The University of Liberia (UL) is a publicly funded institution of higher learning located in Monrovia, Liberia. Authorized by the national government in 1851, the school opened in 1863 as Liberia College and became a university in 1951. The school is one of the oldest institutions of higher learning in West Africa and is accredited by the Liberian Commission on Higher Education. Civil wars have disrupted and damaged the school over the last three decades. The University of Liberia has six colleges, three professional schools (including a law school and medical school), and three graduate programs with a total of approximately 18,000 students at its three campuses in and around the country's capital city. UL also has a five institutes for study in areas such as the Chinese language and population research. The law school is the only law school in Liberia. Graduates of the school have gone on to leadership roles in Liberian politics including former President Arthur Barclay. In 1847, Liberia declared its independence from the American Colonization Society and in 1851 the new national legislature authorized the creation of a state college and chartered Liberia College.