UCL is a large university in central London, ranked 13th in the UK by the Complete University Guide 2027. It asks for A*A*A to ABB at A level depending on the degree, and its international undergraduate fees for 2027/28 run from £33,300 for History to £48,600 for Computer Science.
- Location
- Bloomsbury in central London, with a second site in east London
- Type
- a research university and a member of the Russell Group
- Ranking
- 13th of 130 in the UK (Complete University Guide 2027), 8th in the world (QS 2027)
- Typical offer
- A*A*A to ABB at A level, or 40 to 34 International Baccalaureate points
- IELTS
- 6.5 overall with 6.0 in each element at the lowest level, 8.0 with 8.0 at the highest
- International fee
- £33,300 (History) to £48,600 (Computer Science) a year for 2027/28
- Offer rate
- published by department, from 1.3 applications per offer in History to 7.1 in Laws
Reviewed by Dr Elizabeth Adey for 2027 entry · Uni Direct team, 2026
Source: Complete University Guide 2027, QS World University Rankings 2027 and UCL’s Undergraduate Application Data for the 2025-26 UCAS cycle.
Source: Complete University Guide 2027 and UCL’s own about, entry requirements and course pages, read 1 October 2026.
Where is UCL, and what is it like?
UCL is a city university rather than a campus in the American sense. Its main site is in Bloomsbury in central London, and it has a second site, UCL East, in east London. See how it compares with the other top universities in London.
With students from more than 150 countries, it is easy to find people from your own country and easy to feel like one of a crowd. Students live in UCL halls, in University of London halls and in private housing across the city.
If you want a big city as your campus. UCL suits you very well. If you want a small community where staff know your name. Look at a smaller university first.
Is UCL a good university?
Yes. The Complete University Guide 2027 ranks UCL 13th of 130 UK universities and places 32 of its subjects in the UK top ten, including Law, Medicine, Economics, Computer Science and Psychology. QS ranks it 8th in the world for 2027.
UCL dates its founding to 1826. It now has about 51,000 students from more than 150 countries.
| Measure | UCL | Table |
|---|---|---|
| Overall UK ranking | 13th of 130 | Complete University Guide 2027 |
| Research quality | 5th in the UK, 3.50 of 4 | Complete University Guide 2027 |
| Entry standards | 165 of 208, 14th | Complete University Guide 2027 |
| Graduate prospects | 82.5 of 100, 15th | Complete University Guide 2027 |
| Student satisfaction | 3.12 of 4, 91st | Complete University Guide 2027 |
| World ranking | 8th | QS World University Rankings 2027 |
Source: Complete University Guide 2027 and QS World University Rankings 2027, read 1 October 2026. Student numbers from UCL’s own about page, read the same day.
The gap between 5th place for research quality and 91st place for student satisfaction is the part worth your attention. UCL is very strong on reputation and research, and its students rate the day to day experience lower than students at most universities do. If you want a smaller, more personal place. Durham and Warwick are campus universities worth comparing.
UCL sits in our guide to the best UK universities for international students alongside the other London universities, so you can compare entry grades and fees side by side.
UCL entry requirements
UCL makes standard offers in the range A*A*A to ABB, depending on the degree, and it does not use UCAS tariff points. In International Baccalaureate terms that is 40 points with 20 at higher level for A*A*A, down to 34 points with 16 at higher level for ABB.
Entry requirements for 2027 entry
A level
IB higher level points
Admissions test and English level
Source: UCL undergraduate entry requirements page and the UCL course pages for September 2027 entry, read 1 October 2026.
UCL also offers lower contextual offers to eligible applicants. Computer Science, for example, drops from A*A*A to A*AB. UCL states that the equivalent international qualifications are listed on each course page, so choose your country there before you assume your results fall short.
UCL acceptance rate
UCL does not publish one acceptance rate for the whole university. It does publish applications, offers and places for each department, and it says it received nearly 91,000 applications through UCAS for 2025 entry.
