Student London: 200 years of student life in the capital

Students have formed a significant part of London’s population since the foundation of its first university in 1826. This talk centres their experiences in the city’s history and is based on Georgina and Sam’s new book Student London: A New History of Higher Education in the Capital (UCL Press, 2026). The book offers a detailed examination of life at the original London University (known as University College London since 1836) alongside many other institutions that eventually joined with UCL. It captures a diverse range of higher education experiences across medical schools, teacher training colleges and specialist institutes. A sweeping history of an ever-changing city, the book engages in much greater depth with London’s imperial history than earlier studies of higher education. The event will open with a short film that explores the making of Student London, followed by an examination of some of the book’s core themes over two hundred years.

Image: UCL Special Collections