UCL was founded in 1826 to bring higher education to those who were typically excluded from it. In 1878, it became the first university in England to admit women on equal terms as men.
Located in the heart of London, UCL is a constituent college of the University of London and a member of the Russell Group, with approximately 850 professors and over 6,000 academic and research staff.
UCL comprises 11 faculties: Arts and Humanities, Built Environment, Brain Sciences, Engineering, the Institute of Education, Laws, Life Sciences, Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Medical Sciences, Population Health Sciences, and Social and Historical Sciences.
Throughout its history, UCL has been the birthplace of numerous significant scientific discoveries, with 29 Nobel Prizes awarded to UCL students or staff, including William Ramsay, who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1904 for his discovery of the noble gases.
In addition, the UCL academic community includes 53 Fellows of the Royal Society, 51 Fellows of the British Academy, 15 Fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering, and 117 Fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences.
The student body is nearly 36,000-strong and UCL has one of the largest systems of postgraduate study in the country. Nearly 52 per cent of students are engaged in graduate studies.
Students hail from approximately 150 countries worldwide making up more than one-third of the university’s entire student population.
UCL was the first British university to open a campus in Doha, Qatar, where it runs a centre for the study of cultural heritage. It also has a presence in Adelaide, South Australia, which includes a space science and an energy policy institute.
UCL alumni include film director Derek Jarman, the writer Lynne Truss, Baroness Patricia Scotland, who became the UK’s first female Attorney General, and Marie Stopes, who founded Britain’s first family planning clinic.
The university’s Latin motto translates as ‘Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward.’
With over 2,500 Bachelors and Masters in Computer Science on our portals, the United Kingdom is easily among the most popular destinations for international students who want to figure out how to make AI sentient, how to create a YouTube competitor without annoying ads, or how to keep hackers and malware away from people’s precious data.
If you’re determined to study in Britain, here are the top 10 Computer Science schools from 4 international university rankings: World University Rankings by Times Higher Education, QS World University Rankings by TopUniversities, The Global Ranking of Academic Subjects by ShanghaiRanking, and the CSRanking.
Find Computer Science Masters in the UK
World University Rankings 2021 by subject: Computer Science
University of Oxford
University of Cambridge
Imperial College London
University College London (UCL)
The University of Edinburgh
The University of Manchester
King’s College London
University of Birmingham
Lancaster University
Queen Mary University of London
University of Southampton
University of Surrey
See other ranked universities on Times Higher Education.
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2021: Computer Science & Information Systems
University of Oxford
University of Cambridge
Imperial College London
University College London (UCL)
The University of Edinburgh
King’s College London
The University of Manchester
University of Warwick
London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
Lancaster University
The full ranking is available on the TopUniversities website.
ShanghaiRanking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2020 – Computer Science & Engineering
University of Oxford
University College London (UCL)
The University of Edinburgh
Imperial College London
University of Cambridge
Northumbria University
King’s College London
Lancaster University
University of Birmingham
University of Bristol
University of Southampton
University of Surrey
Discover the other Computer Science schools on ShanghaiRanking.com.
Group of 3 happy university students
CSRankings: Computer Science Rankings
The University of Edinburgh
University College London (UCL)
University of Oxford
Imperial College London
University of Cambridge
University of Bristol
University of Glasgow
University of Liverpool
University of Bath
University of Surrey
Explore the full Computer Science ranking on CSRankings.com.
You can also check out online Bachelors and Masters in Computer Science & IT.
Popular subdisciplines at the best British Computer Science universities
Computer Science is a broad discipline, which includes many subjects. At the top universities in the UK, these are the most popular Computer Science specialisations:
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Bioinformatics
Business Analytics
Computer Science
Cyber Security
Data Science
Internet of Things (IoT)
Machine Learning and Machine Intelligence
Neurotechnology
Software Engineering
Find Computer Science Bachelors in the UK
How important is a Computer Science school’s ranking for employers?
Okay, we admit. It sounds great to say “I’ve studied at one of the best Computer Science universities”, but your future employers might not be that impressed. In fact, according to a study conducted by the Robert Half company, 71% of Chief Information Officers (CIOs) are more interested in the skills and experience of Computer Science graduates, rather than the school.
This means you should check the curriculum of your Computer Science programme and see if it includes enough practical courses or internship opportunities. Gaining as much valuable hands-on experience as you can might make the difference between you and the other candidates on the job market.
Student reviews of the best Computer Science universities in the UK
At Studyportals, we believe that students’ opinions about academic institutions are just as important as international rankings. That’s why we encourage them to write university reviews, which help prospective students make better choices. Here are several impressions from alumni who attended some of the universities listed above.
