King's College London
London, England, United Kingdom · Established 1829
Official website ↗Total Students
40,870
Intl. Students
46%
Student:Faculty
12.6:1
Setting
Urban
Overview
King's College London traces its founding to a public meeting chaired by the Duke of Wellington in June 1828, and it received its royal charter from King George IV the following year, in 1829, making it one of England's oldest universities and one of the two founding colleges of the federal University of London when that body was created in 1836. King's operated for over a century and a half as a constituent college of the University of London before gaining greater financial and academic autonomy in 1994 and, eventually, the ability to award its own degrees. Much of the university's present shape comes from a series of twentieth-century mergers: Queen Elizabeth College and Chelsea College joined King's in 1985, the Institute of Psychiatry became part of King's in 1997, and the United Medical and Dental Schools of Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals merged in 1998, bringing centuries of clinical teaching history -- medicine at St Thomas' dates to the 16th century, and the Florence Nightingale School of Nursing, founded by Nightingale herself in 1860, now sits within King's Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care. Today King's teaches across five main London campuses -- Strand and the Maughan Library in central London, Guy's and St Thomas' near London Bridge and Lambeth for medicine and dentistry, Waterloo for nursing and midwifery, and Denmark Hill in Camberwell for psychiatry and neuroscience -- giving the university an unusually close relationship with the NHS hospitals it grew out of. King's is also home to the Department of War Studies, one of the only academic departments in the world dedicated solely to the study of conflict, security, and strategy, and it has built a distinctive strength in health-related fields, ranking among the world's best for Nursing and Dentistry alongside a large King's Business School (est. 2017) that now offers everything from an MSc in International Management to a two-year Executive MBA. International students make up close to half of King's roughly 40,000-strong student body, drawn from more than 180 countries, which places the university among the most globally mixed in the UK. As with other UK universities, undergraduate admission runs through the centralised UCAS system and is assessed against A-Level, International Baccalaureate, or equivalent qualification grades rather than the SAT/ACT-and-GPA model familiar to applicants from the US, while postgraduate admissions are handled department by department, with English-language thresholds and (for a small number of King's Business School and quantitative programmes) optional GRE/GMAT scores that vary considerably across King's nine faculties. For prospective IELTS or TOEFL candidates, King's combination of a large international population, hospital-based clinical training, and a research culture spanning humanities to medicine means English-language demands differ significantly by course and faculty.
Rankings
Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings · Overall (Global)
#38 (2026)
US News Best Global Universities · Overall (Global)
#42 (2027)
QS World University Rankings by Subject · Nursing
#2 (2026)
QS World University Rankings by Subject · Dentistry
#5 (2026)
QS World University Rankings by Subject · Medicine
#11 (2026)
QS World University Rankings by Subject · Law & Legal Studies
#26 (2026)
Admissions, Requirements & Costs
Requirements, deadlines, and test-score cutoffs differ significantly between undergraduate and graduate/Master's programs — shown separately below.
Undergraduate
Acceptance Rate
13%
Application Fee
$39
Documents required: UCAS application and personal statement, Academic reference from school/college, Predicted or achieved A-Level, IB, or equivalent qualification grades, GCSE (or equivalent) results, with grade B/6 or above in relevant subjects required for some courses (e.g. English, Mathematics, and Science for Nursing/Midwifery), Course-specific admissions test where required (e.g. LNAT for Law, UCAT for Medicine, Casper for Dental Therapy & Hygiene), English language proficiency test scores (IELTS/TOEFL/PTE) for applicants who do not qualify for a waiver
| Term | Deadline | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Fall (September) | UCAS: mid-October (18:00 UK time) for Medicine, Dentistry, and Oxbridge-equivalent early-deadline courses; late January (18:00 UK time, equal consideration deadline) for the majority of other undergraduate courses | Regular Decision |
Test Scores
IELTS Minimum
6.5 (Gabble rec. 7)
TOEFL Minimum
92 (4.5 new scale) · Gabble rec. 100 (5 new scale)
PTE Minimum
62
IELTS notes: King's uses internal 'Bands': Band D (Standard), 6.5 overall with 6.0 in each skill, covers most undergraduate courses; Band B requires 7.0 overall with 6.5 in each skill; Band A (the most demanding courses, including some Medicine and Dentistry pathways) requires 7.5 overall with 7.0 in each skill. Only IELTS Academic/IELTS Academic for UKVI is accepted, and all four skills must come from a single sitting.
