Facts and figures

Source: https://www.qmul.ac.uk/about/facts-and-figures/ Parent: https://www.qmul.ac.uk/postgraduate/taught/applyfortaughtprogrammes/

Queen Mary University of London is a leading research-intensive university with a difference – one that opens the doors of opportunity to anyone with the potential to succeed. It is a unique place of world-leading research and unparalleled diversity and inclusivity, that lives and breathes its history and heritage and is embedded in the communities it serves.

Key facts

Our history dates back to 1785, with the founding of The London Hospital Medical College, England’s first official medical school.
We are a Russell Group university, operating across five campuses in London and at sites across Europe and Asia.
In the Times Higher Education rankings 2026 we strengthened our excellent global top 10 per cent position, climbing from 141 to 134. For research outputs, we rank at 31st in the world.
Our income is £728m excluding capital grants (2024/25), of which research income is £159m excluding capital grants (2024/25).
We climbed 35 places in two years in the QS World University Rankings, and are now ranked 110 in the world for 2026 - firmly establishing our recognition as one of the top universities in the world.
Queen Mary is a top 100 global university and top 10 UK university for the second year running in the 2025-26 edition of the influential US News and World Report Best Global Universities rankings.
Ranked at 16th for 2026, Queen Mary has been among the top 20 UK universities targeted by leading employers for the past six years (The Graduate Market in 2026 report).
Described as "a rare institution that excels in both academic league tables and social inclusion", we rank at 35 in the Times Good University Guide 2026.

Our community

We have over 31,000 students on degree programmes and over 5,700 members of staff.1
Our students are drawn from over 170 nationalities: approximately 43 per cent are from overseas.
Our profile from The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 stated: "Queen Mary continues its founding mission to improve lives through education. This Russell Group outlier in Tower Hamlets, east London, continues to do as well in our academic league (39th) as in our social inclusion table (41st). Since 1785, the university has grown from its roots in four historic colleges in the East End with a focus on social justice."
Of our domestic undergraduate students, 91 per cent are from state schools; 77 per cent are BAME, and 46 per cent are first into higher education.
In 2021, a Sutton Trust report named us as the best university for social mobility in the country.
In our 2026 profile, the Daily Mail University Guide wrote, “Of all the elite Russell Group universities, Queen Mary both walks the walk and talks the talk when it comes to social inclusion, creating a diverse student body while demanding high entry grades.”
Queen Mary has the best record of all the Russell Group universities in England for recruiting undergraduate students from state schools and from lower-income families.

Research and innovation profile

For the quality of its research, the University is ranked 31st in the world according to the THE World University Ranking 2026, and joint 7th in the UK according to the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF2021).
We have a strong track record on research spin-outs and student start-ups – one Queen Mary spin-out, ApaTech, sold for $330m in 2010.
Our BioEnterprises Innovation Centre in Whitechapel supports drug discovery start-ups and has created over 500 science jobs.
In the 2025 Daily Mail Universty Guide, we were described as “the most socially inclusive of the research-intensive Russell Group universities by some distance”.
We have partnerships with major industrial firms such as Pfizer, IBM, and Huawei.

World-leading research

We have nine Nobel Prize winners among our former staff and students.
Research carried out by Queen Mary's Professors Jonathan Grigg and Chris Griffiths highlighted the effects of air pollution on children and was instrumental in the introduction of the London Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ).
Queen Mary astronomers led the international team of scientists who discovered a planet orbiting Proxima Centauri, the closest star to the Solar System.
In 2018, Queen Mary researchers were involved in successfully sequencing 100,000 whole genomes from NHS patients.
Professor Karim Brohi and colleagues developed new treatment approaches for trauma patients with critical bleeding which reduced death rates by nearly 30% at the Royal London Hospital. The methods were adopted as national standards by the NHS in 2016.
Queen Mary’s research helps to change the world. Read more about its breadth and impact.

World-leading teaching

We were the first Russell Group institution to offer degree apprenticeship programmes. Our degree apprenticeship in social change, launched in 2019, is widely considered to be a world first.
We are home to the Blizard Institute, including the Centre of the Cell – the world’s first science education centre within working biomedical research laboratories – and the recently opened Neuron Pod, both of which are central to our public engagement work.
Our free, on-campus Student Health Service offers a full range of medical services, including immunisation and psychological counselling.
The Disability and Dyslexia Service offers support to all Queen Mary students with disabilities, specific learning differences and mental health conditions. Students can register with the service and seek advice as soon as they have applied, and throughout their time at Queen Mary.\
Our Advice and Counselling Service offers comprehensive support to students experiencing financial, welfare and legal issues, including immigration advice for international students.
The Students’ Union’s Academic Advice Service offers advice and representation on a number of academic welfare issues, including applications for extenuating circumstances and appeals.
Queen Mary was rated Silver in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023.

A truly global university

Queen Mary’s presence in Malta and its ground-breaking transnational education programme in China, mean that our staff and students collaborate across the world.
We are ranked at number 7 in the world for international outlook – based on the proportion of international staff and students, citations and internationally co-authored papers (THE 2024).

Our work in the community

We were the first UK university to receive the Platinum Watermark from the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement.
Our Students’ Union has led campaigns around local issues including housing, antisocial behaviour and road safety.
Our award-winning Queen Mary Legal Advice Centre, established in 2006, is staffed by volunteer law students who provide free, accessible advice to the public on a range of legal issues.
We sponsor two local Multi Academy Trust schools, which have both seen rapid improvement in pupil outcomes.

In the 2025 Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF5) results, we maintained the highest possible score for the categories 'IP and commercialisation, 'research partnerships' and 'public and community engagement'.
Queen Mary's economic and social impact was analysed in a 2023 report, whose findings are a testament to our impact at a local and national level.
For every £1 Queen Mary spent in 2021, we generated £7 of economic benefit (higher than the Russell Group average).
We contribute a total economic impact of £4.4 billion to the UK economy and support 13,865 FTE jobs.
Through the University's recruitment agency, QTemps, students can find placements on or local to campus during or after their degree.
Our research helped to underpin the national movement for the Real Living Wage campaign. We were the first university in the country to be Living Wage accredited.
We provide dedicated support for refugees, those who have been in local authority care and those who are estranged from their family or carer.

1 This figure is based on the number of staff who hold a current permanent contract with Queen Mary University of London. Please note, it does not include staff on temporary contracts or student ambassadors. This figure is subject to change and will be updated periodically.