Newcastle University graduate
“The teaching is to a high standard and there are always opportunities to meet with staff to answer any queries. The social aspect is great as there are always events taking place meaning you can meet new people, as well as in lectures and seminar groups.”
University of Glasgow graduate
“My University is among the best in the world. The staff are excellent, the programme and lectures are interesting which makes it a lot easier to learn. There is also such a great social aspect about studying at Glasgow – there are students from all different backgrounds and all walks of life which means you get to make friends with so many fascinating people.
University College London Data
Total number of students
34,785
Number of international students
18,705
Total number of academic staff
3,300
Number of international staff
1,260
Number of undergraduate degrees awarded
5,015
Number of master’s degrees awarded
8,510
Number of doctoral degrees awarded
1,205
Number of research only staff
3,415
Number of new undergraduate students
5,705
Number of new master’s students
7,915
Number of new doctoral students
1,050
University College London Rankings
University College London is ranked #19 in Best Global Universities. Schools are ranked according to their performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence. Read more about how we rank schools.
University College London Rankings
- #19inBest Global Universities
- #3inBest Global Universities in Europe
- #3inBest Global Universities in the United Kingdom
University College London Subject Rankings
- #4inArts and Humanities
- #12inBiology and Biochemistry
- #19inBiotechnology and Applied Microbiology
- #24inCardiac and Cardiovascular Systems
- #18inCell Biology
- #94inChemical Engineering (tie)
- #62inChemistry
- #84inCivil Engineering (tie)
- #15inClinical Medicine
- #17inComputer Science
- #44inEconomics and Business (tie)
- #45inElectrical and Electronic Engineering
- #10inEndocrinology and Metabolism (tie)
- #82inEnergy and Fuels
- #86inEngineering
- #32inEnvironment/Ecology
- #12inGastroenterology and Hepatology
- #36inGeosciences (tie)
- #16inImmunology (tie)
- #8inInfectious Diseases
- #122inMaterials Science (tie)
- #67inMathematics (tie)
- #68inMicrobiology (tie)
- #21inMolecular Biology and Genetics
- #87inNanoscience and Nanotechnology (tie)
- #5inNeuroscience and Behavior
- #21inOncology
- #14inPharmacology and Toxicology
- #66inPhysics
- #160inPlant and Animal Science (tie)
- #7inPsychiatry/Psychology
- #7inPublic, Environmental and Occupational Health
- #2inRadiology, Nuclear Medicine and Medical Imaging
- #5inSocial Sciences and Public Health
- #32inSpace Science
- #15inSurgery
2020 University/College Rankings – Computer Science, Engineering & Technology
The below list is the College/University rankings for Computer Science, Engineering and Technology subjects. The rankings, taken from Times Higher Education, is based on citations, industry income post graduation, international reputation/outlook, research and standard of teaching. To see more subjects and ranking credentials, click here.
World Rankings (Computer Science)
- University of Oxford
- Stanford University
- ETH Zurich
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- University of Cambridge
- Carnegie Mellon University
- Imperial College London
- Harvard University
- Princeton University
- California Institute of Technology
US Rankings (Computer Science)
- Stanford University
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Carnegie Mellon University
- Harvard University
- Princeton University
- California Institute of Technology
- University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
- Cornell University
- Georgia Institute of Technology
- Columbia University
UK Rankings (Computer Science)
- University of Oxford
- University of Cambridge
- Imperial College London
- UCL
- University of Edinburgh
- Kings College London
- University of Manchester
- University of Birmingham
- University of Bristol
- Queen Mary University of London
Canada Rankings (Computer Science)
- University of Toronto
- University of Montreal
- University of Waterloo
- University of British Columbia
- McGill University
- McMaster University
- University of Ottawa
- Simon Fraser University
- Queen’s University
- Université de Sherbrooke
World Rankings (Engineering & Technology)
- California Institute of Technology
- Stanford University
- University of Cambridge
- Harvard University
- University of Oxford
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Princeton University
- ETH Zurich
- University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)
- Georgia Institute of Technology
US Rankings (Engineering & Technology)
- California Institute of Technology
- Stanford University
- Harvard University
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Princeton University
- University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)
- Georgia Institute of Technology
- University of California (Berkeley)
- Carnegie Mellon University
- University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
UK Rankings (Engineering & Technology)
- University of Cambridge
- University of Oxford
- Imperial College London
- UCL
- University of Manchester
- University of Southampton
- University of Edinburgh
- University of Bristol
- Queen Mary University of London
- University of Nottingham
Canada Rankings (Engineering & Technology)
- University of Toronto
- University of British Columbia
- McGill University
- University of Waterloo
- University of Alberta
- Carleton University
- University of Victoria
- University of Calgary
- University of Montreal
- Dalhousie University