King’s College London (King’s or KCL), a public research university, is England’s fourth oldest university. KCL was created in 1829 by the Duke of Wellington (the prime minister at the time), and King George IV. In 1836, King’s College London, along with the University College London (UCL), formed the two constituent members of the federal University of London. The university grew in the late 20th century through mergers with Chelsea College of Science and Technology, Queen Elizabeth College, the Institute of Psychiatry, the Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery and the United Medical and Dental Schools of St Thomas’ and Guy’s Hospitals.
Kings is currently Europe’s largest healthcare learning centre, with three teaching hospitals and a student population of over 27,000 (10,500 postgraduate students). KCL’s campuses are spread around five locations. The main campus is located along the Strand thoroughfare, in Central London. The four other campuses are located in Waterloo, Denmark Hill, and at Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospitals.
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RANKING
The Research Excellence Framework published in 2014 ranked King’s College London as 6th in “power ranking” in the United Kingdom. The power ranking is determined in terms of the quantity and quality of a university’s research activities.
KCL is also considered one of the top universities for multidisciplinary research in the world. It was listed as the 21st university worldwide by the QS World University Rankings for 2016/2017, and 7th in the United Kingdom and 43rd worldwide by the Times Higher Education Ranking for 2017. Furthermore, along with University College London, the University of Cambridge, the London School of Economics and the Imperial College London, KCL is regarded as one of the “golden triangle”, the United Kingdom’s elite universities.
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
King’s College London has an extensive variety of undergraduate and postgraduate courses on offer. King’s postgraduate degrees are generally of two categories: taught and research degrees. Taught degree programs include Postgraduate Diplomas and Certificates, taught Master’s, and taught Master’s by Research (MRes). King’s offers research degree programs like PhD, Mphil, Professional Doctorates (like the EdD in Education Doctorate, DrPSin Professional Studies Doctorate, DThMin in Theology and Ministry and others), and the MDRes, MphilStud, and joint PhD programs.
Undergraduate Admission
For applicants looking to apply for an undergraduate program at the King’s College London, there are varying requirements depending on the applicant’s chosen course, and their qualifications. There are required subjects for any qualification depending on the department.
Acceptable grades for qualifications, like the A levels, Access to HE Diploma, Cambridge Pre-U, BTEC level 3 Diploma and Extended Diploma, the International Baccalaureate, the Welsh Baccalaureate and the Scottish Highers and Advanced Highers, are listed on the university website.
Some courses may also require applicants to have additional qualifications. For example, applicants to the university’s law program are required to take the LNAT aptitude test. Other applicants might also be required to have work/volunteer experience before they are admitted for some programs. International students whose first language isn’t English must provide recent proof that they have a command of written and spoken English sufficient for the program to which they have applied.
Applications are made through the University and College Admissions Service (UCAS). UCAS codes vary for different departments, and applicants are advised to check individual course pages for the right code.
Postgraduate Admission (Research and Taught Postgraduate Programs)
Applicants to a Master’s program must usually hold a second classupper degree in their undergraduate program, in the same program, or in program related to the one they are applying for. For some programs, candidates with comparable academic standing gained through previous study, or through work experience, may also be considered for admission.
For Mphil/PhD programs, applicants are required to have a distinction or high merit grade in the same program, or in a related program. In unique situations, applicants with a first class degree in their previous course of study may be admitted for an Mphil program.
Applicants to a research master’s program are advised to identify and contact a potential supervisor before they put in an application. Potential supervisors can be located through the “staff and groups” section on individual course pages.
At King’s, the admission process is usually very competitive, and so, general entry requirements may not be adequate enough to secure a place. Depending on the applicant’s chosen course, additional entry requirements may include:
- Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks
- Occupational health
- Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) clearance, for students who need entry clearance to study in United Kingdom for certain courses.
Applicants whose first language is not English may also be required to present evidence of English Language ability.
Other requirements include;
- Two academic references
- A research proposal and/or project approval form
- Transcripts of your previous qualifications (with official English translations if not originally in English)
- Any English language qualifications that you have (if your first language is not English).
- A personal statement
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Tuition
KCL’s tuition fee for domestic and international students in the 2017/2018 academic session was £9,250 and £17,050 respectively. Note that the international tuition fee is subject to upward reviews annually in subsequent years of study.
Apart from their tuition fees, students can also expect to pay for books, library fees and fines, society membership fees, stationery, personal photocopies, clothing for competitions and course related events, travel costs for travel locally and outside London, and graduation costs.
Cost of Living in London
Living costs vary according to individual preferences. However, to live a reasonably comfortable life in London, single students need about £10,555. Couples need around £16,178 and an additional £2,000 for every child. Non-EEA students must have enough funds for fees and maintenance, as part of their visa requirements.
Unless restricted by their visa, non-domestic students are allowed to work to as a source of income. In most cases, international students are allowed to work for up to 20 hours during vacation periods.
King’s College London ranks as one of the foremost research and training academic institution in the world. Students are trained by highly qualified academic staff members, and equipped with the skills they need to survive in the outside world.
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