The oldest of the Colleges of the University of London. In fact, UCL was the first university to be established in England after Oxford and Cambridge. UCL is the largest of over 50 colleges and institutes which make up the federal University of London. Nobel Prizes have been awarded to 19 academics and graduates of the UCL. Just 180 years ago, the benefits of a university education in England were restricted to men who were members of the Church of England; UCL was founded to challenge that discrimination. UCL was the first university to be established in England after Oxford and Cambridge, providing a progressive alternative to those institutions’ social exclusivity, religious restrictions and academic constraints. The university's main building was designed by William Wilkins who went on to build the National Gallery. Some Interesting Facts The first university in England to admit students of any race, class or religion, and the first to welcome women on equal terms with men. Students from outside London, and from overseas, present from the start. A teaching programme was established in which religious beliefs would not constrain the dissemination of knowledge and exploration of ideas. Academic disciplines introduced as required by the emerging industrial and commercial society; the first English university to offer the systematic teaching of law, architecture and medicine.
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