Birkbeck, University of London

Birkbeck, University of London, is a unique public research university based in the heart of Bloomsbury, London. As a constituent college of the federal University of London, it is unique as the only UK institution that is a specialist provider of evening higher education provision designed to enable students to pursue a world-class degree while continuing to have their professional or personal commitments during the day. The central location of the university is nestled in a vibrant academic community with many of the world's most renowned academic institutions and cultural attractions nearby, creating a diverse student community of working professionals and international scholars from all over the globe.

The university was founded in 1823 by Dr. George Birkbeck as the London Mechanics' Institute with the radical vision of providing scientific and technical education to the working classes of London. This vision for adult education was to be met with great initial opposition but was to be an enormous success, resulting in the institution of female students as early as 1830—far ahead of many other UK universities. The institution was to have many name changes before officially becoming Birkbeck College and joining the University of London in 1920. Throughout its long history, the college has been a bastion of resilience, famously the only university to have remained open and provided education to students during the Blitz of the Second World War.

Today, it is considered a research-intense university that continues to espouse its commitment to social mobility and lifelong learning in its academic approaches. It remains a prestigious academic institution for its excellence in research, with a significant percentage of its teaching staff involved in world-leading research breakthroughs that affect global change and policies.