TOEFL notes: Band D (Standard): 92 overall (Writing 23, other skills 20 minimum); Band B: 100 overall (Writing 25, other skills 23 minimum); Band A: 109 overall (Writing 27, other skills 25 minimum). ETS moved TOEFL iBT to a new 1-6, CEFR-aligned scale for tests taken from 21 January 2026 onward -- see editorial notes.
TOEFL scores shown as: legacy 0–120 scale (new 1.0–6.0 CEFR-aligned scale, effective Jan 2026).
Accepted tests: IELTS Academic, TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic
Waiver: Applicants who are nationals of, and have recently studied in, a UK Home Office/UKVI-recognised majority English-speaking country are generally exempt, as are those who completed a full-time undergraduate degree taught and assessed in English in a small list of recognised countries immediately before applying.
Conditional admission: King's runs pre-sessional English programmes of varying lengths, aligned to Bands A/B/D, that let admitted students who narrowly miss the required score reach the threshold before their course begins.
Tuition (Intl.)
$54,203
Tuition (Domestic)
$13,119
Living Expenses/yr
$21,346
Total Cost of Attendance
$75,549
Scholarships
King's Global Scholarship / King's International Scholarship
Varies by award; typically a fixed partial contribution toward tuition rather than a full-fee waiver
A set of merit- and need-based scholarships for international (Overseas fee status) undergraduate applicants with outstanding academic records, offering a partial reduction in tuition fees for the duration of the degree.
Eligibility: Open to prospective or newly admitted international undergraduates with strong academic achievement; usually requires a separate application through King's funding database once an offer is held
Faculty and departmental undergraduate scholarships
Varies by award, typically a partial tuition contribution
Individual King's faculties and the university's central funding database list a rotating set of country-specific, subject-specific, or hardship-linked awards (including partnerships such as the Santander Scholarships) that partially offset the overseas fee.
Eligibility: Varies by scholarship; most require an offer of admission and a separate application through King's funding database
Popular Programs
Gabble Prep Insights
Where applicants lose points: Speaking is typically the toughest section for undergraduate applicants, especially to Law and Medicine/Dentistry, where King's admissions tests (LNAT, UCAT) and multi-mini-interview-style assessments reward quick, structured spoken reasoning that many secondary curricula outside English-medium systems do not directly train.
Applicants from strong academic backgrounds usually clear Reading and Listening comfortably, since King's Band D/B/A system is calibrated close to what a capable A-Level or IB student would need anyway, but Writing scores often lag because King's essay-heavy humanities, law, and social science courses expect sustained argument-building that goes beyond general-purpose exam writing practice.
Figures above were converted from GBP at approximately 1 GBP = 1.34 USD. The Home (UK-domiciled) undergraduate fee is fixed government-wide at GBP 9,790/year for 2026-27. Overseas fees are set per course rather than as one university-wide figure: published 2026-27 ranges run from roughly GBP 27,100 for many classroom-based Arts/Social Science courses up to around GBP 40,450 for laboratory/computing-based courses like Computer Science BSc (used here as the representative figure) and well above GBP 48,000-61,000 for Medicine MBBS and Dentistry BDS -- always check the specific course page. Living costs were estimated from King's own official monthly guide of GBP 1,770 (covering accommodation, food, travel Zones 1-4, and personal/leisure spending) applied over a 9-month undergraduate academic year; King's states this is a planning guide only, not a guaranteed minimum or maximum. King's does not publish one official aggregate undergraduate acceptance rate; the 13% figure reflects a recent aggregate offers/applications estimate compiled by third-party admissions trackers rather than a King's-published statistic, and it varies enormously by course -- Medicine, Dentistry, and Law are far more selective than less oversubscribed courses. The undergraduate application fee (GBP 28.95, covering up to five UCAS course choices) is paid to UCAS, not directly to King's.
