King’s College London Guide: Reviews, Rankings, Fees and More

The King’s College London is the fourth oldest university in the UK. It is one of the two founding colleges of the University of London and was established by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829. The university has five central campuses spread along the Thames River, with over 27,000 students enrolled. It owns the largest healthcare learning centre in Europe with three teaching hospitals and has educated 12 Nobel Prize laureates throughout its history.

Summary of University

kings college london review

King’s College London Overview

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The King’s College London is the fourth oldest university in the UK. It is one of the two founding colleges of the University of London and was established by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829. The university has five central campuses spread along the Thames River, with over 27,000 students enrolled. It owns the largest healthcare learning centre in Europe with three teaching hospitals and has educated 12 Nobel Prize laureates throughout its history. 

The university has nine faculties, institutes and schools of study and five Medical Research Council centres. The faculties with the most programmes are Life Sciences and Medicine (49), Social Sciences and Management (33), Natural Sciences (27) and Arts and Humanities (26) respectively. Their strongest departments are humanities, law, the sciences and social sciences, specifically in the healthcare subjects and international affairs.

The research quality at King’s College London is also among the best nationally. The 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) ranked King’s sixth place in the quality and quantity of research activity. The university also ranked seventh in the UK for research earnings at more than £684 million annual income. Some of the most remarkable discoveries made at King’s College London are the structure of DNA and the research that led to the development of radio, television, mobile phones, and radars.

Since 1829, the university has gradually built up a network of 194,000 alumni from 172 countries worldwide. King’s students enjoy great employability, ranking fourth in the UK and the 31st ranking in the world for graduate employability.

Some of the most notable alumni are Rosalind Franklin, a Biophysicist; Peter Higgs, a Nobel Prize winner in Physics in 2013; Michael Levitt, a Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry in 2013; Sarah Mullally, the 133rd Bishop of London; and Maurice Wilkins, a Nobel Prize winner in Physiology or Medicine in 1962.

King’s College London Courses and Programmes

The Complete University Guide 2024 listed 24 subjects from King’s among the top ten of the country: Food Science, Law, Politics, Psychology, Dentistry, Sports Science, and more.

In 2020, the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2020 ranked Dentistry at the King’s College London as the top course for the subject in the world. Among the top ten global universities, the US News and World report listed King’s Psychiatry/Psychology programme as second in the world and Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Medical Imaging as third.

Dentistry BDs

The dental school at King’s College London is the largest in the UK. Students of the Dentistry BDS course will learn from an evidence-based and research-led course with plenty of clinical experience thanks to the university’s three teaching hospitals: Guy’s, King’s College and St Thomas’. Students will get to study along with students from the Dental Therapy & Hygiene course with an option to intercalate a BSc degree. The course has been ranked first in the UK by QS subject rankings for two years in a row for teaching excellence.

Psychology BSc

The Department of Psychology at King’s is one of the UK’s best-known and largest centres for clinical and health psychology. The Clinical Psychology programme here is also the UK’s oldest. The course is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS), which recognised the strengths of the course in research-led teaching and great benefits for students from the research expertise of the university’s interdisciplinary research – the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN). Students of the Psychology BSc course have the option of a year abroad or a professional placement year to enhance their learning experience. 

Nutritional Sciences BSc

This course from King’s is the second-best course in the UK for Food Science according to the Complete University Guide’s Subject League Table in 2024. Students will learn from and contribute to the department’s pioneering areas such as FODMAPs and intestinal health, iron deficiency and anaemia, and food security and malnutrition. Students can combine interesting optional modules with their course, including microbiology, pharmacology, and genetics. King’s extensive connections have brought about valuable placements in industry-renowned companies such as Waitrose and Kellogg’s Company. The programme is accredited by the Association for Nutrition, and graduates of the course can apply to join the UK Voluntary Register of Nutritionists.

King’s College London Entry Requirements

Applicants taking A Levels are expected to present at least three full GCE A Levels for entry to undergraduate courses.

There are also International Foundation Year courses which are intensive 1.5 or 2-semester programmes designed specifically to provide you with a pathway to undergraduate degree study at the university.

King’s College London Entry Deadline

In the UK, all university applications (including those submitted by international students like you) go through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, more commonly known as UCAS.

Most undergraduate courses will share the same deadline of 31 January of every year. Some courses such as Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Sciences and universities such as Oxford and Cambridge have an earlier deadline of 16 October in the year before admission.

For more information about key dates and other UCAS deadlines, take a look at our article UCAS Deadlines 2024.

King’s College London Ranking

  • Ranked 24th in the UK according to the 2024 Complete University Guide league table.
  • Ranked 40th in the world based on QS World University Rankings 2024.
  • Ranked seventh nationally according to The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2021.
  • Ranked 35th internationally according to the QS World University Rankings 2022.
  • Ranked sixth nationally by the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF).
  • The fourth oldest university in the UK.
  • Home to the largest healthcare learning centre in Europe, the largest Dentistry school and the largest centres for clinical and healthy psychology in the UK.

