London, University of, is the largest traditional university in the United Kingdom. Only the United Kingdom’s Open University, which offers instruction mainly through the Internet, television, correspondence, and audio and video materials, has more students. The University of London consists of 19 self-governing colleges and 12 institutes established by the university government. The colleges are Birkbeck, the Central School of Speech and Drama, the Courtauld Institute of Art, Goldsmiths, Heythrop College, the Institute of Cancer Research, the Institute of Education, King’s College London, the London Business School, the London School of Economics and Political Science, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Queen Mary, the Royal Academy of Music, Royal Holloway, the Royal Veterinary College, St. George’s, the School of Oriental and African Studies, the School of Pharmacy, and University College London. The University of London was founded in 1836. In 1878, it became the first university in the United Kingdom to grant degrees to women. The university’s website at https://www.london.ac.uk/ offers additional information.
