Apply to Study Materials Science

 Our Modules

The first two years of all our degree programmes are identical: they complete the same equally weighted modules. In Year 3 and 4 you are able to complete optional modules with some core modules. Some of these optional modules are compulsory for certain degree programmes. Further details of optinal modules can be found on the study pages for each programme - please click the course links in the above table. 

If you are interested in applying to one of our programmes, please read the following guidelines to help with your application.

How do we teach? 

• There are taught elements throughout the year and your workload is spread over the year.
• 11-week Autumn and Spring terms and an 8-week Summer term.
• Our core hours are 9:00 to 18:00 from Monday to Friday. Wednesdays are always a half-day with 12:00 finish.
• A mixture of lectures, workshops, tutorials, laboratory classes and engineering practices.
• Collaborative working through project and group work in laboratories. 
• Modular courses - with exams and assessments are held in December, March and June.

A typical week in Years 1 and 2 has about 27 hours of contact time. This is similar to a U.K secondary school where you have 25 hours of study a week.

• 15 hours of lectures (3 hours per day)
• 4 hours Engineering Practice (which consists of teamwork in a company of 12)
• 4 hours laboratory classes (where students work in pairs)
• 3 hours of workshops (which involves problem-solving sessions with 20-25 students) 
• 1 hour of personal or academic tutorial in groups of four.

If you are interested in applying to one of our programmes, please read the following guidelines to help with your application. 

How and when to apply

Our intake is in October each year. Applications are made through  UCAS by 18:00 (U.K Time) on Wednesday 31 January 2024.

• All applications received at UCAS by the above date are given equal consideration. 
• We do not accept "Late" or "Extra" applicants.
• We do not take applicants through UCAS Clearing. 
• Your application will only be considered for one of our programmes – please do not apply to multiple Materials programmes. The first two years of all our programmes are common and the entry requirements are the same – you will be able to change the programme of study until the start of your third year of study.

The application process

After you have sent your application to UCAS, they complete basic checks and forward this to the College. After this, it can take up to two weeks for the application to be processed by our central admissions team, and if it meets our threshold entry requirements, they pass it to the Department of Materials for further assessment. 

We look at your academic record and predicted grades.  We read your personal statement and the academic reference. Please see our personal statement and reference tab for more information. 

If you look likely to meet our entry requirements, and your personal statement shows a clear motivation for Materials Science and Engineering, we will invite you to participate in an interview at Imperial College London or by MS Teams.  Please see our interview tab for more information. 

Direct entrants or transfer students

We are unable to accept direct entrants or transfer students from other courses onto higher (second/third/fourth) years however are happy to consider transfers if you are willing to start in year 1. If you are a student at Imperial College London, please contact us directly. If you are from another institution, please apply via UCAS.

Personal statement

The personal statement is very important as it helps us assess your interest in the subject. We want to hear why you are interested in the course and details of any skills, interests and attributes you have that demonstates aptitude, motivation and interest in the course. 

1. Motivation to study

Motivation to study Materials Science and Engineering is very important. I know some of our applicants may also be applying to other subjects such as chemistry, physics, mechanical engineering etc. If you are that applicant, I would like to see you link that subject to Materials and why you have chosen it as one of your five.

2. Awareness of course 

Some applicants apply because they like Maths, Chemistry and Physics. I would like to see this linked to Materials Science. For example – you might have completed a chemistry practical in class that really interested you, link it to materials, tell us why it interested you and any follow-up you may have done. 

3. Super Curricular activities  

This should NOT have to be expensive and competitive. This could include further reading you may have done (books, podcasts, TED talks, and listening to some of the lectures available on our website). There are also free EdX or Coursera courses that may be of interest to you. 

4. Engineering Experience 

I would like to know whether you are interested in the engineering aspects of the course – are you hands on? This could be as simple as repairing a household item or building something simple for a DT project at school. If you have managed to gain work experience that is great, but this is not essential. 

5. Personal Interests

Are you a well-rounded person? Do you take part in activities outside of school? How have you contributed to the community you belong to? Materials community at Imperial is very small and as such we like to ensure our students are involved in our community as well as contribute to the wider college community. 

6. Other 

If you have taken or you are preparing to take a gap year, please include details of what this will entail – work experience, volunteering, travel – link it to skills and how that might be useful to the course. 

The college offers additional advice for Personal Statements on their website, which you may also find helpful.

A reference is an important part of the UCAS application. Please make sure to follow recent advice on the UCAS website when writing the reference. Please also see the links to teacher reference guidance from Imperial College London.

