Studying at Queen Mary

One of our former Summer School Students, Lasse, shares his experience of what it is like to study on Queen Mary's Summer School

Studying at Queen Mary

Queen Mary University of London is one of the UK's leading research universities, committed to improving social justice and achieving the previously unthinkable by bringing people from every walk of life to work together. 

Queen Mary has always aimed to transform the lives of the working people of the East End through education, recreation and culture. The university has grown considerably since its origins, joining with the distinguished medical colleges of St Bartholomew’s (est. 1123) and the Royal London Hospitals (est. 1740) to form Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry.

Now, we are a Russell Group university based in east London, teaching across the full disciplinary spectrum. With staff and students from over 170 nationalities, we are one of the most diverse higher education institutions in the world and the only Russell Group campus-based university in London.

Facts and figures

• Our history dates back to 1785, with the founding of The London Hospital Medical College, England’s first official medical school. 
• Queen Mary is ranked Joint 5th in the UK for research quality by the REF assessment.  92% of the University's research was assessed as internationally excellent or world-leading.  
• We have nine Nobel Prize winners among our former staff and students and over 55 academy and society fellows amongst current academic staff. 
• Queen Mary ranks at 120 in the 2025 QS World University Rankings, confirming its position as one of the world’s top universities.
• Our students are drawn from 170 nationalities. Approximately 41 per cent are from overseas.
• We have over 32,000 students on degree programmes and over 5,700 members of staff.
• Queen Mary was recognised as the most inclusive Russell Group university in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2021. The authors noted: “Queen Mary continues to prove that social inclusion and academic success are not mutually exclusive.”