Imperial College London

A royal charter of 1907 created Imperial College London by bringing together the Royal School of Mines and the Royal College of Science. The City and Guilds College followed in 1910. The South Kensington location owes its character to Prince Albert, who, after the Great Exhibition of 1851, envisaged an area given over to science and culture. Imperial was at first one of the constituent colleges of the University of London, and in 2007 it became a fully independent university able to award its own degrees. A Russell Group member, it focuses on science, engineering, medicine and business across four faculties: Medicine, Engineering, Natural Sciences and Imperial Business School.

South Kensington remains the principal campus. Research and innovation are centred at White City, teaching hospital sites are spread throughout London, and Silwood Park, near Ascot, supports postgraduate research in ecology and conservation. Of roughly 22,500 students, over 60 per cent are from outside the UK, placing Imperial among the most international universities anywhere. Among its current and former academics and alumni are 14 Nobel Prize winners, and it regularly features among the leading institutions in global rankings.

Information for International Students

Imperial's International Student Support team advises on financial evidence, the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies, the Student visa and the right to work, and a dedicated international welcome programme greets students when they arrive. English requirements are set at one of two levels. The standard level calls for IELTS 6.5 overall and a minimum of 6.0 in every component. Certain courses require the higher level instead: 7.0 overall with no component under 6.5, obtained in a single test sitting.

Postgraduate offer holders still working towards their English condition can take a six-week assessed pre-sessional course at the Centre for Academic English. A shorter three-week course serves undergraduates and postgraduates who have already satisfied the condition but wish to strengthen their academic skills. First-year undergraduates are guaranteed a room in university halls, though not necessarily in the hall they prefer, on three conditions: they must firmly accept an Imperial offer, submit an accommodation application before the published deadline and arrive in London without partners or dependants. Scholarships, among them the Imperial Inspires programme, are open to international applicants, and the Graduate Route may be available to graduates.