Member institutions of the University of London are colleges and universities that are members of the federal University of London.
The University of London was initially configured as an examining board for affiliated colleges, but was reconfigured as a teaching university for London, with many London colleges becoming schools of the university, in 1900.[1] Since the 1990s it has trended towards much greater autonomy for its colleges. Common assessment standards by subject no longer exist across the university nor is shared teaching or cross-registration commonplace.[citation needed]
The member institutions of the University of London are currently divided as follows, in alphabetical order:
The institutions that make up the university of London have been referred to by a number of different terms historically. From federation in 1900 until the passing of the University of London Act 1994 they were formally "schools of the university" or (until 1978) "colleges incorporated into the university",[2] from 1994 until the passing of the University of London Act 2018 they were "colleges",[3] and from 2018 they have been "member institutions". A member institution is defined in the 2018 act as "an educational, academic or research institution which is a constituent member of the University and has for the time being — (a) the status of a college under the statutes; or (b) the status of a university".[4] This had the effect of allowing institutions to change their status from colleges to universities in their own right while still remaining part of the University of London.[5] These institutions, including the London School of Economics[6] and University College London,[7] achieved university status in their own right within the University of London in 2022 and 2023.
Students from University of London colleges who wish to take a course at another college within the collegiate public university as part of their degree can register as intercollegiate students.[8]
Until the year 2008, all colleges within the federal collegiate system solely awarded a University of London degree. From 2003 onwards some colleges received their own degree-awarding powers.[9][10] However, these were held in abeyance until 2008, when a number of colleges began to award their own degrees.[11]
