King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London.

King's College London was founded in 1828-9 by a group of eminent politicians, churchmen and others. They wanted a Church of England alternative to what later became University College London (UCL, founded in 1826), known as 'the godless college in Gower Street'. King's was granted a royal charter by King George IV on 14 August 1829.

Mission and strategy

Over the past ten years King’s has improved dramatically and has become one of the world’s leading Universities for both education and research.

Looking ahead at a world that depends on being better connected, King’s already has the advantage of having disciplines that connect across different cultures, subjects, institutions and geographies.

Not least of their advantages is our place at the centre of London, a truly international city with close connections to knowledge and influence that enrich university life in practical and inspiring ways.

In September 2014, the President and Principal launched King’s Futures, a range of strategic initiatives aimed at further building on our strengths.

King’s Futures includes growth in areas such as Business, Science and Technology, improving the student experience, refining our focus on research and innovation and reaching further across the globe to attract students and partners alike.

It complements a wide range of strategic initiatives that were already underway.

This focus on new strategic initiatives, combined with their underlying institutional goals, provides the backbone for a new institutional strategy for King’s.

This will be further refined into a new institutional vision and strategy over the next 12 months, defining King’s role in helping to understand and overcome some of the world’s great challenges.