Imperial College London – one of the best Universities in the world

Founded in 1907, Imperial College London became an independent university in 2007 after starting life as a constituent college of the University of London. Imperial is ranked 2^nd in the world, and 1^st in Europe, by QS (2026) and both The Times and The Sunday Times place it 1^st in the UK for research quality. 

Imperial is, in short, an outstanding university, which offers exceptional teaching, and an acknowledged global leader in ground-breaking research and innovation. Among its alumni you will find nine Nobel laureates, Fields medallists, prime ministers, business CEOs, entrepreneurs, philanthropists and even the rock singer – Brian May of Queen. Its academics include Sir Tom Kibble, co-founder of the Higgs Boson, Sir William Crookes, who first discovered thallium, George Davis, the father of chemical engineering, and Narinder Kapany, the inventor of fibre optics.

Imperial values entrepreneurship and has a business incubator on its White City campus, as well as Invention Rooms, and a hacker space which encourages collaboration with the wider community. The Imperial Business School is Three Crown accredited, placing it in the top one per cent of all business schools, and the medical department works with six affiliated London hospitals, for undergraduate clinical teaching and research. Its local, national and international impact is huge, since Imperial works with 192 countries, organizing student and staff exchanges, providing seed money for projects launched at its four global hubs – in Ghana, India, USA and Singapore – and running a series of joint engineering laboratories and centres.

Imperial College has four faculties:

• Engineering,
• Medicine,
• Natural Sciences,
• Business.

The student community is made up of approximately 20,000 students, of whom 54 per cent are undergraduates and 46 per cent postgraduates. These numbers are fairly evenly split between domestic and international students.

Courses at Imperial College London

Imperial offers a broad range of full-time courses across its faculties.

QS global subject rankings (2025) highlight Imperial’s standing in a number of areas:

• Medicine – 7
• Petroleum engineering – 6
• Mechanical engineering – 9
• Chemical engineering – 9
• Biological sciences – 10
• Mathematics – 10
• Pharmacy – 8
• Computer science – 8
• Clinical and health – 4
• Physical sciences – 11

In addition, the business school offers highly rated courses in:

• EMBA
• MiM
• Online MBA
• Global MBA
• MSc in Business Analytics
• Global Online MBA

Be prepared for a high workload and competitive entry requirements. The overall acceptance rate is 10.6 per cent, which makes Imperial College more competitive than Oxbridge.

There are over 110 undergraduate courses, many of which offer study and research abroad programs, with the emphasis on STEM and business. You will have to apply to a specific course and department, and not to the university as a whole.

Undergraduate courses usually run for three years, and you also have the option of taking an integrated Master’s in Engineering or Science. If you choose to study medicine you will gain two degrees-  a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) as well as a Bachelor of Science qualification – because the course includes a one-year intercalated B.Sc. degree in the fourth of the six years, in a subject connected to medicine.

How to get into Imperial College London?

Applications to Imperial are processed through the UK’s centralized system, UCAS. Some courses require strong mathematics grades – check with individual departments. You should aim to gain 38+ if you are sitting the IB. A good GMAT score is 700+ and the majority of undergraduate and postgraduate applicants are expected to have a GPA of 3.5-4.

As well as meeting the general entry requirements, you may have to sit an entrance examination as part of your application, namely :

• Engineering and Science Admissions Test (ESAT)
• Test of Mathematics for University Admissions (TMUA)
• University Clinical Aptitude Test  (UCAT)
• Graduate Medical School Admissions Test (GAMSAT) 

If you score well in the admissions exams and show potential in your UCAS application, you will be invited to an interview between November and February. This could be online or in-person, and could also be a panel interview or a Multiple Mini Interview (for medicine).

The most important element in your application through UCAS is your Personal Statement, whose format changes in 2026, when you will be asked to answer three questions. Imperial wants to see passion for the subject you wish to study, the skills and aptitude you have gained to date, and how your extracurricular activities support your interest in a given field. Take the time to reflect on what information is relevant, how you can evidence your commitment to the program and the type of person you are, as well as your goals and hopes for the future. Remember, your Personal Statement will be the basis for the questions you are asked at the interview.

Research at Imperial College London

Imperial College London is engaged in an extremely wide range of research areas, including:

• The prevention of cyberattacks
• Microbial piracy
• Biosignatures
• New generation aircraft
• Protecting biodiversity in Brazil
• Molecular transformation
• Sustainable cities
• Advanced materials
• Urban energy
• Future manufacturing
• Blast injuries
• Health and technology
• Space security telecommunication

Campuses at Imperial College London

The main Imperial campus is located in the very heart of London, at South Kensington, a chic museum quarter originally conceived of as a cultural hub by Prince Albert in the nineteenth century. Here, you will find student services and the student union offices. The White City campus is devoted to deep tech and is home to scientists, students, companies, startups and scale-ups. Silwood Park near Ascot, in Berkshire, is a centre for the study of ecology, evolution and conservation, while Old Oak Innovation Cluster will open its doors in 2026 and offer new laboratory and manufacturing spaces, housing and community spaces.

All four campuses have good travel connections to central London and each other as well as restaurants, cafés, social activities and libraries.

In addition, Imperial College is affiliated with a number of hospitals, where students of medicine are taught and undertake clinical rotations :

• North-West London Hospitals
• Chelsea and Westminster Hospital
• Royal Brompton
• Charing x Hospital
• St Mary’s
• Hammersmith Hospital.

Accommodation at Imperial College London

Applicants who make Imperial College their first choice in UCAS are guaranteed a room in halls in their first year. If you have firmly accepted a conditional or unconditional offer, you will receive an invitation to register in mid-May and must apply by mid-July. You will be able to list four preferences, and while it is not guaranteed that it will be possible to give you precisely what you want, the accommodation service will bear your requests in mind. Make sure you are happy with your choices, and have stipulated the rent you wish to pay and the size of the room etc, since it is not possible to change your choices at a later date. If Imperial is your insurance choice, you will receive an invitation to apply for accommodation towards the end of July. In September, you will learn which accommodation you have been allocated, and you will need to accept the offer and complete a compulsory online induction.

The following chart provides an overview of Imperial’s undergraduate halls of residence

Halls	Number of places	Location
Woodward Buildings	689	North Acton
Wilson House	382	Paddington
Southside Halls	405	South Kensington
Kemp Porter Buildings	709	North Acton
Eastside Halls	454	South Kensington
Beit Hall	339	South Kensington

Postgraduates can apply for self-contained flats in Battersea and White City.

The cost of the residences depends on the type of room you choose, whether you are looking for an en-suite, a single or a twin room. In general, you should budget from £150-390 a week, with a standard single coming in at £60-£190,a premium en-suite room costing £240-£390 and an en-suite twin costing £160-£190. The rent includes Wi-Fi, utilities, cleaning of common areas and basic contents insurance. You will need to supply your own bedding and towels, plus any kitchen equipment which is not provided. Security patrols, card entry and CCTV ensure your safety on campus.

What are the tuition fees at Imperial College London?

Imperial College lists its international tuition fees on each course page, but in general, at undergraduate level expect to pay from £39,000 to £56,000 a year. Postgraduate fees are comparable.

The university does offer generous scholarships for students in need or with excellent results and potential. For example, current IB students who are applying to study engineering, business or natural sciences are eligible for IB Excellence Scholarships. If you come from Poland, France, Italy, Greece or Spain and wish to do a one-year master’s degree in a STEM subject or business, you can apply for an Imperial GREAT scholarship. Postgraduates who can establish financial need will be considered for a Sanctuary Scholarship.

Apply to Imperial with Elab!

Imperial is a prestigious and highly respected university, with a reputation for excellence, and has a global impact through its research. Gaining a degree at Imperial College opens many doors, and is reflected in a high return on investment. If you come to study here, you will be able to take advantage of the finest academic guidance, state-of-the-art resources and a supportive environment which nurtures your interests and ambitions. Imperial College is an exceptional university.

Want to study at Imperial?

Contact us! The Elab Education team will help you prepare a strong UCAS application, craft an outstanding Personal Statement, and guide you through every step of the admissions process.