Founded with the aim of educating the working people of London, Birkbeck has been helping people access higher education and transform their lives since its creation in 1823.

In a Birkbeck classroom, you will find yourself surrounded by a diverse range of people, aged from 18 to 80. These can include: secondary school graduates embarking on higher education study; working professionals, keen to gain a promotion or change direction in their career; innovators and entrepreneurs looking to start their own business or realise an idea; and successful graduates, eager to start work.

We are a truly international university in a truly global city: students from over 120 countries are studying with us, our staff come from across the globe, and our researchers are collaborating with universities, governments, healthcare agencies and businesses worldwide.

In the 2018 Times Higher Education World University Rankings, Birkbeck was in the top third of more than a thousand leading universities. We are also ranked highly for our international outlook, figuring in the top 10% of listed universities, based on overseas staff, students and research collaborations.

What unites our students is their curiosity, their seriousness, their dedication and their determination to succeed.

Prestigious University of London qualifications

With a global reputation for high-quality research and teaching, Birkbeck is part of the prestigious University of London, alongside University College London (UCL), King's College London (KCL), the School of African and Oriental Studies (SOAS) and the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), among others.

In 2019, Birkbeck celebrated 100 years as part of the prestigious University of London.

Birkbeck graduates are awarded globally recognised University of London qualifications - a mark of quality and excellence.

Study in the heart of London

Our campus is in Bloomsbury, central London, a lively, student-centred area that's in the heart of London and home to a number of universities and other colleges of the University of London.

Bloomsbury, a world-renowned intellectual and literary hub, was home to early twentieth-century writers, intellectuals, philosophers and artists, including author Virginia Woolf and economist John Maynard Keynes who lived in the Georgian buildings now part of our campus.

Everything London has to offer is on our doorstep: we are near the British Museum, the British Library, Chinatown, Soho and Covent Garden, as well as some of the world's best theatres, music venues, shops, bars and restaurants.

All Birkbeck students have access to all University of London facilities. This includes a large range of libraries and study spaces, plus free membership of Student Central, the University of London Students' Union, right next door to Birkbeck in Bloomsbury.

Student life

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Course locations

What's it like to live in ?
Check out our region guide

What's it like to live in ?
Check out our city guide