British/Irish Partner Institutions

The following are brief descriptions of the eight institutions with which the University of Chicago has formed agreements. Together they represent a range of academic strengths. All of them, except for the London School of Economics, are essentially “comprehensive” universities offering a variety of subjects. King’s College London, the London School of Economics, and University College London are all institutions within the federated University of London.

The sketches below are intended only as an introduction to these institutions.

To apply to our programs at these institutions, continue to the British/Irish Programs page.

    The University of Bristol is the newest of the “old” civic universities. It was established as a university in 1909 through an amalgamation of older institutions including University College, Bristol (founded 1876) and Bristol Medical School (founded 1833). It has a student body of over 21,000 students, approximately two-thirds of them undergraduates. Bristol’s academic strengths are spread out over a number of fields though sciences (especially life sciences and mathematics) are a traditional strength. The admission competition for regular British students is normally stiff. The lively city of Bristol, located on the Avon River near the west coast of England at approximately the same latitude as London, is of medieval origin (with Roman antecedents). Though it was a major port through most of its existence, the silting up of the tidal Avon now limits the access of larger vessels to its harbors. Students may go for the Autumn Quarter or for the Academic Year.

    Housing: Bristol provides housing in student residence halls (assuming a timely submission of the housing application).

    Length of Study: Students can choose to study for either the Fall Term or for the entire academic year. That decision must be made by the time your application is turned into Study Abroad.

    The University of Edinburgh, the pre-eminent Scottish university, was founded in 1583. With a student body of 35,000 (approximately one-third are graduate students), Edinburgh is one of the largest universities in Great Britain. Predictably it offers a rich variety of subjects, and its strengths are broadly based. Among a number of esteemed departments at Edinburgh, philosophy and theology draw upon long and distinguished traditions and continue to earn high respect. The University has also established a number of classes that formally combine two related topics from two different fields (e.g., Politics & Psychology). The city of Edinburgh, with a population of about a half million, was established as the capital of Scotland in the eleventh century.

    Housing: There are a number of choices for housing in Edinburgh, both on and off campus. Edinburgh provides housing in student residence halls (assuming a timely submission of the housing application). They can also help advise about off-campus possibilities.

    Length of Study: Students can choose to study for either the Fall Term or for the entire academic year. That decision must be made by the time your application is turned into Study Abroad.

    King’s College London, the second oldest of the institutions comprising the University of London, was founded in 1829 as an Anglican reaction to the secular University College, founded three years earlier. Like University College, King’s is essentially a comprehensive university in its own right, teaching a variety of subjects to a student body of 26,000 students across its four central London campuses. Its strengths lie mainly within the political science, conflict studies and humanities, though there is also a proud tradition in the sciences. The main College precinct, the “Strand Campus,” is in the heart of London near the West End theater district.

    Housing is provided by the University, with locations on both sides of the River Thames (the Strand or Waterloo).

    Length of Study: Students can choose to study for either the Fall Term or for the entire academic year. That decision must be made by the time your application is turned into Study Abroad.

    The London School of Economics and Political Science, founded in 1895, has long enjoyed a wide reputation in the social sciences. One measure of its international eminence is the high proportion of its student body hailing from outside the UK (two-thirds of its nearly 10,000 students). This makes LSE the most cosmopolitan institution within the University of London if also perhaps the least typically British institution on this list. The associated British Library of Political and Economic Science, while serving the instructional needs of LSE, is also a preeminent center of social science research. The London School of Economics is located, compactly, on Houghton Street just off the Strand at Aldwych Circle (near King’s College).

    Housing: LSE provides housing in student residence halls within a mile or so from campus (assuming a timely submission of the housing application).

    Length of Study: Students are required to study at LSE for an entire academic year, because their courses for visiting students are all one year in duration. There is no one-term option.

