Traces its name to 1931 founders Davies, Laing and Dick, the three tutors who established the college.
RU Co-educational London boarding college, founded 1931, with 61 nationalities
Why this school
Traces its name to 1931 founders Davies, Laing and Dick, the three tutors who established the college.
The current Thames-side campus opened in 2015, putting classrooms and resident boarding inside one Albert Embankment building.
A Good Schools Guide review highlights DLD among the capital's most distinctive independent colleges.
DLD College London sits on a purpose-built campus directly opposite the Houses of Parliament — one of the most distinctive academic addresses in Britain. Founded in 1931, it has grown into a co-educational independent college of around 400 students aged 13 to 19, drawing from 61 nationalities. The Good Schools Guide has named it one of the most unique and exciting schools in the country. DLD occupies a particular niche: a small, internationally diverse college in central London that combines British independent school rigour with a genuinely cosmopolitan student body and an urban campus unlike anything in the English countryside.
DLD offers GCSE, A-Level, and BTEC (Business and Technology Education Council) programmes across Years 9 to 13, alongside specialist routes including an International Foundation Programme (IFP), an Academic Preparation Course, and a Year 9 Programme for younger entrants. Students arrive with different academic backgrounds and at different stages; the breadth of provision means each can find a coherent pathway. With around 400 students, class sizes support close staff-student contact. Over a three-year average, 52% of A-Level grades were A*-B and 75% were A*-C.
The sixth form covers Years 12 and 13, with A-Level and BTEC as the principal qualifications. A-Level boarding fees for 2026/27 are £76,578 per year (twin en-suite) or £84,474 per year (single en-suite), both inclusive of VAT. Day tuition for sixth formers is £46,926 per year. On A-Level results, 52% of grades were A*-B and 75% A*-C across the most recent three-year average. That profile reflects the college’s work with a broadly international cohort rather than a domestically selective intake.
A-Level results
52% A*-B, 75% A*-C (3-year average)
The residential offer at DLD is fully integrated into its central London campus. Over 200 en-suite boarding bedrooms sit within the same building as classrooms, common rooms, and dining facilities — a compact, self-contained environment that operates around the clock. The pastoral structure is designed for students who are often living away from home for the first time, across a body of 61 nationalities. Weekends in central London provide cultural and social access no rural boarding school can replicate: galleries, theatres, and transport links are on the doorstep. Boarding staff are resident and available throughout the week.
DLD’s location shapes its co-curricular life. Students have direct access to London’s cultural, sporting, and professional institutions as an extension of the school day. On campus, the college supports clubs and activities suited to its urban setting. The British Boarding School Experience (BBSE) programme gives newer international arrivals a structured introduction to British academic and social life, running alongside the formal curriculum. The college holds multi-award-winning recognition, in part for the breadth of its offer beyond core academic subjects, though the urban campus means provision differs in character from schools with large grounds and on-site sports complexes.
DLD’s campus sits on the Albert Embankment in central London, opposite the Houses of Parliament. The purpose-built building brings together teaching spaces, boarding accommodation, social areas, and support facilities under one roof. With more than 200 en-suite boarding bedrooms on site, the residential and academic functions are unusually integrated for a London college. The immediate environment (the Thames, Westminster Bridge, Lambeth) gives the campus a civic presence that is hard to separate from the daily experience of studying here.
Annual tuition
£76,578 per year · full boarding · A-Level (Boarding, twin en-suite) · Year 12-13
Other tier breakdowns shown below.
| Stage | Year groups | Type | Audience | Fee / year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GCSE & A-Level (Day) | Year 9-13 | Day | — | £46,926 |
| A-Level (Boarding, twin en-suite) | Year 12-13 | Full boarding | — | £76,578 |
| A-Level (Boarding, single en-suite) | Year 12-13 | Full boarding | — | £84,474 |
Additional fees
Deposit
£2,000
Registration
£500
Central London (Albert Embankment); London Waterloo station 0.3 miles; Heathrow Airport approx. 14 miles.
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DLD accepts students from age 13 to 19, covering Years 9 through 13. Entry points include Year 9, GCSE, and sixth form, as well as specialist foundation programmes.
DLD offers GCSEs, A-Levels, and BTEC (Business and Technology Education Council) programmes. The college also runs an International Foundation Programme (IFP), an Academic Preparation Course, a British Boarding School Experience (BBSE), and a Year 9 Programme.
Day tuition for international students in Years 9–13 is £46,926 per year (VAT included). Full boarding for A-Level students costs £76,578 per year in a twin en-suite room, or £84,474 per year in a single en-suite room (both VAT inclusive).
Over a three-year average, 52% of A-Level grades at DLD were A*-B, and 75% were A*-C. These results reflect a broadly international and inclusive cohort.
Yes. DLD offers both boarding and day places. The boarding accommodation, over 200 en-suite rooms, is fully on-campus within the college’s purpose-built building on the Albert Embankment.
DLD’s student body of around 400 represents 61 nationalities. The college offers structured support for international arrivals, including the British Boarding School Experience (BBSE) and an Academic Preparation Course.
DLD is on the Albert Embankment in central London, directly opposite the Houses of Parliament. London Waterloo station is approximately 0.3 miles away, giving strong transport links across the city and to major airports.
A registration fee of £500 and a deposit of £2,000 apply on enrolment. All published tuition and boarding fees for 2026/27 are inclusive of VAT.
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