
Imperial College London (ICL) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. By virtue of a royal charter issued in 1907, the Royal College of Science, Royal School of Mines, and City and Guilds of London Institute were combined to form ICL. ICL holds a renowned position as one of the top 10 education institutions in the world. St Mary’s Hospital Medical School and Imperial College School of Medicine merged to establish the latter in 1988.
ICL has approximately twenty-one thousand students studying at the campus. Whereas the undergraduate students stand at eleven thousand in number. The sole areas of study at Imperial are business, technology, medicine, and science. ICL became a member of the University of London in 1908 and in 2007 it became a separate university. 140 different nations are represented on campus, and 59% of the students come from outside the United Kingdom.
The primary campus is in South Kensington, and together with Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, it forms an academic health science center with teaching hospitals spread throughout London. A few significant buildings include the Business School – opened by Queen Elizabeth II, which serves as the college’s main entrance, the campus’s central Queen’s Tower, the Royal College of Science, and the Royal School of Mines.
In White City, ICL boasts a brand-new second main campus that serves as a hub for innovation and entrepreneurship. The hub includes a commercialization space, postgraduate housing, and research facilities. The Scale Space and incubator, the Invention Rooms, a college hackerspace, and a community outreach center are all located on the site. The White City campus also includes another biomedical center funded by Sir Michael Uren.
ICL has four academic faculties:
Faculty of Engineering
Faculty of Medicine
Faculty of Natural Sciences
Imperial College Business School
REQUIREMENTS
To apply for a full-time undergraduate programme at ICL, students first need to make an online application via the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service – UCAS. Undergraduate study at Imperial is for students who hold an accepted qualification equivalent to an A-level.
General Academic Requirements for International students include:
BOARD TYPE | ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS | ADDITIONAL INFORMATION |
CISCE – ISC (Council for Indian School Certificate Examination – Indian School Certificate) Class XII | Students must score 90-92% overall across five subjects with a score of 90% to 95% in relevant subjects. | N/A |
CBSE – AISSE (Central Board of Secondary Education – All India Senior School Examination) Class XII | Students must score 90-92% overall across five subjects with a score of 90% to 95% in relevant subjects. | N/A |
International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum | Must score overall scores of 38-42, with scores of 6-7 in relevant subjects at higher level. | Please note Mathematical Studies cannot take the place of Mathematics, where Mathematics is specified as a required subject. |
A-Levels | It requires standard offers between AAA and A*A*A | Please note A-level Use of Mathematics cannot take the place of A-level Mathematics, where Mathematics is specified as a required subject. |
Accepted English Proficiency Tests by ICL :
ICL has two criteria for the English Proficiency tests: standard and higher. Some courses like Undergraduate in Business, require a higher-level score. Whereas an Undergraduate degree in Natural Sciences requires only the standard level score in the English Proficiency test.
TEST NAME | STANDARD LEVEL REQUIREMENTS | HIGHER LEVEL REQUIREMENTS |
Duolingo English Test | 115 | 125 |
IELTS Academic | 6.5 overall | 7 overall |
PTE Academic | 62 overall (minimum 56 in all elements) | 69 overall (minimum 62 in all elements) |
TOEFL | 92 overall (minimum 20 in all elements) | 100 overall (minimum 22 in all elements) |
Occupational English Test | Grade C+/300 in all elements | Grade B/350 in all elements |
Other Requirements:
A) Entrance Tests – Students may be invited to a departmental admissions test as part of the application, which is quite rare. But ICL has two compulsory entrance tests:
BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT) This test is taken to study MBBS/BSc medicine courses, as part of your application process.
Mathematics Admissions Test (MAT) This test is taken to study all BSc and MSCi Mathematics courses, as part of your application process.
B) Statement of Purpose (SOP) – It is a very important part of UCAS Application. It helps the ICL admission committee get an insight into who you are and whether you’d be a good fit for the course you’re applying to. The SOP should cover the students’ career aspirations, how they developed an interest in their subject, any relevant work or research experience related to their subject and their plans. You can only submit one personal statement for the five courses and universities you have applied for.
C) Letter of Recommendation (LOR) – The reference letter(s) is/are usually provided by the teachers that have observed the student closely; it includes the aspects of the applicant’s growth trajectory in the subjects, accomplishments and interest shown, and any remarkable accomplishments highlighting their expertise in the field. Only one LOR is required for Imperial College London.