Information in your reference

Typically, this is how the information provided to us in a reference will be used:

Section 1: School context

The information provided in this section will inform us of the educational context of the applicant – helping us to contextualise their achievements.

Section 2: Applicant-specific mitigating factors

The information provided in this section will help us determine whether an applicant is eligible for contextual offers. It will also help us provide support during the interview/applicant day.

If the applicant is successful and due to start with us, this information will also help us put support in place to ensure the applicant can thrive on their course and have a positive, inclusive experience.

Section 3: Supportive information

The information provided in this section will inform us of the applicants’ suitability to the course they have applied for. As the applicant is applying for an Engineering course, this section should include their aptitude for academic development, motivation to explore ideas and challenges, and engagement beyond the confines of the syllabus.

Further resources:

Imperial College London has provided additional guidance on references.

Please see the links below for more information:

Application reference | Study | Imperial College London

Teacher reference guidance | Study | Imperial College London

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to an interview, either in-person here at the South Kensington campus in London or online via MS Teams. Regardless of the location of your interview (whether on campus or on MS Teams), the aims and format of the interview will be the same.

Our interviews are held on what we call Applicant Days. 

Applicant days are held on Wednesdays between November and March. Please see Applicant day dates for more information. We have approximately eight applicant days a year. The applicant day runs from 11:00 to 15:30.  

Throughout the Applicant Day, interviewers will be assessing your English language skills as well as your academic ability. You will be expected to have a good standard of spoken English to take part in the interviews. Please check our English language requirement for more detail.

There is no ‘studying’ you can do to prepare for the interview. The interview can be approximately broken down into two main components - understanding an applicant's motivations and academic ambitions, critical thinking, problem-solving skills and coachability.

Questions about your motivation (examples)

Why do you want to study Materials Science?
Why do you want to study at Imperial College?
Tell me about an interesting experience (eg: internship, online course or book) from your personal statement.

Questions to test critical thinking

Typically a mathematics, physics or engineering question to assess what is your approach to solving the problem, how do you respond to the question, are you coachable and willing to learn, are you able to approach the problem from multiple perspectives?

Top Interview tips:

• Be ready to explain why you want to study Materials Science and Engineering.
• Think about why you want to study at Imperial College London and why you want to study this course. 
• Be prepared to answer questions about your personal statement.
  
• Prepare examples of teamwork and managing time effectively.
  
• If you are taking an Extended Project, please be prepared to talk us through your project.

What is it?

The 45-minute Group Task on the Applicant day will be based on the preparation you have done. This could be in form of written notes, saved articles (from reputable sources) or information from a textbook. On the Monday before your interview, you will receive an email from the Admissions Team with details of the task, giving you approximately 48 hours to prepare. We expect you to have spent approximately 90 minutes on research/groundwork for this task.

What is being assessed?

We believe it's really important to communicate and work well within a team – this will be important once you graduate – whether you work in academia or industry. It will be these skills that will be assessed. 

Our next applicant days will be:

• Wednesday 13th November 2024 – In-Person
• Wednesday 20th November 2024 – Online
• Wednesday 27th November 2024 – In-Person
• Wednesday 4th December 2024 – Online
• Wednesday 22nd January 2025 – In-Person
• Wednesday 29th January 2025 – Online
• Wednesday 5th February 2025 – Online
• Wednesday 26th February 2025 – Online
• Wednesday 5th March 2024 - In-person
• Wednesday 12th March 2024 – Online

If you have been successful in your interviews, you will receive an offer from the Department! Depending on your qualification, performance during the applicant day and other factors, the offer will vary. 

Typically, it will take us 3 weeks after the interview to inform you of the outcome. 

The College’s offer holder information page may be useful before you start your journey with us.

For questions about what to do after you receive an offer, please contact the Engineering Faculty Admissions Team.

Contextual offers

If you come from a disadvantaged or underrepresented background, we believe you should have the opportunity to demonstrate you have the academic potential to succeed in your studies.

If you are a student with Home fee status or an appropriate UK residential status, you may be considered for a contextualised offer if: 

- You have been in care
- You are a young carer and have caring responsibilities for a close relative with a disability, long-term illness, mental health condition, or drug or alcohol problem. 
- You live independently (estranged), meaning you no longer have the support of your family due to a breakdown in the relationship which has led to ceased contact.
- You are eligible for free school meals
- Your parents/guardians do not have a university degree.
- You live in a neighbourhood with low overall progression rates to higher education or high levels of deprivation (we use POLAR4 and IMD data to assess this).

Your School

We can also prioritise you as a candidate if:

- Your school has a high percentage of students receiving free school meals.
- You are studying at a non-selective state school that has below average attainment.