King’s College London Fees

Fees for international students at King’s College London range around £33,450 per year for most subjects, while it costs £48,600 per year for Medicine.

King’s College London Accommodation

King’s offers a wide range of residences throughout London, all within a short travel distance from campus. These are the King’s Residences, University of London Intercollegiate Halls and the University Home scheme. Students can also choose to live at home or in private rented places.

All first-year undergraduates have guaranteed accommodation as long as they meet the application criteria. 

King’s Residences

All residences are non-smoking with 24/7 reception, live-in residence associates and wardens to assist with all questions. There is only one lump sum fee for everything, so students do not have to worry about extra fees except for the use of laundry facilities.

University of London Intercollegiate Halls

King’s students can also live in the University of London Intercollegiate Halls and share the student experience with students from other London institutions. Seven halls offer different types of accommodation such as self-catered and catered buildings, single, double and en-suite rooms, and even studios and family apartments.

Private rented homes

King’s offers a dedicated student housing advisor to assist students with accommodation, budgeting and tenancies. Students also have access to the University of London Housing Services (ULHS) to find private accommodation.

King’s College London Reviews

Hannah - English, Law & German Law LLB
5/5

“One of the best parts of student life at King’s is the societies. Whether it’s co-hosting a podcast or going to a sports night at Guy’s Bar, being a part of a society has given me some of my best memories at King’s!”

Zahra – Neuroscience & Psychology BSc, Pakistan
5/5

“King’s has really helped me experience a lot more than I could imagine. I get to interact with so many different people, learn about different cultures and ethnicities. At the same time, I also get to experience living an independent lifestyle in one of the greatest cities in the world.”

Aahil – Medicine MBBS
5/5

“King’s Sport makes it so easy and practical to work around students’ busy schedules! The vast array of activities and classes is incredible and means that there is something for everyone. The sessions they host on diet, sleep and wellbeing are so useful, as these areas can sometimes be compromised with the busy schedules of a student.”

Stephenie Ong – Law LLB, Malaysia
5/5

“King’s is excellent for its teaching and contact hours. I was surprised to receive plenty of contact time with my tutors which is extremely helpful when it comes to clarification and at-length discussions. The tutors here are dedicated and very knowledgeable in the subjects they teach – some are even leading academicians in their respective fields. What I find also especially stimulating is the seminar system the Law School offers. These seminars allow us to explore beyond the confines of our textbooks, researching topics that genuinely interest us.”

Yik Ming Boey – Pharmacy MPharm, Malaysia
5/5

“I was pleasantly surprised to discover that King’s had its own Malaysian society, and it’s definitely very comforting to know that there’ll always be a group of my fellow countrymen I can fall back on. I had the incredible honour of acting in the society’s inaugural musical performance entitled “Flavours”, which was held at the glorious Greenwood Theatre. Furthermore, I was also actively involved in the King’s ambassador scheme, through which I had the privilege of giving campus and accommodation tours to prospective students, besides sharing my personal experience with them during open days. I hope to continue leaving a positive impression on new students and contribute to the growth of this university in my following years here.”

King’s College London Facilities

King’s Modern Language Centre (MLC)

MLC is the largest centre in the UK that teaches more than 26 languages to over 9,000 students. King’s students can take a language module as part of their degree. There are evening and Saturday courses at a discounted rate for King’s students and alumni. The courses here are accredited by CPD Certification Service.

Library Services

Each King’s campus has its Library Services with many multidisciplinary print and electronic information resources. There are over 1.2 million books and eBooks, 60,000 journals, and 5 million items in archives and special collections for specific subject research. The Foyle Special Collections Library holds over 200,000 extremely rare, unique items such as printed books, pamphlets, periodicals and many more that date back to the 15th century.

Computing facilities & IT services

King’s offers a 24/7 IT Service Desk all year round. The Software Hub offers access to various free softwares such as five copies of Microsoft 365 for education, work and research purposes. There is free Wi-Fi across the campuses and free training, courses and certifications in their online resources. Students can also borrow a laptop through the university’s library loan system.

King’s College London Student Activities and Clubs

King’s College London Students’ Union (KCLSU) has nearly 300 societies, 70 sports and other student activity groups to join. Those are sports clubs, societies, volunteering opportunities, student media, networking groups and campaigning groups with their events, social media pages and activities. 

  • There are many dedicated societies for different Southeast Asian communities, including the KCLSU Malaysian Society and the KCLSU ASEAN Society. 
  • Sports at King’s has two teams: the KCL team involving all students at King’s College London, and the other is the GKT team, specially for the medical students at King’s. 
  • Media students at King’s can access their brand-new Media Suite at Bush House JCLSU Student Media to explore the fields of newspaper, cultural and research journalism, photography and many more. 
  • Academic Associations are the recognised representatives of students’ respective academic student community and their department or faculty within KCLSU. The ten associations actively advocate for their peers, campaign for change and create a strong community within their group.
  • The KCLSU Networks represent the liberal communities that fight against oppression, discrimination and inequality on both local and national levels. International students have their network here to support and empower each other to foster a flourishing international community.

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