King's College London
King's College London, sometimes known simply as King's or KCL, is a publicly funded research institution that can be found in London, England. In 1829, a royal licence was used to create King's, and King George IV and the Duke of Wellington both served as patrons of the institution. In 1836, King's College was selected to be one of the two institutions that would eventually become the University of London. It is one of the most venerable educational establishments of its kind in all of England. In the latter half of the 20th century, King's expanded through a number of mergers. King's is now one of the most prestigious educational institutions in the United Kingdom (in 1998).
King's University College is spread over five locations in London: the ancient Strand Site in the city's centre; three additional Thames-side campuses (Guy's, St. Thomas', and Waterloo); and one campus in Denmark Hill in south London. At addition, it maintains facilities in Shrivenham, Oxfordshire, for the purpose of providing professional military education, as well as in Newquay, Cornwall, for the purpose of housing its information service centre. In the fiscal year 2021/22, King's had a total revenue of £1.149 billion, with research grants and contracts accounting for £221.2 million of that total. It boasts the greatest endowment of any institution in London, as well as the fourth largest endowment of any university in the United Kingdom. According to the overall number of students enrolled, it is the twelfth biggest university in the United Kingdom. Its educational endeavours are structured according to nine faculties, each of which is further organised into a large number of departments, centres, and research divisions.
Academic organisations such as the Association of Commonwealth Universities, the European University Association, and the Russell Group are among those in which King's University participates. King's is a founding member of the King's Health Partners academic health sciences complex, the Francis Crick Institute, and MedCity. It is also home to six centres that are funded by the Medical Research Council. In terms of the number of students, it is the biggest centre in Europe for graduate and post-graduate medical instruction as well as biomedical research. Additionally, it is home to the first nursing school in the world, which is known as the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery. The three towns of Oxford, Cambridge, and London are known as the "golden triangle" of higher education, and King's University is often considered to be a member of this group. By virtue of its establishment, King's has often benefited from the support of royal families, with the late Queen Elizabeth II having served in this capacity.
There have been fourteen people awarded the Nobel Prize for their work while employed or affiliated with King's. These people include contributors to the discovery of the structure of DNA, Hepatitis C, the genome of Hepatitis D, and the Higgs boson; pioneers of in-vitro fertilisation, stem cell/mammal cloning, and the modern hospice movement; and key researchers who have advanced radar, radio, television, and mobile phones. Alumni also include the heads of states, governments, and intergovernmental organisations; nineteen members of the current House of Commons and seventeen members of the current House of Lords; and the winners of three Oscars, three Grammys, one Emmy, and one Golden Globe. Currently, the House of Commons has seventeen members and the House of Lords has nineteen members.