Recommended prep timeline: 10 weeks
Graduate (Master's & PhD)
Application Fee
$101
Documents required: Statement of purpose / personal statement, Two academic (or academic plus professional) references, Official transcripts from all previously attended institutions, CV/resume, English language proficiency test scores (if applicable), GRE or GMAT scores (optional, not required, for any King's taught master's; some King's Business School and quantitative programmes note that a competitive score can strengthen an application), Significant relevant work experience documentation for the Executive MBA (minimum 10 years in a management/leadership role)
| Term | Deadline | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Fall (September) | Rolling and department-specific; most taught master's open around October of the prior year and close once full, with competitive King's Business School programmes often running multiple application rounds and filling ahead of a July deadline | Rolling |
Test Scores
IELTS Minimum
6.5 (Gabble rec. 7)
TOEFL Minimum
92 (4.5 new scale) · Gabble rec. 100 (5 new scale)
PTE Minimum
62
IELTS notes: King's Band system applies at postgraduate level too: Band D (Standard) is 6.5 overall with 6.0 in each skill; Band C is 7.0 overall with 6.5 in reading/writing and 6.0 in listening/speaking; Band B (required by King's Business School and a number of other departments) is 7.0 overall with 6.5 in each skill.
TOEFL notes: Band D: 92 overall with 20-23 per section minimum; Band C: 100 overall (Writing 25, Reading 23, Listening/Speaking 20 minimum); Band B (King's Business School and some other departments): 100 overall with 23-25 per section minimum. As with undergraduate, ETS introduced a new 1-6 CEFR-aligned TOEFL scale for tests from 21 January 2026 -- see editorial notes.
TOEFL scores shown as: legacy 0–120 scale (new 1.0–6.0 CEFR-aligned scale, effective Jan 2026).
Accepted tests: IELTS Academic, TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic
Waiver: Applicants who are nationals of, and recently educated in, a UK Home Office/UKVI-recognised majority English-speaking country are generally exempt, as are those who completed a degree taught and examined in English in a recognised country immediately before applying.
Conditional admission: King's runs pre-sessional English programmes for admitted postgraduate students below the required score; some departments, including King's Business School, restrict or do not accept this route in place of a qualifying direct test score.
Tuition (Intl.)
$54,203
Tuition (Domestic)
$48,173
Living Expenses/yr
$28,462
Total Cost of Attendance
$82,665
Scholarships
King's Business School and faculty postgraduate scholarships
Varies by award; several published GREAT Scholarship-linked awards offer a partial fee reduction of roughly GBP 10,000
A rotating set of merit- and country-specific awards for international taught master's students, including partnerships with schemes such as the GREAT Scholarships (partial fee waivers for students from specific countries on eligible one-year postgraduate courses).
Eligibility: Varies by scholarship and nationality; most require an offer of admission on an eligible taught master's and a separate scholarship application
Chevening Scholarships and Commonwealth Master's Scholarships
Full tuition, a monthly stipend, and return travel for the duration of the scholarship
External, fully funded UK government scholarship schemes (not King's-specific) that a meaningful number of King's postgraduate applicants from eligible countries use to fund a taught master's, typically covering tuition, a living stipend, and travel.
Eligibility: Set by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission rather than King's; requires nationality from an eligible country, separate application, and a King's offer
Popular Programs
Gabble Prep Insights
Where applicants lose points: Writing tends to be the weakest section for graduate applicants, since a research-oriented statement of purpose and, for law and business programmes especially, case-study or essay-based assessed work demand structured written English well beyond conversational or general exam-prep fluency.
Applicants to quantitative or business-facing programmes (MSc Banking and Finance, MSc International Management) tend to post strong Reading/Listening scores but need extra Speaking practice for group project work, seminar participation, and Executive MBA-style cohort discussion, while LLM and War Studies applicants most often need additional Writing polish given the essay- and dissertation-heavy assessment style typical of King's postgraduate humanities and social science courses.
Figures above were converted from GBP at approximately 1 GBP = 1.34 USD, using MSc International Management (GBP 35,950 Home / GBP 40,450 Overseas, 2026-27) as a representative King's Business School taught master's course, since King's does not publish one university-wide postgraduate tuition figure -- published 2026-27 Overseas ranges for taught master's run from roughly GBP 25,000 up to GBP 45,000+ depending on course (e.g. MSc Banking and Finance runs higher, at roughly GBP 45,100). Living costs were estimated from King's own official monthly guide of GBP 1,770 applied over a 12-month postgraduate year. GMAT/GRE: King's Business School and King's postgraduate admissions guidance state directly that the GRE/GMAT is not a requirement for any King's taught master's, including the Executive MBA, where a GMAC Executive Assessment/GMAT/GRE score is described as optional supporting evidence rather than compulsory. Some third-party admissions consultancies cite unofficial average submitted scores around GRE 324 (combined, 260-340 scale) or GMAT 670+ for competitive King's Business School applicants who choose to submit one, but King's itself does not publish an official combined average or range, so per this dataset's rule the gre/gmat min, max, and avgScore fields are left null rather than fabricated from unverified secondary sources. King's postgraduate taught acceptance rate is not published as one university-wide figure and has been left null rather than estimated from unreliable third-party sources. The standard postgraduate taught application fee varies by course, commonly cited in the roughly GBP 70-130 range; GBP 75 was used as a representative midpoint for the applicationFeeUSD conversion above.
Recommended prep timeline: 12 weeks
Programs Offered
Medicine MBBS
Undergraduate · 5 yr
Dentistry BDS
Undergraduate · 5 yr
Law LLB
Undergraduate · 3 yr
War Studies BA
Undergraduate · 3 yr
Computer Science BSc
Undergraduate · 3 yr
MSc International Management
Masters · 1 yr · $54,203/yr
Master of Laws (LLM)
Masters · 1 yr
Executive MBA
Masters · 2 yr
PhD (MPhil/PhD)
PhD · 4 yr
Campus Life
King's teaches across five main London campuses: Strand and the Maughan Library in central London (home to arts and humanities, business, law, and social science), Guy's near London Bridge (medicine and life sciences), St Thomas' in Lambeth (medical and dental clinical training), Waterloo (nursing and midwifery), and Denmark Hill in Camberwell (psychology, psychiatry, and neuroscience). First-year undergraduates are typically guaranteed a place in one of King's thirteen halls of residence spread across London, after which most students move into private accommodation. KCLSU, the students' union, runs around 300 clubs and societies plus more than 70 sports clubs, with The Vault on the Strand Campus and Guy's Bar at Guy's serving as the two main social hubs for quiz nights, food deals, and events through the week. King's international population supports an unusually large set of country- and region-specific societies alongside its academic and sporting clubs.
Notable clubs: King's College London Students' Union (KCLSU), 70+ King's Sport clubs across the five campuses, The Vault (Strand Campus student bar) and Guy's Bar, King's Politics Society and Model United Nations societies, King's Amateur Dramatic Society (KCLADS)
Outcomes
Undergraduate
Graduate
Notable Alumni
Sir Keir Starmer — UK Prime Minister; studied Law at King's College London
Archbishop Desmond Tutu — Nobel Peace Prize laureate (1984) for his anti-apartheid campaigning; studied theology at King's
Peter Higgs — Co-predictor of the Higgs boson; shared the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physics; earned his bachelor's, master's, and PhD at King's in the 1950s
John Keats — Romantic poet; trained in medicine at Guy's Hospital, now part of King's College London
Dame Katherine Grainger — Britain's most decorated female Olympian in rowing, with gold and multiple silver medals across five Olympic Games
Visa Interview Prep
The UK Student visa process differs procedurally from the US F-1 system: there is no SEVP certification or embassy interview requirement built into the standard route, and the centrepiece document is the CAS King's issues once a firm offer is accepted, any tuition deposit is paid, and remaining conditions are met. Applicants must also show they hold the required funds -- broadly the cost shown on the CAS for the first year of the course plus living cost funds of roughly GBP 1,334 per month (up to 9 months, i.e. up to about GBP 12,006) for courses in London, or GBP 1,023 per month for courses outside London. King's issues CAS numbers from late June onward for unconditional offer-holders, with most students receiving theirs in July and August, and recommends applying for the Student visa as soon as the CAS is issued so that UKVI processing times and any pre-arrival requirements (such as a tuberculosis test for applicants from certain countries) can be built into the timeline before a September start. Note that the UK government has periodically applied temporary 'visa brake' restrictions affecting nationals of specific countries; applicants should check current guidance close to their intended application date.
