To support you in making a strong application to our MEng Aeronautical Engineering degree, we have provided the following insights into how we assess applications as well as advice on how you can prepare for each stage.
From 2025-entry, the IC Aero/EEE MAT test has been replaced with the new ESAT admissions test. All applicants to our Aeronautical Engineering degree must take the ESAT – you can find out more on our ESAT Admissions test webpages.
Overview
All applications to our programmes must be made through UCAS to H401 MEng Aeronautical Engineering. Transfer to our other programmes — H410 and H411 with a Year Abroad; H415 with Spacecraft Engineering and H420 with a Year in Industry — occurs at the end of the second or third year subject to meeting certain academic requirements.
Every application to our programme goes through two stages of evaluation.
Stage 1: Predicted grades, ESAT performance and UCAS application form
1a. Predicted grades
All applicants need to demonstrate that they meet the minimum entry requirements for our programme. You can find a list of accepted qualifications and the minimum entry requirements on our Course webpages:
1b. ESAT performance
All UCAS applicants to the Department of Aeronautics must take the following modules in the ESAT admissions test:
- Module 1 – Mathematics 1
- Module 2 – Physics
- Module 3 – Mathematics 2
Find out more about the new ESAT test on our Admissions Test webpages.
1c. UCAS application form
Applicants are evaluated through their:
- Academic grades (predicted and/or obtained)
- Personal statement
- UCAS reference
More guidance on personal statements and references can be found under the ‘Making a strong application’ section below.
Stage 2: Interview
Applicants who pass stage 1a, 1b and 1c listed above will then be invited to an online interview with our academic staff.
Offers
When making offers we evaluate each application holistically, considering your performance at each stage. If you consistently have a strong performance across every stage then you will receive an offer from the Department.
Selection process
Before you apply to us, make sure you are meeting our minimum entry requirements and you are familiar with our degrees and what you should expect from studying Aeronautical Engineering at Imperial. We accept a wide range of qualifications and you can find out more — including our entry requirements — on our Course webpages:
All applications to our programmes must be made through UCAS to H401 MEng Aeronautical Engineering. Transfer to our other programmes — H410 and H411 with a Year Abroad; H415 with Spacecraft Engineering and H420 with a Year in Industry — occurs at the end of the second or third year subject to meeting certain academic requirements. For questions about applying through UCAS, you can read more guidance on our How to apply webpage or you can contact the central Engineering Admissions Team at engineering.admissions@imperial.ac.uk.
Applications open from early September and you must submit your UCAS application by the January UCAS deadline — for 2025-entry, the deadline is 29 January 2025 at 18.00 (UK time). You can view more about the key dates and deadlines on our Undergraduate deadlines webpage. You can apply any time between September and the 29 January 2025 and many students will submit their application early to avoid any clashes with their academic commitments such as exams. All applications made before the January UCAS deadline will be given equal consideration by the Departmental Admissions team.
Most departments at Imperial use an admissions test to help them fairly select the best candidates for entry. The tests are computer-based assessments that are designed to assess some of the core skills you’ll need to succeed at Imperial.
From 2025-entry, all UCAS applicants to the Department of Aeronautics will need to take the ESAT. We will accept students who have taken either the October or the January ESAT sitting. There is no advantage to sitting the test in the first or second sitting.
For the Department of Aeronautics, you must sit the following ESAT modules:
- Module 1 – Mathematics 1
- Module 2 – Physics
- Module 3 – Mathematics 2
You can find out more about the new ESAT including what topics it may cover and practice tests on our Admissions tests webpages and the ESAT website.
The minimum ESAT score to proceed to stage 2 (interview) will depend on the overall performance of the cohort of applicants.
Applicants who demonstrate an excellent performance in their UCAS application form and ESAT will be invited for an interview with our academic staff.
How long is the interview and why do we interview?
This interview lasts 25 minutes and it is an opportunity for a two-way conversation between the interviewer and the applicant. There are several elements that are being explored, including the applicant's motivations, academic ambitions and their suitability for our courses.
When does it take place?
Interviews will usually be scheduled in November and February and we aim to inform applicants of the confirmed schedule approximately one week in advance.
How is the interview going to be conducted?
Regardless of whether you are in the UK or overseas, the interview will be conducted through an online meeting via Microsoft Teams.
If your application's cumulative performance is strong across all stages of the admissions process, you will receive an offer from the Department! The conditions of your offer will vary depending on your qualifications, performance during the admissions stages, and other factors — however they will not be below our minimum entry requirements.
Our offer holders can find out more about the next stages of their admissions process as well as lots of helpful resources on our offer holders webpages.
For questions about the steps after receiving an offer, please contact the central Engineering Admissions Team at engineering.admissions@imperial.ac.uk.
Making a strong application
Your personal statement is a very important part of your application. It provides you with an opportunity to stand out and conveys to us what makes you the right student for our course. Here are some tips for your personal statement as well as some additional resources.
Does your personal statement read well?
Having a logical, well-structured and well-written statement makes a big difference. Here are a few tips:
- Ensure there is a clear flow i.e. an introduction, body and conclusion.
- Write concisely without superfluous language.
- Be specific and factual (expected vs outcome obtained).
- Use STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result), ABC (Action, Benefit, Course), and/or PEEL (Point, Evidence, Explanation, Link) methods to structure your writing.
Remember to be yourself! This is one of the most important aspects. We want to get to know you and not who you think we are looking for.
Tell us why Aeronautical Engineering
We are interested to know what is your motivation for studying Aeronautical Engineering and your inspirations behind your academic ambitions. For example, this could be from an experience you had or where you draw your inspiration from. We understand you might be applying to other subjects, such as Mechanical Engineering — If so, we would like to see how this links with Aeronautics.
Top tip! Convey your enthusiasm and passion for the subject. We enjoy sharing our passions with others and getting to know others that have similar interests.
Demonstrate the Engineer in you
We want to know if you understand what Aeronautical Engineering is and what it entails.
Maths and Physics are at the heart of Aeronautics. We would like to understand what interests you in them and how this links to Aeronautics; for example, details of a particular Physics practical/topic or Maths topic that fascinated you.
Engineering involves applying scientific principles to designing and building solutions to a problem. We want to see whether the engineering aspects appeal to you. For example, repairing a household item or developing code to create a tool to automate a boring or tedious task.
Tell us about your skills and aptitude towards learning
We want to ensure that you will enjoy our course. Therefore, we would like you to demonstrate what skills you have developed — e.g. critical thinking — and how this prepares you for this course. This could be demonstrated through any extra curricular activities, such as clubs and societies or leadership positions.
We also like to know what further experience you've had with Aeronautical Engineering. This could be from further reading or exploration through work experience, summer schools, lectures or podcasts.
Be yourself!
Apart from your academic interests, we want to get to know you as an individual. For example, what activities you partake in and out of school, what contributions you have made to your community and your hobbies. We enjoy seeing our students developing into well-rounded engineers of tomorrow.
Further Resources
UCAS: The UCAS website has a wealth of resources, below are a couple of examples of what is available
Imperial: Read our advice on writing personal statements on our Personal Statements webpages and register for our mailing list to find out more about our events and webinar series which cover different aspects of student life including how to apply.
Your reference will usually be written by a tutor, subject teacher or counsellor and it is their opportunity to give more information about your suitability to study Aeronautical Engineering at degree level. It should include information that complements your personal statement instead of repeating information.
For 2024-entry onwards, UCAS made changes to the reference format. Referees now complete three sections:
- A general statement about your school/college/centre.
- Any extenuating circumstances which may have impacted your education and achievement.
- Any other supportive information that they think universities/colleges should be aware of and that is specific to you and relevant to the course(s) you have applied for.
Section 1 is compulsory; sections 2 and 3 are optional.
We strongly encourage referees to make best use of all available sections to support your application. You can find more information about UCAS references on our Apply webpages.
More information for Section 3
Section three is the referee’s opportunity to demonstrate the applicant’s potential to study Aeronautical Engineering at degree level. It is important that the applicant's actual/predicted results are in the context of the applicant's background/situation. Therefore, as well as providing details on how the applicant has performed in each subject (ideally with the most relevant/best presented first) and their suitability for the course, we would like to further understand:
- What makes their grades impressive.
- Their problem-solving abilities.
- Whether they are the first in their family to attend university.
- The likelihood of them attaining their predicted grades.
- Their relative performance with the cohort (do indicate the size of the cohort as a measure).
- Their extra curricular activities, roles of responsibility and interests which will inform us about their skills, contributions to their community and what they can contribute to the culture at university such as:
- Personal qualities i.e. Aptitude, dedication, resilience and enthusiasm that will benefit them at university.
- Relevant transferable skills that were not mentioned in their personal statement.
Further resources
You can find more guidance on writing references on the UCAS Advisers website as well as Imperial’s guidance to references webpages.
The ESAT is a computer-based assessment made up of individual multiple-choice modules lasting 40 minutes each. You will sit these back-to-back on the day of the test.
There are two sittings for the ESAT in October and January. Make sure that you register in time for your preferred test sitting:
- If you're planning to take the test in October 2024 (test sitting 1), you can register for the ESAT from 1 August 2024. The registration deadline is 16 September 2024.
- If you're planning to take the test in January 2025 (test sitting 2), you can register for the ESAT from 24 October 2024. The registration deadline is 9 December 2024.
There is no pass or fail for ESAT. You should aim to do the best you can. Your final scores are based on the number of correct answers you give. You do not lose marks for wrong answers, so it’s worth attempting all questions.
How can I prepare?
We recommend that you revise relevant topics and familiarise yourself with the format of the test. A list of potential topics and free practice materials are available on the ESAT website.
You can also prepare by taking practice tests on the ESAT website which will allow you to:
- Familiarise yourself with the test format, style of questions, and the Pearson VUE test player.
- Take the practice test under timed conditions to simulate what it will be like on test day.
Make sure you read carefully any instructions provided in your ESAT registration confirmation.
The interview can be broken down into two main components - understanding an applicant's motivations and academic ambitions, and understanding their critical thinking, problem-solving skills and coachability.
What will I be asked?
Interviewers will use two types of questions during the interview to assess your motivation and critical thinking.
Motivation Questions
Examples of motivation questions include:
- Why do you want to study Aeronautical Engineering? Why Imperial?
- Tell me about an interesting experience (e.g. internship, online course or book) from your personal statement.
What is being assessed:
- Will you enjoy studying Aeronautical Engineering?
- Are your interests related to the course?
The STAR method can help you structure your response to motivation questions: Situation, Task, Action and Result.
Critical thinking questions
The critical thinking questions posed by the interviewers allow us to gauge your ability to: absorb new content; engage and interact with the problem; and work towards a solution for the problem. These are typically a mathematics, physics or engineering question and they will be assessing:
- What is your approach in solving the problem?
- How do you respond to the question?
- Are you coachable? Are you willing to learn?
- Are you able to approach the problem from multiple perspectives?
Top Tip! Focus on talking through how you go about solving the problem. For example, by stating any assumptions that you are making and the rationale behind a given approach.
What can I do to prepare?
- Ensure you re-read your personal statement and be prepared to reflect more on each experience as questions can be asked about it.
- Think of different motivation questions you could be asked and how you would respond to them.
- Conduct practice interviews with friends, family and teachers, reflecting on any feedback before trying another practice.
- Record yourself answering practice questions using a phone or tablet. Watching back will give you insights into how you communicate — both verbally and through body language — and whether your settings are suitable as a virtual interview environment.
Top Tip! A good night's rest before the interview helps you to be fresh and able to think clearly.
