Basic information and contact details for Imperial College London
Imperial College London, a science-based institution based in the centre of the capital, is regarded as one of the UK’s leading institutions.
The college has around 15,000 students and 8,000 staff, with a focus on four main areas: science, engineering, medicine and business.
The institution has its roots in the vision of Prince Albert to make London’s South Kensington a centre for education, with colleges going alongside the nearby Natural History Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum and Science Museum.
Imperial was granted its charter in 1907, merging the Royal College of Science, the Royal School of Mines and the City & Guilds College.
The institution boasts 14 Nobel Prize winners, including Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of penicillin.
Famous alumni include science fiction author H.G. Wells, Queen guitarist Brian May, former prime minister of India Rajiv Gandhi, former UK chief medical officer Sir Liam Donaldson, and former chief executive of Singapore Airlines Chew Choon Seng.
The college’s motto is Scientia imperii decus et tutamen, which translates as “Scientific knowledge, the crowning glory and the safeguard of the empire”.
Imperial’s most notable landmark is the Queen's Tower, a remainder of the Imperial Institute, built to mark Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee in 1887.
Rankings
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World University Rankings 2025
Breakdown via year: Overall
Ranking positions 2016 to 2025
2025
9th
2024
8th
2023
10th
2022
12th
2021
11th
2020
10th
2019
9th
2018
8th
2017
8th
2016
8th
Precise ranks and overall scores are shown for the institutions toward the top of a ranking; for institutions with banded ranks, please see the relevant ranking tables for an indication of their scores.
Impact Rankings
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Good Health and Wellbeing 2021
Breakdown via year: Overall
Impact Ranking positions 2020 to 2021
2021
=72nd
2020
=46th
Precise ranks and overall scores are shown for the institutions toward the top of a ranking; for institutions with banded ranks, please see the relevant ranking tables for an indication of their scores.
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