Photo: Stefan Czapski · CC BY-SA 2.0Tower Hamlets is home to Queen Mary University of London
Queen Mary University of London (16,000 students) and New City College Corporation are inside Tower Hamlets; the nearest university campus outside it is Ravensbourne University London, 2.1 miles away in Greenwich. 13 of every 100 residents aged 16 and over are full-time students, against 8 across England.
What stands out about college in Tower Hamlets
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
Colleges and universities within 15 miles of Tower Hamlets
72 within 15 miles: 36 universities, 36 further education colleges.
And 60 smaller schools with 185,645 students in all.
What would you pay?
Fees are set nationally, not by each university: in 2026–27 an English university can charge a home student up to £9,790 a year, and so can a Welsh one; Northern Ireland’s charge their own students up to £4,985; Scottish students pay no tuition fee at a Scottish university. Further education colleges are free for most 16 to 18 year olds. There is no family-by-family price to show, so this page doesn’t make one up.
Questions about college near Tower Hamlets
Is Tower Hamlets a university town?
No. 13 of every 100 residents aged 16 and over are full-time students (Census 2021), against 8 across England.
What colleges are in Tower Hamlets?
Queen Mary University of London (16,000 students); New City College Corporation.
Where can you study after 16 near Tower Hamlets?
New City College Corporation, 1 mile away in Tower Hamlets, teaches courses from 16, apprenticeships and some degrees.
What does university cost here?
Fees are set nationally, not by each university: in 2026–27 an English university can charge a home student up to £9,790 a year, and so can a Welsh one; Northern Ireland’s charge their own students up to £4,985; Scottish students pay no tuition fee at a Scottish university. Further education colleges are free for most 16 to 18 year olds. There is no family-by-family price to show, so this page doesn’t make one up.
Neighbours talk college
Students, parents, alumni and the neighbours next door.
Colleges and universities: Wikidata (CC0): each institution with a UKPRN, its point and its students count, and, for Scottish colleges and university campuses away from the seat, our list placed from postcodes (postcodes.io, OGL). To come: Discover Uni teaching locations and HESA student numbers (CC BY 4.0). Students: Census 2021 (England, Wales, Northern Ireland) and Scotland’s Census 2022, full-time students among residents aged 16 and over (OGL). Straight-line distances from the centre of Tower Hamlets. Colleges are described, not graded; the University town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents aged 16 and over are full-time students. Fees: the UK and devolved governments, 2026–27. Photos: Wikimedia Commons, through each institution’s Wikidata item; author and licence on each.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.