 In 1985, 358 LLBs were awarded to internal students; in the same year 298 graduated with external LLBs.Reform of the external system in 1987 saw colleges contracted (either individually or, as in the case of Law, as a consortium) by the university to provide academic support for external students.This established the concept of the "lead college" on a course, and led to programme directors in the lead colleges taking on not just examinations but also the delivery of the courses and, in collaboration with academics in the colleges, the development of teaching materials 
The University of London International Programmes commemorated its 150th anniversary in 2008.