Founded in 1838 as Britain’s first polytechnic, Westminster has locations in central London and Harrow well-served by transport links. It is also a leading modern university for research in Art and Design (including Music), Asian Studies (Chinese), Communication, Cultural and Media Studies, Electronic Engineering, Law, Linguistics, and Politics and International Relations. More than 800 teaching staff supported by up to 800 visiting specialists and tutors.

The University has high ratings for courses in Arabic, building, housing and surveying, Chinese, communication and media (including music), French, integrated health, politics and international relations, psychology, subjects allied to medicine, and tourism. Professional accreditation is offered in all core disciplines. Quality learning and research is designed in partnership with businesses to meet the needs of London’s international economy.

The University has more than 22,000 students - 25 per cent at postgraduate level as well as libraries housing 440,000 volumes, 7,200 subscriptions and numerous electronic resources (databases, e-journals, the University’s website, exam papers, CD-ROMs and Internet links). Over 5,000 international students attend from over 150 countries.

Ratings achieved in the latest national Research Assessment Exercise (RAE 2001), from a maximum of 5* are: Applied Mathematics 3a; Art and Design 4; Asian Studies 5; Biological Sciences 3b; Business and Management Studies 3b; Communication, Cultural and Media Studies 5; Computer Science 3a; Electrical and Electronic Engineering 4; English Language and Literature 3b; French 3a; History 3a; Iberian and Latin American Languages 3b; Italian 4; Law 5; Linguistics 5; Politics and International Studies 4; Psychology 3a; Social Policy and Administration 3a; Statistics and Operational Research 3b; Other Studies and Professions Allied to Medicine 3a; Town and Country Planning 3a.