Applicants apply to and are admitted by subject at UCL. Applicants must take at least 50% of their courses in their intended subject area. 

For Spring 2025 the following UCL subjects are not open to study abroad applicants:

• Computer Science
• Law
• Planning

All other programs with a Spring offering should be open with consideration to:

• UCL subject requirements - including GPA, required declared major, course pre-requisites, etc. 
• UCL subjects with limited capacity - reach out to the Education Abroad Advisor if your intended subject is on the limited capacity list

What is unique about this program?

University College London (UCL), founded in 1826, is the oldest and largest college of the University of London. It was the third university institution to be set up in England, after Oxford and Cambridge, and the first to admit students regardless of class, religion, race, or sex. University College London is situated near Regent's Park on a single campus in the heart of the Bloomsbury district, in the center of London. The spacious and beautiful original building houses many of the academic departments and the central library. The UCL campus is surrounded by other Schools and Institutes belonging to the University of London, with the British Museum and the British Library only yards away.

The UCL Students' Union forms the focus of student social and cultural life at UCL as well as of political and sporting activities. Facilities are cramped but popular and include bars and coffee bars, games rooms, sports and stationery shops, printing facilities, meeting rooms, television, and a range of food services. There are over 100 cultural, sports, and art societies.

University College London is a Cornell Global Hub partner university. Global Hubs are Cornell's collaborative centers of engagement around the world. Hubs will give students exciting opportunities for semester-long and short-term study abroad, field experience, participation in faculty-led research, curricular pathways through majors, internships, and more.

What is unique about London?

London, as a major center of the cultural, social, diplomatic, financial, and intellectual life of the country, is an attractive and popular city for overseas students, combining important aspects of British culture and a cosmopolitan atmosphere not found in any other city in the UK.

How do I get more information about University College London?

• Browse through course options and information
• Pre-arrival and orientation information for international students
• Key program dates (spring semester participants will be enrolled during UCL's spring and summer terms)
• Read up on what the Life at UCL is like
• Contact UCL's Affiliate Admissions team any time for questions about the application and admission process

Academic Calendar

• Academic year: mid-September - early-June
• Fall semester: mid-September- mid-December
• Spring semester: early January - early-June

For specific dates, refer to the University College London Academic Calendar

Things to Consider Before Applying

• Review the information on the Education Abroad Office’s Get Started page for important considerations on academics and finances, and a guide to the next steps.
• Connect with a potential reference as the external application requires an academic reference.
• Still have questions?  Visit the Get Advice page and learn how to connect with Education Abroad Advisors.
• Want to keep up to date with Cornellians Abroad? Follow Education Abroad on social media, @cornelliansabroad

How do I apply?

Applying to study abroad is a two-step process. You may complete both steps simultaneously, but the Cornell approval process must be complete before your program advisor in the Office of Global Learning can submit any approval or nomination to the program.

1. For Cornell Approval, click on the "Apply" button on this webpage. Applications are approved by the Office of Global Learning on a rolling basis until the application deadline listed on this page.
2. For Program Admission, complete an external application directly on the program’s webpage, using the link in the “Snapshot” section. 
   • The external application requires an academic reference that must come from a faculty or graduate assistant. Applicants will input the reference's contact information in their external application and the reference will automatically be sent a prompt.
   • It is recommended that applicants complete UCL's external application well in advance of UCL's advertised deadline.  This is because it can take UCL up to 8 weeks to reach an admission decision.  Waiting until their deadline to submit your application may mean not finding out if you are accepted until VERY late in the semester.  

IMPORTANT: UCL applicants are not eligible to apply for a back-up program due to the length of time it can take to receive an admission decision. Cornell becomes the default back-up program for UCL applicants.

Additional UCL external application notes:

Prior to starting UCL's external application on their website, please read through their "application form guide" on the How to Apply page on their website.

Study Abroad students at UCL are referred to as "affiliate" students.  When beginning UCL's application on their website, please ensure you select the undergraduate affiliate application associated for your desired subject and term of study. 

At the time of application, UCL is only interested in the courses you are planning to take within the primary department you are applying to.  You will need to take at least two courses within that primary department, but you will be allowed to request two classes in other departments later - after you are admitted.  Some departments have restrictions and will only allow you to take their courses if you apply directly to their department for admission and have a background in that subject area (e.g. Architecture).  Please review the detailed information within the Requirements to understand more about those department restrictions. Lastly, make sure you carefully review the prerequisites for the courses you are interested in taking, and only propose courses within your UCL application that you are sure you are qualified to take.