Imperial College London is a public institution that was founded in 1907. The university was previously a college of the University of London and became an independent institution in 2007. The science-focused university is made up of multiple campuses located in and around London. The main campus is situated in South Kensington, an area in Central London that is home to other cultural and educational institutions, such as the Natural History Museum. Upward of 15,000 students attend Imperial, and tuition costs are higher for non-European Union students. Housing is guaranteed for first-year undergraduates, and a limited number of rooms are available for returning undergrads. On-campus graduate student housing is available for those studying at the Silwood Park campus, located around 25 miles west of Central London.

The university comprises four academic divisions focused on engineering, medicine, natural sciences and business. Imperial's academic calendar contains three terms – autumn, spring and summer – and the primary language of instruction is English. Among the university’s research centers and groups are the Data Science Institute, the Institute of Global Health Innovation and the Centre for Hedge Fund Research. The university’s Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme each year provides around 400 students with hands-on research opportunities. The university's International Research Opportunities Programme sends Imperial undergraduates to partner universities in different countries – such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the U.S. and Seoul National University in South Korea – to conduct research for a minimum of eight weeks during the summer break. Imperial also has a history of research pioneers, including Alexander Fleming, who in 1945 discovered penicillin, an antibiotic that is now commonly used to treat bacterial infections.

Imperial College London is ranked #20 in Best Global Universities. Schools are ranked according to their performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence.