Based in the heart of London's East End, Queen Mary's main campus is in Mile End with offshoots in Whitechapel, Holborn, and Smithfield. The campus is well served with tube and bus routes and the onsite accommodation offers canal-side living and views down to Canary Wharf.

Background and History

Queen Mary is the result of many mergers of smaller colleges over the years and can trace it routes back to the mid-Victorian period when there was a desire to improve the lives of those living in London's East End. Queen Mary College, Westfield College, St. Bartholomew's Medical College and the London Hospital Medical College have all merged to form Queen Mary which became part of the University of London in 1915.

Location and Accessibility

By Rail: The nearest tube station is Mile End on the District, Hammersmith and City and Central lines. Connections to the national rail network are available at Liverpool Street station, which is also on the Central line.

By Road: Queen Mary is outside the congestion charging zone so less of a hassle to visit by car than some other London universities, although driving is still not advisable due to traffic and parking issues. Numerous buses are available that go along Mile End Road and stop at the university.

Most facilities are wheelchair friendly and accommodation is available designed for usage by people with disabilities.

What's on Offer

BA, BSc, BEng, MEng, MA, MSc, LLM, MBA, Graduate (Conversion) Diploma, Graduate Diploma, Postgraduate Diploma, Postgraduate Certificate, MRes, MPhil, PhD.

Entry Requirements

Entry requirements vary greatly by subject, while vocational qualifications and other qualifications (IB etc) are considered on a case by case basis, the admissions office should be contacted for further information.

University Accommodation

The Queen Mary undergraduate halls are all at the Mile End campus with some picturesquely situated on Regents Canal. Separate facilities exist for postgraduate and medical students with sites at Barbican and Whitechapel.

Private Accommodation

Local rents have been steadily increasing due to the slow gentrification of East London. Bargains are still to be found, however, and many places in surrounding Bow, Stepney and Hackney Wick can be found for surprisingly low rents. A number of private companies offer halls of residences to university students which offer flexible terms but can be more expensive than a normal landlord.

Faculties and Departments

Queen Mary, University of London is divided into three main faculties: The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, the Faculty of Science and Engineering and the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry.

Academic Strengths and Research Profile

From the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, Queen Mary ranks in the top five in the country for the following subjects
Cancer Studies, Dentistry, Drama, English, Epidemiology, Geography, Health Services Research, Linguistics and Biological Sciences. Queen Mary's origins as separate technical and medical colleges are still evident, with its strongest reputation being in subjects such as engineering and medicine/dentistry.

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees can vary depending on the course of study chosen and whether you wish to study at undergraduate or postgraduate level. Fees for international students are likely to be considerably higher than those of UK/EU students. For a full list of fees it is advisable to contact the university directly or visit their website. Financial Support Means-tested Queen Mary Bursaries are available to home students as well as the National Scholarship Programme. Excellence Scholarships worth £3,000 are available for Science and Modern Foreign Languages courses, and further scholarships are available for medical and dentistry students.

Academic Facilities

Queen Mary has had many refurbishments and expansions over recent years, meaning it has a mixture of new, state of the art buildings and ones with more historical characteristics. A reorganisation in the 1980s led to the closure of some departments allowing funding to focus on others. Queen Mary was the owner of one of the first wind tunnels in the world and still hosts a strong aeronautical engineering laboratory and well as research facilities for medicine and physical geography. Access to other University of London libraries and facilities is also available to Queen Mary students.

Other on-site Amenities

Most of the campus amenities are around the Mile End site with the other locations being mainly focused on teaching. The campus hosts a number of cafeterias, a student union bar and club as well as a gym and drama/performance facilities. A multi-million pound refurbishment of the sports facilities has recently occurred although travel is necessary to reach off-campus sites such as the football grounds in Chislehurst.

Medical and Social Care

A student health service is available on campus, alongside a chaplaincy providing pastoral care and religious services. Multi-faith prayer rooms are available on site and Muslim students are well served by the nearby East London Mosque, one of the largest in London.

 

What's on in the Area

The Mile End and Whitechapel areas are known for their vibrant cosmopolitan nature where traditional East End jellied eel shops rub shoulders with the many curry houses that have sprung up in recent years. Brick Lane is just around the corner in Whitechapel, as well as the trendy bars and clubs of Shoreditch- expect vintage clothes, bikes and more hipsters than you can shake a stick at. The east of London also has its fair share of galleries, theatres and independent cinemas.

 

Moving On

Queen Mary graduates have the second highest starting salaries in the country, boosted by the amount of medical and dental graduates and the high quality of their science and law degrees. Access is available to the largest university careers service in the country, run centrally through the University of London.

Until recent decommissioning, Queen Mary was the only university with a functioning nuclear reactor which was situated underneath Mile End Road. Notable alumni include J.G Ballard, Pete Doherty and the lead singer of Iron Maiden. In WW2 the entire college was evacuated to Cambridge where it shared facilities with King's College.

Is Queen Mary for you?

Its reputation is particularly strong for medicine, dentistry, engineering and the sciences. The East End location makes it a cheaper alternative to the central London universities. The hectic pace of living in the capital is not for everyone, however nearby Regents Canal, Mile End Park and Victoria Park should help you find some tranquil respite. If you're keen on the sciences or medicine why not consider King's or Imperial, which are also strong in these subjects.