impact  

As London's Global University, UCL is committed to addressing and providing solutions to some of the world's greatest challenges. This partly involves supporting our researchers in their work to solve major global problems, but it also means encouraging all of our students to learn about and develop the skills needed make a difference in today's world. For example, the UCL Global Citizenship Programme brings together students from across UCL to discuss issues like infectious diseases and rapid urbanisation. 

 4. International partnerships  

Supported by our Global Engagement Strategy, UCL's staff and students are building partnerships of equivalence around the world to co-create mutually beneficial solutions to global challenges. On the day of last year's EU referendum result, UCL Engineering partnered with other European institutions for the Alliance4Tech, facilitating shared learning opportunities and work experience across London, Paris, Milan and Berlin - a 'European campus without borders'. 

 5. International academics 

UCL brings together some of the most talented and dedicated academics from across the globe, bringing with them world-class teaching and groundbreaking research. This is especially evident in our list of Nobel Prize winners, of which almost half were born outside of the UK, including Sir Bernard Katz from Germany, who shared the 1970 Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discoveries around how nerve cells communicate with each other and with the muscles they control. 

6. An international history 

As the first university in England to welcome students of any class or religion, UCL also has a long history of welcoming international students. The Choshu Five, a group of Japanese men who made a perilous 135-day sea journey to travel at UCL in 1863, are known as some of our earliest international students. On their return to Japan, they went on to form the core of a new Japanese government, leading a transformation into one of the world's leading countries in technology. 

7. International alumni  

With such an internationally diverse community of students, it comes as no surprise that UCL has an impressive list of international alumni - from no less than 191 countries. Demetrius Vikelas - first President of the International Olympic Committee - moved to London from Greece in 1852, taking evening classes at UCL as it was the only London university to accept students regardless of religion. And more recently, Junichiro Koizumi, who studied at UCL in the 1960s, went on to become Japan's 56th Prime Minister from 2001 to 2006.