The department figure is the one that matters, because it runs from about one offer for every one and a third applications in History to one for every seven in Laws. UCL also prints the number of applications for each place, which is a better measure of how hard a course is to enter.
| Department | Applications | Offers | Places | Applications per offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laws | 4,552 | 637 | 200 | 7.1 |
| Architecture | 3,233 | 539 | 256 | 6.0 |
| Computer Science | 4,006 | 805 | 228 | 5.0 |
| Psychology | 1,918 | 436 | 139 | 4.4 |
| UCL Medical School | 2,092 | 628 | 337 | 3.3 |
| Economics | 4,639 | 1,853 | 500 | 2.5 |
| Mathematics | 3,894 | 2,098 | 324 | 1.9 |
| History | 1,159 | 911 | 235 | 1.3 |
Source: UCL, Undergraduate Application Data for the 2025-26 UCAS cycle, published February 2026 and read 1 October 2026. The data excludes Clearing. Application totals from UCL’s entry requirements page, read 1 October 2026.
A high offer rate at UCL is not an easy entry. Mathematics makes an offer to about half of its applicants, and then asks for A*A*A, or A*AA with a STEP or AEA result. History makes an offer to most applicants, and asks for AAA including History.
Read the row for your own department first. The same predicted grades can face one offer in two in one department and one in seven in another.
Courses UCL is best known for
UCL teaches almost every subject, and its best known courses are Law, Economics, Medicine, Computer Science, Architecture and Psychology. All six are among its 32 UK top ten subjects in the Complete University Guide 2027.
Economics has 500 places, more than any other department in the table above, and Computer Science drew 4,006 applications for 228. If you are choosing between engineering courses, our guide to the best engineering universities in the UK shows where UCL sits.
If you are thinking about Law. UCL asks for A*AA and the LNAT, and it has the most applications for each offer in the table above. Our guide to the best law universities in the UK compares it with the alternatives.
How much does UCL cost?
UCL sets its international undergraduate fee course by course, and for 2027/28 the courses read run from £33,300 for History to £48,600 for Computer Science. UCL states that international fees do not rise during the course, except for Medicine, where UCL caps yearly increases at RPI-X.
| Cost | Figure |
|---|---|
| Tuition, History BA, 2027/28 | £33,300 a year |
| Tuition, Law LLB, 2027/28 | £36,800 a year |
| Tuition, Economics BSc (Econ) and Architecture BSc, 2027/28 | £40,800 a year |
| Tuition, Mathematics BSc and Psychology BSc, 2027/28 | £44,400 a year |
| Tuition, Computer Science BSc, 2027/28 | £48,600 a year |
| Tuition, Medicine MBBS, 2026/27 | £57,300 a year |
| University halls, 2026/27, 40 week contract | £163.94 to £455.71 a week |
| Money to show for your visa, London | £1,529 a month for up to nine months, £13,761 |
| Immigration health surcharge | £776 a year |
| Student visa application | £558 |
Source: UCL course pages for September 2027 entry, read 1 October 2026. Medicine fee from UCL’s 2026/27 fee schedule, read 5 September 2026. Hall rents from UCL’s accommodation fees and contract dates for 2026-27, read 1 October 2026. Visa figures from GOV.UK, read 1 October 2026.
The cheapest rooms are twin rooms from £163.94 a week and standard singles from £217, while catered en suite rooms at the top of the range reach £455.71. London living costs are the largest part of the bill after tuition. You can compare them with the rest of the country in our guides to the cost of living for international students and the cheapest universities in the UK.
The visa figures come from GOV.UK, which is the only authority on the Student visa rules. We explain the published rules, and we pass individual visa questions to the partners we work with. Our student visa guide sets out the steps.
UCL scholarships for international students
The main award is the UCL Global Undergraduate Scholarship, which is based on financial need and open to overseas fee applicants from any country outside the UK. In the 2026/27 round UCL offered up to 33 scholarships: 10 covered full tuition fees plus a maintenance allowance and a fixed allowance for costs such as the immigration health surcharge and visa fees, 20 covered full tuition fees, and 3 covered full tuition fees for students from India.
