Welcome from Professor Dame Hazel Genn, Vice Provost (International)

My name is Hazel Genn and I am Vice-Provost (International & Advancement), responsible for delivering UCL’s Global Engagement Strategy. I know the COVID-19 pandemic makes this a particularly challenging time to be a new student, but whether you are joining us from abroad or from somewhere in the UK, I want to warmly welcome you to UCL and reassure you that our priority is to help you feel safe, supported and at home.

As London’s Global University, UCL’s history as an open and inclusive place to study remains part of our ethos and global outlook to this day, especially when it comes to you, our students. The current pandemic, and the immense impact it has had on all of us, has not changed that, nor has Brexit. In fact, we have re-doubled our efforts to make sure all our students and staff, British, European, and international, feel welcome and included.

To help support you, both during the pandemic and beyond, UCL has a wealth of resources available to you: our Student Support and Wellbeing team are able to offer disability, mental health and wellbeing support in the form of online and telephone appointments, counselling and self-help resources; our Fees and Funding team can provide guidance around paying your fees and financial assistance; and we have a dedicated International Student Support team on hand to assist with any international student queries.

Offering our students the best possible preparation for global careers and lives has been one of the priorities of UCL’s Global Engagement Strategy (GES) since its launch in 2015. The Global Engagement Office, in collaboration with staff across the university, is now shaping the next five-year plan, which will include an increased focus on giving you the best global student experience.

We want our students to be able to develop as global citizens, professionals, and leaders, understanding the perspectives of others and contributing to others’ understanding of the world. Our international students are a vital part of being able to do this. We believe that the diversity, creativity and excellence of our students and staff, coupled with our interdisciplinary approach to working collaboratively with partners all over the world, are all reasons why UCL deserves its place among the top 20 universities in the world.

UCL is now your university, and we want you to be as proud of UCL as we are of you. I wish you every success during your time with us, and hope that it proves to be as transformative for you as for the local and global communities we live in.

Last revised: 8 September 2021.

Professor Dame Hazel Genn, UCL Vice-Provost (International & Advancement)