    St. Catherine’s College Oxford, the newest of the thirty-eight Oxford colleges, was founded in 1962 (though it existed as a “delegacy” since the mid-nineteenth century). It is one of the larger colleges (by Oxford standards) and is open to students in nearly all subjects. It is considered to be especially suitable for Chicago students in the humanities and social sciences, though natural sciences students may also apply. The St. Catherine’s program is a one-quarter (autumn) opportunity. During that quarter the student takes two tutorials. Each of these consists of a series of tutorials on a topic selected in consultation with the student. These are intensive courses, requiring substantial independent work and the presentation of a series of shorts papers throughout the term. The student will also attend lectures appropriate to their subject.

    This is a very competitive program, and we are looking for students with a certain set of intellectual characteristics. Especially in this case, if an interested student does not meet with Eric Benjaminson before submitting an application to Study Abroad, their application will not be considered.

    Housing: St. Catz provides housing in student residence halls.

    Length of Study: Students may only study at Oxford for the fall term. There is no academic year option.

    Trinity College Cambridge, with around 900 students, is the largest of the thirty-one colleges comprising the University of Cambridge (which enrolls over 12,000 students). Trinity was founded by Henry VIII in 1546 as an amalgamation of two pre-existing colleges, King’s Hall and Michaelhouse, both among the oldest of the Cambridge colleges. With traditions of excellence in many fields, a long roster of celebrated alumni, and an architecturally distinguished physical setting, Trinity is among the most highly regarded of the Oxbridge colleges. The University of Cambridge is, of course, an international center of learning.

    This is a very competitive program, and only one or two students can be accepted each year. We are looking for students with a certain set of intellectual characteristics. Especially in this case, if an interested student does not meet with Eric Benjaminson before submitting an application to Study Abroad, their application will not be considered.

    Housing: Trinity College Cambridge provides housing in student residence halls.

    Length of Study: Students may only study at Trinity College Cambridge for a full academic year. There is no one-term option.

    Trinity College Dublin is the late sixteenth-century creation of Queen Elizabeth I, who was perhaps inspired by the philanthropy of her father Henry VIII, the founder of Trinity College Cambridge. Like the earlier college, Trinity College of Dublin (TCD) grew well beyond the traditional size and scope of a typical Oxbridge college. Indeed, it remains the single constituent college of the University of Dublin, and the two names are used interchangeably. Trinity is an important and preeminent university, comprehensive in the subjects taught and rich in tradition. Among its outstanding alumni are Oliver Goldsmith, Oscar Wilde, Samuel Beckett, George Berkeley, and Douglas Hyde. Some 10,000 students are enrolled. Dublin is also a rich and fascinating town, with an avid cultural life.

    Housing availability can be a problem at TCD. The university’s undergraduate population has grown dramatically in size, especially since the end of the Covid-19 pandemic. As a result, very little on-campus housing is available to visiting students, and off-campus rentals are tight. To date, our students have all found places to live (sometimes in rented rooms within a family’s house), but it requires an effort to arrange this. Study Abroad and TCD make efforts to help students, but at the end of the day students will have to find and choose housing on their own.

    Length of Study: Students can choose to study for either the Fall Term or for the entire academic year. That decision must be made by the time your application is turned into Study Abroad.

    University College London, founded in 1826 as a non-Anglican institution open to all regardless of race, creed, or sex, is the oldest college within the University of London as well as England’s third oldest university after Oxford and Cambridge (the ancient Scottish universities are older). With over 36,000 students, divided evenly between undergraduates and graduates, it is also the largest and most comprehensive college in the University of London. University College enjoys an international reputation in a wide variety of subjects, extending through the humanities, the natural sciences, and most of the social sciences. It is located on Gower Street in the storied Bloomsbury section of London within easy walking distance of a number of institutes and facilities of the University of London, as well as the British Museum.

    Please note that our current exchange agreement with UCL limits our students to studying in one of the following Departments at that university: Anthropology, History, or Political Science. We also have an agreement with UCL’s Economics Department, but our experience is that our students do not have the strict prerequisites that UCL requires.

    Housing: UCL provides housing in student residence halls (assuming a timely submission of the housing application).

    Length of Study: Students can choose to study for either the Fall Term or for the entire academic year. That decision must be made by the time your application is turned into Study Abroad.