History
On 11 November 1823, around 2000 people flocked to the Crown and Anchor Tavern on the Strand to witness Dr George Birkbeck and his supporters, including Jeremy Bentham, JC Hobhouse MP and H Brougham MP, discuss education for the working men of London.
This foundation meant that, for the first time, artisans and craftsmen could learn about science, art and economics.
Education
There are 5 academic schools and we offer more than 80 undergraduate degree programmes and over 250 postgraduate programmes.
- School of Business, Economics and Informatics
Accounting, Business Studies, Marketing, Computing, Information Technology, Web Technologies.
- School of Arts
Arts and Humanities, English, Film and Media, History of Art, Curating, Journalism and Media, Culture.
- School of Social Science, History and Philosophy
Archaeology, Classics, Psychosocial Studies, Social Sciences, Contemporary History and Politics.
- School of Science
Psychology, Business Psychology, Biomedicine, Geology, Chemical and Molecular Biology, Planetary Science and Astronomy.
- School of Law
Criminology and Criminal Justice, Law
Research
Birkbeck’s research informs public policy, achieves scientific advances, supports the economy, promotes culture and the arts, and makes a positive impact on society.
All our academic staff members are based in Departments or Institutes within our Schools, providing them with a network of colleagues. Linking across these bases are interdisciplinary Centres and Institutes recognised by the College. These encourage research with thematic foci and/ or methodological approaches that cannot be contained within any single discipline or department, particularly by offering opportunities for researchers from different Departments to come together for debate and co-work.
Career
Birkbeck Talent is an innovative recruitment service dedicated to matching your unique skillset with exciting internships and roles with London's top employers.
We are committed to helping you make the most of your Birkbeck experience, by helping you gain relevant work experience to launch your prestigious and fulfilling career.
Following a successful pilot year, we are now making the service available to all Birkbeck students. You can sign up with Birkbeck Talent and view all of our live roles on your My Birkbeck Profile. Contact us to find out more about how we can help you to find new, meaningful roles during and after your studies.
Birkbeck, University of London Key Statistics & Highlights
- #301 Ranking
- 34 PhDs
- 35 Scholarships
- 431 Academic Staff
- 8,406 Students
- 3,278 Students (int'l)
- 4,623 Students (female)
- Public Institution Type
Birkbeck, University of London Overview
Birkbeck, University of London Scholarships
Birkbeck, University of London Scholarships
Below you will find scholarships related to Birkbeck, University of London. Distinction can be made between scholarships provided by the University and those provided by independent providers.
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Birkbeck, University of London Rankings
Study Portals Meta Ranking
Studyportals ranking look at the scores of the most used ranking systems and present you with one number of how well this University performs.
QS World University Rankings
By TopUniversities
Climbed 20 places compared to 2025
QS World University Rankings is one of the top international rankings measuring the popularity and performance of universities all over the world. They measure university reputation based on the impressions of higher education experts, companies who hire graduates, and teaching quality. QS also considers the ratio of international teachers and students present at universities, as well as the times research papers were mentioned by researchers. After calculating and comparing these criteria, QS ranks the universities accordingly.
3 year trend QS World University Rankings
| 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 374 | 408 | 388 |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
World University Rankings
By Times Higher Education
The university hasn’t moved up or down in the rankings over the past year.
World University Rankings is a vital resource that provides the definitive list of the world's best universities. They look at how often they're producing new ideas, what their reputation is around the world, and how much they're contributing to science and academic fields. After calculating and comparing these criteria, THE ranks the universities accordingly.
3 year trend World University Rankings
| 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| - | 301 | 301 |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
Academic Ranking of World Universities
By Shanghai Jiao Tong University
The university hasn’t moved up or down in the rankings over the past year.
ARWU World University rankings is the first world university ranking. It ranks the world's top 1000 colleges and universities based on objective indicator. They look at the number of award-winning (Fields Medals and Nobel Prize) scientists who are located there, how much of their research is cited and referenced around the world, and how much they've contributed to different academic fields. After calculating and comparing these criteria, ARWU ranks the universities accordingly.
3 year trend Academic Ranking of World Universities
| 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| - | 801 | 801 |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
Best Global Universities Rankings
By U.S. News & World Report
This university doesn’t have a ranking for 2026 yet. Rankings are updated yearly, so check back later for the latest info.
Best Global Universities Rankings by U.S. News & World Report presents all the top universities from the U.S. and 60 other countries around the world. They measure the rate of students going to their second year of studies, as well as the rate of students who graduate. It also asks university representatives on the performance of universities, and evaluates university resources, teacher salaries, graduation rates, student academic achievements and satisfaction. After calculating and comparing these criteria, U.S. News ranks the top international universities accordingly.
