Close
London, a vibrant, welcoming, busy and international place, has been crowned the best student city in the world for the sixth year in a row (QS Best Student Cities 2025).
Getting here
Our International Students website has details of how to get to UCL from London's main airports and King's Cross St. Pancras International Railway Station.
The website also gives you details of how to make your way to UCL's campus from the airport/station via bus, taxi and train.
Getting around
London’s public transport system is a very easy way to get around, with the underground (the "tube" – a subway), overground train, bus, cycling and walking networks.
You can work out how to get around the city using these maps from Transport for London (TfL) – including the iconic London Tube Map.
Read more about other transport options on the International Students website.
Public transport
As a student you are eligible for 30% off all adult Travelcards and bus passes valid for a week or more. You will also be eligible for a 16-25 Railcard too. You can find more information on the TfL website.
You will need to use an Oyster card (a smart payment card) or a contactless credit/debit card to get the cheapest fares when travelling within London.
For the special student discount, you need to apply for an 18+ Student Oyster photocard. You can then buy Travelcards and bus passes for specific travel zones and time periods, and get 30% off the normal price. This is best for when you plan to do lots of travel, including within peak times. Peak times are when most people commute in the mornings and evenings.
You can additionally add a 16-25 Railcard to your Student Oyster photocard, which gives you 33% discount on off-peak pay as you go travel. It's best to use this payment method when you do fewer journeys, mostly outside of peak times. There are daily and weekly price caps on pay as you go travel.
You can see the caps and Travelcard prices on the TfL website.
Cycling and walking
Cycling and walking are also easy (as well as cheap, healthy and the best way to get to know the city); London has a good cycling network and Cycle Hire Schemes such as Transport for London’s Santander Cycles.
Transport apps
There are several London transport apps available to download for free for iOS or Android which contain maps of the London Underground and route planners:
You can also download the UCL Go App, which is very helpful as a means to find your way around the UCL campus.
UCL Centre For Languages & International Education (CLIE)
CLIE will be your administration contact base during your time on the UPC.
The address is:
UCL Centre for Languages & International Education
26 Bedford Way, London WC1H 0AP
Find the CLIE building on the UCL map.
The nearest underground stations are:
- Russell Square Underground Station (Piccadilly line)
- London Euston Station (Northern & Victoria lines and National Rail services)
- Euston Square Underground Station (Circle, Hammersmith and City, and Metropolitan lines)
- Goodge Street Underground Station (Northern line)
You can see the TfL Tube Map here.
Accommodation
You will have received information about applying for UCL accommodation with your original offer and enrolment emails. Once you have been allocated a room, the UCL Accommodation Office will email you a formal offer. Please make sure that you accept your offer and pay the accommodation deposit as directed.
If you have applied and have not received an offer by the middle of August, please contact the UCL Accommodation Office and the UPC Course Administrators.
The UCL Accommodation team have put together some frequently asked questions, including helpful information on where to buy essentials like bedding and kitchen items.
If you'd like to arrive before your accommodation contract start date, please see 'Booking your arrival timeslot' on the accommodation website.
If you wish to find your own accommodation, please ensure that you do this before the course begins, because you will not have time to do so once the course starts.
If you are aged under 18
If you’re under 18 at the start of the course, please read UCL's important information on studying the UPC while under 18 years old.
If you need to contact us before you arrive in September, please contact: