 Currently, the global community of registered students number over 50,000 students in more than 180 countries including Antarctica.The institution that later became known as University College London was established in 1826 and opened in 1828 under the name "London University", although without official recognition of university status.The institution – following the Scottish model in curriculum and teaching – was non-denominational and, given the intense religious rivalries at the time, there was an outcry against the "godless" university.