3 year trend Best Global Universities Rankings
| 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 923 | - | - |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
Student services
Students can take advantage of a wide variety of support services, including application advice, personal tours, orientation events, visa advising, learning support and skills training, English language support, library, Computing and IT, Students’ Union, accommodation, Careers, Counselling, Finance, Health, Volunteering and Wellbeing services.
Housing services
There are several options for you to choose from when it comes to where you would like to live while you are studying at Birkbeck. While the majority of our students decide to live in private accommodation, we also have places available in University of London intercollegiate halls and an agreement with UNITE, a specialist provider of student accommodation, which entitles full-time Birkbeck students to apply for places within their halls of residence.
International students are guaranteed space in University of London Halls of Residence if they apply before June. Other accommodation options include private student housing and flat-shares.
Library services
The Library is housed across 5 floors of our main Birkbeck building overlooking Torrington Square. The library website provides a gateway to almost 25,000 electronic journals, e-books and databases.
Birkbeck eLibrary provides access to:
- ejournals
- ebooks
- databases
- BIROn - Birkbeck Institutional Research Online
- past exam papers
- Image Collections
- referencing software.
ICT services
We have a full range of computing facilities to support you in your academic work, including:
- high-speed connectivity to the internet
- purpose-built computer classrooms (at least 1 is open 24 hours a day)
- a wide range of general software applications as well as specialist academic packages
- Wi-Fi network to connect your laptop, tablet or smartphone to the Birkbeck network.
Medical services
Birkbeck subscribes to the Gower Street Practice, and all students may use the health centre there. Students living in central London can register with the doctors for full NHS General Practitioner services, but other students can also benefit from some of their services.
The Gower Street Practice offers psychotherapy and cognitive behavior therapy, and is experienced in helping students.
Campus life
Our main campus in Bloomsbury, WC1, is a lively student-centred area that’s home to a number of other universities and colleges of the University of London, including University College London and the School of Oriental and African Studies. Across the city in east London, we offer courses at University Square in Stratford, ideal if you live and work in that part of London.Both campuses offer all the facilities you need and are well-served by public transport, making it easy to get to and from college
Sports facilities
The University of London has high-quality facilities for most sports and currently has over 4000 students regularly competing in intercollegiate sports leagues across London.
Right next door to Birkbeck at Student Central, you can use the Energybase’s 60-station gymnasium and 33-metre swimming pool or join some of the 50 fitness classes held every week.
If you are more of a spectator, in London you can visit some of the most iconic sporting arenas in the world such as Wembley Stadium, Wimbledon tennis club, Lord’s Cricket Ground or Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium, among the famous footballing homes in London.
Student clubs
Birkbeck Students’ Union promotes welfare issues, represents students’ interests on College committees and provides social activities via events and societies. All students are automatically members, although you can opt out if you wish.
Facilities and services include student representation and advocacy, a student bar with regular entertainments, clubs and societies, a shop selling light snacks and drinks, stationery and Birkbeck-branded items.
In addition, the University of London (ULU) is right next door to Birkbeck’s main building and students can access ULU’s excellent sports and social facilities, including a large indoor swimming pool.Birkbeck, University of London Campus Locations
Birkbeck, University of London Student Reviews & Awards
Based on 35 reviews
- 5 Star 14 Reviews
- 4 Star 13 Reviews
- 3 Star 5 Reviews
- 2 Star 2 Reviews
- 1 Star 1 Review
How Students Rated This University
- Student Teacher Interaction 4.3
- Student Diversity 4.7
- Quality of Student Life 4.0
- Career Development 4.4
University is a strong academic foundation.
My study experience was very engaging and insightful. I enjoyed the supportive learning environment and how easy it was to understand the topics. I would suggest adding more practical sessions to improve it.
Best University in London
I love birkbeck. I love that you have the day time option and evening option. Student service is great and Great course options.
Excellent
I am name ahtisham. I want to improve my self more because if i get admissions i can learn too much other thing. My experience was well .
Global Student Satisfaction Awards 2025
The Global Student Satisfaction Awards empower students across the globe to determine the best universities of 2025. Universities with a score above 4.0 (out of 5) in any of the 7 award categories, receive Badges of Excellence. Congratulations!
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Student Teacher InteractionHow helpful were your teachers?
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Student DiversityHow diverse was the atmosphere at your university?
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Quality of Student LifeHow was your everyday life?
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Career DevelopmentDid the university provide support for your career development?