University in United Kingdom
London, England, United Kingdom
University profile
The University of East London (UEL) is a public university in East London, founded in 1898 to serve working-class Londoners and once known as the 'People's University'. It describes itself as a careers-first university, with courses re-designed and validated with industry input under its ten-year strategy, Vision 2028, which centres on future-ready skills, employer partnerships, inclusive learning and practical experience.
UEL has three campuses: Docklands on the Royal Albert Dock waterfront, the historic Stratford campus near the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, and University Square Stratford (USS). A free bus links Stratford and Docklands in about 25 minutes, and the DLR connects the sites in around 15 minutes.
Teaching is organised into five schools:
Notable facilities include SportsDock, a £21 million sports centre at Docklands that served as Team USA's training base for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Institute of Performing Arts and The Source arts venue at USS, a Legal Advice Centre offering free advice to the public, and 24/7 libraries at Docklands and Stratford. Research is led by three institutes: the Sustainability Research Institute, the Institute for Connected Communities and the Institute for the Science of Early Years and Youth.
On-campus housing is at Docklands Student Village, home to over 1,100 students, with rooms from £189 per week in 2026/27 including utilities, Wi-Fi and 24/7 security. Students come from over 160 nationalities, 57% are the first in their family to attend university and postgraduates make up around 20% of the student body (2020/21 data). Mature students over 21 account for almost half of undergraduates.
UEL holds a Teaching Excellence Framework Silver award (2023), the Quality Assurance Agency quality mark, Athena Swan Silver, a Silver Race Equality Charter award and the University Mental Health Charter Award, and is a Living Wage and Disability Confident employer.
Undergraduate fees for 2026 are £9,790 per year full-time for Home students (pro rata for part-time) and £16,020 per year for new full-time international students; some courses vary. International postgraduate taught fees for 2026-27 start from £16,020 per year (MArch Architecture), with the MBA at £19,500 (plus £3,500 for the placement year on the MBA with Placement); other postgraduate fees are on course pages. MPhil/PhD fees for 2026-27 are £6,500 full-time and £3,250 part-time for UK/EU students, and £17,400 full-time and £8,700 part-time for international students; lab-based programmes may charge bench fees of up to £6,000.
Applicants must first apply and be accepted onto an eligible course; some awards are assessed automatically, others need an application form with evidence.
A Postgraduate Scholarship gives high-achieving students a 50% fee discount; UEL graduates receive an alumni discount of 10% to 25% depending on degree result and progression route, with no application needed; asylum seekers and dependants can receive a 100% tuition fee scholarship in partnership with the Helena Kennedy Foundation. An Early Payment Discount of 5% applies to UK and international students who pay fees in full.
International scholarships of £500 to £5,000 off first-year tuition are assessed automatically after an offer and shown in the offer letter; they do not apply to short courses, franchised programmes, pre-master's, International Foundation or pre-sessional English programmes. Enrolled international students can apply to the Emergency International Fund, the International Engagement Fund for travel costs, and the International Progression Fund (up to £1,000). UEL accepts students funded by Chevening Scholarships and the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, and eligible US students can use federal loans.
Scholarships and bursaries | International scholarships | Tuition fees. Enquiries: [email protected].
UEL International Scholarship →
UEL Postgraduate Scholarship (50% fee discount) →
UEL Postgraduate Scholarship for Asylum Seekers →
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View scholarships for University of East London →Full-time undergraduate applications are made through UCAS, which opens to applications from 1 September in the year before entry; the UCAS institution code is ELOND and the institution code E28, with course codes on each course page. UEL also accepts direct applications for most courses, and part-time degrees are applied for directly through the 'Apply direct' button on course pages. Applications are assessed as a whole, taking account of relevant life or work experience; some courses require a portfolio or interview. Entry requirements are set per course. Foundation years are available for applicants without the usual qualifications, and Clearing is open to UK applicants.
International applicants can apply directly through course pages (free of charge), through UCAS, or through the Common App for North American undergraduates. Clearing is not available to international students. Country pages set out accepted qualifications by region. Applicants whose qualifications do not meet direct entry can join the on-campus International Study Centre, run with Malvern International, which offers an International Foundation Programme (with a Student visa covering foundation and degree) and International Year One, which leads into the second year of selected degrees.
Undergraduate courses require a minimum IELTS of 5.5 or 6.0 or equivalent, depending on course and level of entry; most master's programmes require IELTS 6.0 or 6.5; research degrees require IELTS Academic 7.0 overall with at least 6.5 in each component. Accepted tests include IELTS Academic, IELTS for UKVI, LanguageCert Academic, TOEFL iBT, Pearson PTE Academic, Trinity ISE, Cambridge IGCSE English Language, Oxford ELLT and Skills for English SELT. IELTS General, TOEIC, Duolingo and English Literature O Levels/IGCSEs are not accepted. IELTS results are valid for two years. Nationals of Home Office majority English-speaking countries are exempt. A 5 to 11 week online pre-sessional English course, run with Malvern House London, is available for applicants below the required level.
Most master's degrees require a 2:2 honours degree or equivalent, with some courses also needing professional experience, a portfolio, an interview or a specific subject background. Applications are made online through the course page with transcripts, a personal statement and a reference. Intakes run in January, May and September depending on course. Pre-master's programmes (business and humanities over two semesters, or English and research skills over one semester) are available for applicants without a degree equivalent to a UK 2:2.
MPhil and PhD applicants normally need a first or second class honours degree or a UK master's degree, two academic referees and a research proposal. Applicants should identify a supervisor through the Find an Expert tool and contact the relevant School's research degrees leader before applying. Full-time study takes three years and part-time six years.
International students must pay a tuition fee deposit before a CAS is issued, accept their offer through the Applicant Portal and pass pre-CAS checks, including a pre-CAS interview and TB and maintenance documents. For September 2026 entry on most courses the application deadline is 31 July 2026, the deposit deadline 12 August 2026 and the pre-CAS interview deadline 17 August 2026. For January 2027 entry the application deadline is 27 November 2026 and the deposit deadline 9 December 2026. PGCE courses and some programmes have separate deadlines.
A free, step-free bus runs between Stratford and Docklands (about 25 minutes). UEL has invested £170 million in facilities across its campuses, and all sites have bike storage.
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