D) Interview – The majority of ICL departments interview applicants who demonstrate potential in their UCAS application and in an admissions test (if applied). These usually take place between November and February. If you are shortlisted, you may be offered a virtual interview or an in-person interview, depending on your circumstances and the course you’re applying for.
International students applying from the USA, have to appear for the AP Tests as a compulsory pre-requisite at ICL. A minimum of 3 AP Tests with a 5 grade are required, but some challenging courses may require up to 6 AP Tests. (To check the course specific requirements you must visit the specific course page).
Following are the subjects and the most sought-after courses by the students at an Undergraduate Level at ICL –
SUBJECTS | Courses |
Aerospace Engineering | Aeronautical Engineering, Aeronautics with Spacecraft Engineering |
Artificial Intelligence | Biomedical Technology Ventures, Computing (AI and ML), Computing (Visual Computing & Robotics), Economics Finance and Data Science |
Biochemistry and Biotechnology | Biochemistry, Biochemistry with Language for Science, Biochemistry with Management, Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering, Biotechnology, Molecular Bioengineering, Biomedical Technology Ventures |
Bioengineering | Biomedical Engineering, Molecular Bioengineering, Biomedical Technology Ventures |
Biological Sciences | Biological Sciences, Biological Sciences with Language for Science, Biological Sciences with Management, Ecology and Environmental Biology, Molecular Bioengineering, Microbiology |
Biomedical Sciences | Medical Biosciences, Molecular Engineering, Biomedical Technology Ventures, Medical Biosciences with Management |
Business and Management | Biochemistry with Management, Biological Sciences with Management, Biomedical Technology Ventures, Biotechnology with Management, Chemistry with Management, Economics Finance and Data Science, Electrical & Electronic Engineering with Management, Medical Biosciences with Management, Materials with Management |
Chemical Engineering | Chemical Engineering, Material Science & Engineering, Materials with Management, Materials with Nuclear Engineering, Molecular Bioengineering, Chemical with Nuclear Engineering |
Chemistry | Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering, Chemistry with Management, Chemistry with Medicinal Chemistry, Chemistry with Molecular Physics, Materials Science and Engineering, Materials with Management, Materials with Nuclear Engineering, Chemistry |
Civil Engineering | Civil Engineering, Materials with Management, |
Computer Science | Computing, Computing (Software Engineering), Computing (AI and ML), Mathematics & Computer Science, Computing (International Programme of Study), Computing (Management and Finance), Computing (Security and Reliability), Computing (Visual Computing and Robotics), Economics Finance and Data Science, Electronic and Information Engineering, |
Data Science | Computing (AI and ML), Economics Finance and Data Science |
Design Engineering | Design Engineering, Materials with Management, Civil Engineering |
Ecological and Environmental Sciences | Civil Engineering, Ecology, Earth & Planetary Science Ecology & Environmental Biology, Geophysics |
Electrical & Electronic Engineering | Electrical & Electronic Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering with Management, Materials with Management, Electronic & Information Engineering |
Energy | Electrical & Electronic Engineering, Materials with Nuclear Engineering, Materials with Management, Mechanical with Nuclear Engineering |
Finance | Mathematics with Statistics for Finance, Biomedical Technology Ventures, Computing (Management & Finance), Economics Finance and Data Science |
Geoscience | Earth and Planetary Science, Geology, Geophysics |
Materials Science | Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering, Materials with Management, Material Science and EngineeringMaterials with Nuclear Engineering |
Mathematics & Statistics | Mathematics (Pure Math), Economics, Finance and Data Science, Mathematics and Computer Science, Mathematics with Applied Mathematics/Mathematical Physics, Mathematics with Mathematical Computation, Mathematics with Statistics, Mathematics with Statistics for Finance |
Mechanical Engineering | Biomedical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials with Management, Mechanical with Nuclear Engineering, |
Medicine & Healthcare | Medicine, Biomedical Engineering, Biomedical Technology Ventures, Molecular Bioengineering |
Physics | Geophysics, Materials Science and Engineering, Physics Physics with Theoretical Physics, Materials with Management |
Security Science & Technology | Computing (Security and Reliability) |
Regardless of the curriculum type, academic scores are a high priority. The other aspects of the application, such as online courses, activities, and community service are secondary. So, it is crucial for students to have stellar grades, especially in their core subjects. For certain courses ICL may also require students to provide a sample of their written work (research paper) or art portfolio (you may check the specifications at the course page).
By following the above-mentioned guidelines, you will increase your chances to get admitted to one of the best colleges in the United Kingdom.
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