Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cultural area that included the Royal Albert Hall, Victoria & Albert Museum, Natural History Museum and royal colleges. In 1907, Imperial College was established by a royal charter, which unified the Royal College of Science, Royal School of Mines, and City and Guilds of London Institute. In 1988, the Imperial College School of Medicine was formed by merging with St Mary's Hospital Medical School. In 2004, Queen Elizabeth II opened the Imperial College Business School.

Imperial focuses exclusively on science, technology, medicine, and business. The main campus is located in South Kensington. There is a second innovation hub campus in White City. Facilities also include teaching hospitals throughout London that with Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust form an academic health science centre. Imperial was previously a member of the University of London and became an independent university in 2008. Imperial has a highly international community, with 59% of students from outside the UK and 140 countries represented on campus.