- UK Student visa applicants typically do NOT attend an in-person visa interview the way US F-1 applicants do -- most applications are decided from the online form, supporting financial and academic documents, and the CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies) King's issues once a firm offer is accepted
- UKVI may conduct a short credibility interview (in person or by video) in specific risk-based cases, focused on genuine intent to study, knowledge of the course, and financial means
FAQs
What IELTS score do I need to apply to King's College London as an undergraduate?Undergrad
Most undergraduate courses ask for King's Band D (Standard) level: 6.5 overall with at least 6.0 in each of the four skills. A smaller number of more demanding courses set Band B (7.0 overall, 6.5 per skill) or Band A (7.5 overall, 7.0 per skill). Only IELTS Academic is accepted, and always confirm the exact requirement on your specific course page.
Does King's use the Common Application like US universities?Undergrad
No. King's only accepts undergraduate applications through UCAS, the UK's centralised admissions service, where you list up to five course choices alongside one personal statement. There is no King's-specific supplemental essay portal comparable to the additional essays many US universities require.
Will I need to attend a visa interview to study at King's, like the US F-1 process?
Almost certainly not. The UK Student visa route generally does not build in an in-person interview requirement; your application is assessed from the online form, financial evidence, and the CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies) King's issues once you accept your offer. UKVI reserves the right to request a short credibility interview in specific cases, but this is the exception rather than the standard process, unlike the US F-1 visa's routine consular interview.
What A-Level or IB grades do I need instead of an SAT/ACT score?Undergrad
King's does not use the SAT or ACT for admissions decisions. Undergraduate offers are expressed as A-Level grade requirements (commonly A*AA to AAA depending on course) or an IB total (often around 36-38 points with specific Higher Level subject scores), alongside GCSE requirements for some courses and any course-specific admissions test such as the LNAT for Law or UCAT for Medicine.
Is the GRE or GMAT required for King's master's programmes?Grad
No. King's postgraduate admissions guidance states that the GRE/GMAT is not a required test for any King's taught master's, including the Executive MBA at King's Business School, where a GMAT, GRE, or GMAC Executive Assessment score is described as optional supporting evidence rather than compulsory. Submitting a strong score can help strengthen an application to competitive King's Business School or quantitative programmes, but it will not disqualify you if you don't have one.
Can I get a waiver for the IELTS/TOEFL requirement at King's?
Yes, if you are a national of (and have recently studied in) a UK Home Office/UKVI-recognised majority English-speaking country, or you completed a qualifying degree taught and examined in English in a recognised country immediately before applying. Waivers are assessed as part of your standard application.
Does King's offer conditional admission if my English score is slightly below the requirement?
Yes, in most cases. King's runs pre-sessional English courses of varying lengths, aligned to its Band A/B/D system, that let admitted students reach the required score before their course starts. Some departments, including King's Business School, restrict or do not accept this route in place of a qualifying direct test score, so always check your specific department's policy.
How competitive is King's for international applicants?
It varies sharply by course. Third-party estimates put King's aggregate undergraduate offer rate at around 13%, but King's does not publish one official aggregate figure, and this masks huge variation -- Medicine, Dentistry, and Law are considerably more selective than less oversubscribed courses. An official, university-wide postgraduate taught acceptance rate is not published either.
How many weeks should I spend preparing for IELTS or TOEFL before applying to King's?
A realistic window is 10-12 weeks of focused preparation. Undergraduate applicants, especially to Law, Medicine, and Dentistry, often need the most work on Speaking given King's admissions tests and interview-style assessments, while graduate applicants -- particularly to King's Business School and law programmes -- tend to need extra time on Writing.
As an international student, can I get need-based financial aid at King's?
Yes, to some extent. King's offers a mix of need- and merit-based scholarships for international students, including the King's Global/International Scholarship for undergraduates and GREAT Scholarship-linked partial fee waivers for eligible postgraduate taught students from specific countries, alongside a wider set of faculty-level awards searchable through King's central funding database.