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:
- It was
the first university in England to admit students of any race,
class or creed, and the first to welcome women on equal terms
with men.
- Students
from outside London, and from overseas were present from the
off.
- A teaching
programme was established in which religious beliefs would not
constrain the dissemination of knowledge and exploration of
ideas.
- Academic
disciplines were introduced as required by the emerging industrial
and commercial society. As a result it was the first English
university to offer the systematic teaching of law, architecture
and medicine.
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Undergraduate
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