In 1836, the university was first established by a Royal Charter, which brought together in federation London University (now University College London) and King's College (now King's College London), to establish today's federally-structured University of London.
The largest institutions of the federal university, usually termed the colleges, include:
* Birkbeck
* Goldsmiths
* King's College London
* London Business School
* London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
* Queen Mary
* Royal Holloway
* School of Oriental and African Studies
* University College London (UCL)