The Lady Byron School was founded in 1860, which is when the University of West London was founded. The school was renamed Ealing College of Higher Education and received university status in 1992. It was renamed the University of West London in 2010. In West London, the university has two campuses: Ealing and Brentford. The Ealing campus recently had a £50 million makeover, including the renovation of the student union, library, and music studios. The School of Human and Social Sciences, the College of Nursing, Midwifery, and Healthcare, the Claude Littner Business School, and the Nursing Simulation Centre are all located on the Brentford campus. The two locations are only 1.5 miles apart and are linked by a complimentary shuttle service. The Berkshire Institute for Health is also located in Reading town center at Fountain House. This institute was created in collaboration with the NHS to train nurses and midwives. Students are given hands-on experience to supplement their academics. The university also contains the London Geller College of Hospitality and Tourism, the School of Computing and Engineering, the London College of Music, the School of Law and Criminology, and the London School of Film, Media and Design, in addition to the three schools on the Brentford site.

The University prides itself on delivering career-focused courses with excellent teaching within a campus designed to provide an outstanding student experience. It has been recognised as the number one London university for overall student satisfaction in the National Student Survey 2025 and ranked 41st in the UK by The Guardian University Guide 2026. The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026 named it the best modern university in London, while the Daily Mail University Guide 2026 ranked it fifth in the UK for student experience and 12th for first-generation students. The University also leads in sustainability, topping the People and Planet University League for London in 2024/25. Its research is highly regarded, with 80% rated as world-leading (4*) or internationally excellent (3*) in the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF), and it is ranked in the top 60% of universities in Europe according to the QS World University Rankings 2026.