The 2026 deadline was 5pm on Monday 27 April 2026, after the UCAS deadline, and results were due by 3 June 2026. UCL points applicants to its scholarships finder for other awards, so check the finder for your year of entry before you plan around one.
Source: UCL Global Undergraduate Scholarship page for 2026/27, UCL’s funding page and scholarships finder, read 1 October 2026.
How do I apply to UCL?
Apply through UCAS
You apply through UCAS, and the main deadline for 2027 entry is 13 January 2027.
Watch the Medicine deadline
Medicine has an earlier deadline of 15 October 2026 at 6pm.
Book your admissions test
Law, Economics, Computer Science and Medicine each need an admissions test alongside your application.
Help with your UCL application
We can help you with your application to UCL, from choosing your courses to writing your personal statement and meeting your deadline. If you are not sure yet whether UCL is right for you, we can talk it through with you first.
The thing students mention most is how quickly Liz replies.
UCL is a decision about a department, not a university. Families tell me they want UCL, and I ask which course, because the offer rate in the table above runs from about four in five in History to one in seven in Laws. Look up your department before you look at anything else. The students who do best are independent and happy in a big city, and they chose UCL for a subject rather than a name. If your child needs a smaller community around them, I would talk about Durham or Warwick first.
Frequently asked questions about UCL
Is UCL in the Russell Group?
Yes. UCL is a member of the Russell Group of research universities and it is ranked 13th in the UK by the Complete University Guide 2027. You can read more on our page about Russell Group and non Russell Group universities.
Is UCL hard to get into?
Yes, on most courses. UCL received nearly 91,000 applications for 2025 entry, and standard offers run from A*A*A to ABB. Law had 7.1 applications for every offer and Computer Science 5.0, while History had 1.3. Check your own department in the table above before you decide.
Is UCL good for international students?
Yes. UCL has about 51,000 students from more than 150 countries, and its international undergraduate fees for 2027/28 run from £33,300 to £48,600 a year. UCL states that international fees do not rise during the course, except for Medicine, so the fee you see on your offer is the fee you will pay each year.
Is UCL good for law?
Yes. UCL Laws is in the UK top ten, and it asks for A*AA, the LNAT and IELTS Level 4, which is 7.5 overall. It also has the steepest ratio in the table above, with 4,552 applications for 200 places. Compare it in our guide to the best law universities in the UK.
What IELTS score do you need for UCL?
UCL sets five English language levels. Level 1 is IELTS Academic 6.5 overall with 6.0 in each component, and Level 4 is 7.5 with 7.0. Each course page names its level. Other routes are covered in our guide to studying in the UK without IELTS.
Is UCL a campus university?
Not in the American sense. UCL’s main site is a group of buildings in Bloomsbury in central London, and it has a second site in east London. Students live in halls and private housing across the city, and UCL halls for 2026/27 cost from £163.94 a week.
Is UCL the same as UCLA?
No. UCL is University College London, a public university in the United Kingdom. UCLA is the University of California, Los Angeles, and the two have no connection. An application to one is not an application to the other, and UCL takes undergraduate applications through UCAS.
The next step
Tell us your predicted grades and the UCL courses you are considering, and we will tell you where you stand.
If UCL is on your list, send us your predicted grades, your school system and the courses you are considering. We will tell you which offer rate you are facing and where a second choice at UCL would be realistic. Our guide on how to study in the UK covers the steps from choosing a course to arriving.
You may also want to compare UCL with other London universities such as the London School of Economics, Imperial College London, City St George’s, Birkbeck and BPP University. Or for a free consultation, contact us now.
Sources: Complete University Guide 2027 · QS World University Rankings 2027 · UCL undergraduate entry requirements, English language requirements, about page and course pages for 2027 entry · UCL Undergraduate Application Data for the 2025-26 cycle · UCL fee, accommodation and scholarship pages · GOV.UK Student visa. Read 1 October 2026, except the 2026/27 Medicine fee, read 5 September. Photograph by LordHarris, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Next review: when UCL publishes its 2026-27 application data and its 2027/28 hall rents, and before 13 January 2027.