The university has roots back to 1860, when the Lady Byron School was founded, which later became Ealing College of Higher Education. In 1992, the then named Polytechnic of West London became a university as Thames Valley University. 18 years later, after several mergers, acquisitions and campus moves, it was renamed to its current name.

The University of West London comprises nine schools: The Claude Littner Business School, the London Geller College of Hospitality and Tourism, the School of Computing and Engineering, London College of Music, the College of Nursing, Midwifery and Healthcare, the School of Law, the School of Human and Social Sciences, the School of Biomedical Sciences and the London School of Film, Media and Design.