How to Get Admission in King's College London

What King's College London is

King's College London (KCL) is a large, multi-faculty research university founded in 1829 and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive UK universities. What most sets it apart from London's specialist institutions is its combination of breadth and a large health cluster: alongside the humanities, law, business, social sciences and the natural, mathematical and engineering sciences, KCL runs one of the capital's biggest concentrations of medicine, dentistry, nursing and midwifery, and psychology and neuroscience.

Each programme is run by one of its nine faculties across five London campuses, so where a subject is taught — and how it selects students — varies more at KCL than at a single-site university. Use the official KCL course pages as the authoritative source for your degree. KCL is consistently ranked among the world's leading universities by bodies such as QS and Times Higher Education (THE); always read a ranking with its issuing body and year.

Five London campuses and nine faculties

KCL is spread across five campuses in central London. The Strand campus, on the north bank of the Thames, houses much of the arts, sciences, law and social sciences. The health-focused campuses — Guy's (by London Bridge), Waterloo, St Thomas' (on the site of St Thomas' Hospital, opposite the Houses of Parliament) and Denmark Hill — are where most clinical medicine, dentistry and nursing teaching and research take place; four of the five sit within about a square mile of each other.

Teaching is grouped into nine faculties: Arts & Humanities; Law; Business; Social Sciences & Public Policy; Natural, Mathematical & Engineering Sciences; Life Sciences & Medicine; Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences; Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care; and Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience. If you are aiming at a health or biomedical subject, check which faculty and campus runs it — those courses often carry earlier deadlines, an admissions test and an interview that KCL's non-clinical degrees do not.

• Five campuses: Strand, Guy's, Waterloo, St Thomas' and Denmark Hill
• Nine faculties spanning arts, law, business, sciences and a large health cluster
• Medicine, dentistry, nursing and midwifery are taught at the Thames-side health campuses
• Confirm the faculty and campus for your course on kcl.ac.uk

Applying through UCAS — and the medicine/dentistry route

Undergraduate applications go through UCAS with a personal statement and an academic reference, not directly to the university. KCL's medicine and dentistry courses sit in the earlier UCAS deadline group, require the UCAT admissions test (the BMAT has been discontinued) and usually add an interview; many other health programmes also interview. Most non-clinical courses follow the standard UCAS deadline and are assessed on the application alone, though law applicants at some universities take the LNAT — check your course.

Postgraduate (taught and research) applications are made directly through KCL's own system. Because deadlines and any test requirement are set each cycle, confirm the current dates for your specific course on the official UCAS, KCL and test-provider websites.

Entry requirements, English and fees

KCL accepts A-levels, the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma and many international school-leaving qualifications, with grades and essential subjects set per programme — science and health courses in particular specify required subjects. Applicants whose first language is not English meet KCL's English requirement through an accepted test such as IELTS, TOEFL or PTE Academic at the band your course needs.

International tuition varies by programme and year, and London living costs are high, so rely only on the official KCL course, English-language and fees pages for current figures. KCL lists scholarships and bursaries with their own eligibility rules — apply through official channels, and never pay anyone who claims to guarantee an award or a place.

The Student visa

Most international students on a full-time KCL degree need a UK Student visa, which requires a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) from KCL and payment of the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS). This is general information, not immigration advice — confirm the current Student visa rules, fees and the IHS amount on the official UK government source before acting.