City joined the federal University of London on 1 September 2016, becoming City, University of London. In 2024, St George's, University of London, which was established in 1834, merged with the university, with the combined institution adopting its name City St George's, University of London the following year.
Northampton Square in front of the main university building
City St George's traces its origin to the Northampton Institute. This was named after the 4th Marquess of Northampton who donated the land on which the institute was built, between Northampton Square and St John Street in Islington. The institute was established to provide for the education and welfare of the local population. It was constituted under the City of London Parochial Charities Act 1883, with the objective of "the promotion of the industrial skill, general knowledge, health and well-being of young men and women belonging to the poorer classes".
Northampton Polytechnic Institute was an institute of technology in Clerkenwell, London, founded in 1894. Its first principal was Robert Mullineux Walmsley. The six original departments at the institute were applied physics and electrical engineering; artistic crafts; domestic economy and women's trades; electro-chemistry; horology; and mechanical engineering and metal trades.
A separate technical optics department was established in 1903–04. In 1909, the first students qualified for University of London BSc degrees in engineering as internal students. The institute has been involved in aeronautics education since that year, and the school of engineering and mathematical sciences celebrated the centenary of aeronautics at City in 2009. Frederick Handley Page was a lecturer in aeronautics at the institute. The Handley Page Type A, the first powered aircraft designed and built by him, ended up as an instructional airframe at the school.[citation needed] In 1957, the institute was designated a "College of Advanced Technology".
The institute's involvement in information science began in 1961, with the introduction of a course on "Collecting and Communicating Scientific Knowledge". City received its royal charter in 1966, becoming "The City University" to reflect the institution's close links with the City of London. The Apollo 15 astronauts visited City in 1971, and presented the vice-chancellor, James Sharp Tait, with a piece of heat shield from the Apollo 15 rocket.
In October 1995, it was announced that City University would merge with both the St Bartholomew School of Nursing & Midwifery and the Charterhouse College of Radiography, doubling the number of students in City's institute of health sciences to around 2,500.
21st century
The Grade II listed College Building
The university formed a strategic alliance with Queen Mary, University of London, in April 2001. In May 2001, a fire in the college building gutted the fourth-floor offices and roof. In August 2001 City and the Inns of Court School of Law agreed to merge. Following a donation from Sir John Cass's Foundation, a new building was built at 106 Bunhill Row for the business school.
A new £23 million building to house the school of social sciences and the department of language and communication science was opened in 2004. The reconstruction and redevelopment of the university's Grade II listed college building (following the fire in 2001) was completed in July 2006.[citation needed]
In 2007, the school of arts received a £10m building refurbishment. A new students' union venue opened in October 2008 called "TEN squared", which provides a hub for students to socialise in during the day and hosts a wide range of evening entertainment including club nights, society events and quiz nights.[citation needed]
In January 2010, premises were shared with the University of East Anglia London, following City's partnership with INTO University Partnerships. City later resumed its own international foundation programme to prepare students for their pre-university year. City was ranked among the top 30 higher education institutions in the UK by the Times Higher Education Table of Tables.[citation needed]
In 2011, it was announced that the current halls of residence and Saddler's Sports Centre would be closed and demolished for rebuilding. The new student halls and sports facility, now known as CitySport, opened in 2015.[citation needed]
In September 2016 the City University became a member institution of the federal University of London and changed its name to City, University of London.
In 2024, St George's, University of London merged with the university with the combined institution rebranding as City St George's, University of London the following year.
Campus
A map showing the location of the main campus of City St George's, University of London, in central London
City St George's has sites throughout London, with the main campus located at Northampton Square in the Finsbury area of Islington. The Rhind Building which houses the School of Arts and Social Sciences is directly west of Northampton Square. A few buildings of the main campus are located in nearby Goswell Road in Clerkenwell.[citation needed]
City St George's offers accommodation in eight halls of residence. Seven of these are in Clerkenwell and one in Tooting. Horton Halls in Tooting and four of the Clerkenwell halls are for undergraduates, while three of the Clerkenwell halls are for postgraduates (with one, Alliance House, also accepting continuing students).
