2020 is the year when education drastically changed, and the competition between universities became more prominent to provide the best educational experience amid the pandemic. London is one of the most popular education destinations with some of the top universities in the world. If you are considering London as your chosen city to study; here is a list of the top 5 universities in London right now.

1. Imperial College London

This college first started as the Royal College of Chemistry in 1845, and it kept transforming until the college was named the Royal College of Science by royal consent in 1890. Many departments joined the college afterwards, and it became a fully independent university in 2007.

Imperial College is now home to 17,000 students and 8,000 staff members, and awards over 6,700 degrees every year. The university focuses on four educational disciplines; science, engineering, medicine and business. Graduates of this university include very remarkable alumni that so far have won 14 Nobel Laureates and three Fields Medallists.

Imperial College London focuses on academic education and research as well as environmental activity; the college has a sustainability strategy to support global sustainable development, tackle climate change, and create a sustainable environment at the college.

2. UCL, University College London

It is one of the largest Universities in London. Established in 1826, it is the first university to admit students regardless of their religion. Moreover, it was the first to admit women in 1878, a time when women were not encouraged to seek higher education.

Currently, the university has more than 42,000 students from 150 countries and 13,000 staff members. Faculties include Arts & Humanities, Brain Sciences, Built Environment, Engineering, Laws, Medical Sciences, Social and Historical Sciences and more.

UCL is a part of several academic organisations, such as the Russell Group and UCL Partners, the world's largest academic health centre. It is also a main participant in the "golden triangle" of research-intensive English universities in southeast England. This year, the university is focused on great strategic goals like academic leadership, integration of research and education and global challenges research.

3. London School of Economics and Political Science

LSE is a public research university founded in 1895 by Fabian Society members Sidney Webb, Beatrice Webb, Graham Wallas, and George Bernard Shaw for the betterment of society. It joined the federal University of London in 1900 and currently acts as a Faculty of Economics of the university.

 Similar to UCL, the London School of Economics is a member of many academic organisations, including the Russell Group, Association of Commonwealth Universities, and European University Association. It is also one of the major universities in southeast London, thus considered a part of the "Golden Triangle" of universities in southeast England. Graduates of the university have won 18 Nobel Prizes since its establishment.

4. King's College London

King's College London was founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829 as a university college in the tradition of the Church of England. It is now an international college that admits students from all around the world. Throughout the years, the college merged several other colleges such as the United Medical and Dental Schools of Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals, Chelsea College, Queen Elizabeth College and the Institute of Psychiatry.

King's College is a member of several organisations such as the Association of Commonwealth Universities, European University Association, and the Russell Group universities and it is regarded as part of the "golden triangle" of universities located in the English cities of Oxford, Cambridge and London. King's was ranked 19th globally in the QS World University Rankings 2015/2016. It was also awarded the status of "five-star University" in 2016.

The university has a vision to keep contributing to society, offer world-leading education and services and to focus more on being an international community. King's alumni and staff include 14 Nobel laureates.

5. Queen Mary, University of London

Queen Mary, University of London has roots that date back to 1785 as it is a merger of the four founding institutions: St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical College, London Hospital Medical College, Westfield College and Queen Mary College.

Queen Mary University includes many faculties such as the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, and Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry Life Sciences Institute. It currently hosts more than 26,000 students, of which over 40 per cent are international students from more than 160 countries.

Currently, the university is a member of the Russell Group of British research universities, the Association of Commonwealth Universities and Universities UK. Queen Mary is also part of UCL Partners, the world's largest academic health science centre. In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework, Queen Mary University was amongst the top 20 universities in the UK for its research power, fifth for the quality of research outputs and first for linguistics.

Queen Mary University's vision is focused not only on academic ranking and research, but also on its dedicated programs for sustainability and recycling, social inclusion, environmental systems, and corporate relations.

It is inspiring that the top universities in London have managed to persevere and perform so well amid the new challenges that face the world. Make sure to check out other notable universities in London to keep your options open. The top 20 include City, University of London, Middlesex University, Kingston University, and Brunel University London and much more.