Sustainability
City St George's ranked joint 88th (2:2 class) out of the 147 universities in the 2025/26 People & Planet league table of the most sustainable UK universities.
People & Planet's Fossil Free Scorecard report, drawn from Freedom of Information requests, found in 2016 that City (as it then was) had not made a public commitment to fossil fuel divestment. City St George's announced on 4 July 2023 that it was divesting its investments from fossil fuel producers.
Organisation and administration
The main entrance of City St George's, University of London, in Northampton Square. The entrance was substantially remodelled in 2017 and opened by the chancellor, The Princess Royal
Governance
There are two bodies established by the royal charter that participate in the governance of the university. The council is the governing body of the university. It consists of the chair, the president, independent members, and staff and student members. The senate is responsible for academic governance.
The president (named in the royal charter as the vice-chancellor and president) is the principal academic and administrative officer and has been Sir Anthony Finkelstein since June 2021. The senior leadership team assist and advise the president in the "strategic management, development and promotion of the University". It includes a deputy president and provost, three vice-presidents, the six executive deans of the schools, the deputy president for operations (chief operating officer), the chief financial officer and the chief people officer.
Finances
City St George's had a total group income for 2024/25 of £490.0 million and a total expenditure of £415.4 million. Of the income, £333.5 million (68%) was from teaching, £40.7 million (8%) was from research, £5.7 million (1%) was residential income and £110.2 (22%) was other non-residential income. The university (as opposed to the group) had an income of £487.8 million in 2024/25. The income for 2024/25 included a book gain of £73.5 million for the group (£71.4 million for the university) from the merger with St George's, University of London, with the difference between the 'group' and 'university' figures being due to the inclusion of the Eleanor Peel Chair of Geriatric Medicine in the former. After removal of pension fund movements and gain from the merger, City St George's reported an operating surplus of £1.3 million in 2024/25.
The group had a total endowment as of 31 July 2025 of £13.2 million, made up of £11.3 million in the university's endowment and £1.9 million in the Eleanor Peel Chair of Geriatric Medicine endowment.
Schools
City St George's, University of London, is organised into six schools:
The Finsbury Institute sits alongside the schools in the university's organisation as a dedicated public policy hub.
Academic profile
Courses
City St George's, University of London, offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoraldegrees as well as certificates and diplomas at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.
The City St George's International Study Centre is run by INTO University Partnerships and provides programmes to prepare international students to study at the university.
Partnerships and collaborations
City St George's is a core member of the Cultural Capital Exchange, originally established as the London Centre for Arts and Cultural Exchange in 2005, a company focusing on the exchange of knowledge between the universities and London's arts and cultural sectors.
City St George's is also a partner of UCL Partners, a health innovation company in London.
Library
City Research Online is the open-access repository for research produced by City St George's staff and research students.
City St George's was ranked 59th overall nationally by The Complete University Guide 2027, but in the top ten for optometry, ophthalmics and orthoptics (tenth). It was also ranked 104th overall nationally by The Guardian's university guide 2027, but in the top ten for anatomy and physiology (sixth), drama and dance (second) and music (ninth).
Student life
Students' union
The City St George's Students' Union is run primarily by students through four elected sabbatical officers, the chief executive and an elected assembly (composed of current students), with oversight by a trustee board. The students' union provides support, representation, facilities, services, entertainment and activities for its members.[needs update]
The students' union manages most aspects relating to students' societies, such as booking spaces for events on campus, holding funds and distributing grants, and providing training to their committees.[citation needed]
Student media
City St George's has two student-run media outlets, including Carrot Radio, which was co-founded by journalism postgraduates Jordan Gass-Pooré and Winston Lo in the autumn of 2018. Carrot Radio records weekday podcasts. The second is the student-led online magazine, Carrot Magazine. They released their first print magazine in December 2017.[citation needed]
