Core modules

• Chemical Engineering Practice 1
• Chemistry 1
• Mastery 1
• Mathematics Fundamentals
• Physical Chemistry
• Process Analysis
• Separation Processes 1
• Thermodynamics 1
• Transfer Processes 1

Core modules

• Chemical Engineering Practice 2
• Chemistry 2
• Engineering Mathematics
• Mastery 2
• Process Dynamics and Control
• Reaction Engineering 1
• Separation Processes 2
• Thermodynamics 2
• Transfer Processes 2

Opportunities

The third year consists of an agreed programme of study at an approved university in either Australia, Germany, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland or the USA. We currently have exchange agreements with:

• University of Melbourne, Australia
• University of Queensland, Australia
• University of Sydney, Australia
• RWTH Aachen, Germany
• National University of Singapore, Singapore
• IQS, Ramon Llull University, Spain
• EPF Lausanne, Switzerland
• Carnegie Melon University, USA
• MIT, USA
• University of California, USA

This is an integrated year abroad so the grades you achieve will count directly towards your Imperial degree.

You will need to take an I-Explore equivalent module while studying abroad. These modules allow you to study a range of subjects, including those outside of your degree area.

Conditions

Language proficiency

Teaching is in the language of your host country in France and Germany, so you will need to reach an acceptable proficiency in the relevant language before you go. Free language classes are available at the College to help you prepare.

Availability

There are limited places available on the Year Abroad programme, which means that competition for selection is strong and a placement cannot be guaranteed.

Normally, only students with marks of 60% or above will be eligible for placements in France and Germany. Only students with marks of 70% or above will be eligible for placements in Singapore and the USA.

Other

• Please note the above is an illustrative list of universities located abroad which the Department is currently partnered with. Partnerships with universities are subject to continuous review and individual partnerships may or may not be renewed.
• There may be limitations placed upon your ability to live and study in these locations. If applicable you will need to successfully apply for the relevant visa. This applies to all students, including Home students, in light of the UK's decision to leave the European Union. Find the latest information on Imperial and the EU.
  • Study abroad placements in Europe are currently available through the Erasmus scheme. Imperial College now has approval to continue implementing its 2020-21 Erasmus project into 2021-22. Find the latest information on the Erasmus scheme.
  • This department is taking part in the Imperial College London–Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) student exchange pilot. Find out more about the study abroad opportunities that will be created through this two-year pilot, which launched in 2018.

Core module

• Chemical Engineering Practice IV

The Chemical Engineering Practice IV module is formed of two parts:

Research Project

You complete an advanced research project at Master's level over one or two terms.

Final Year Design

You undertake a major project covering all aspects of the design of a chemical plant:

• the synthesis of a process
• detailed design of key units
• plant control (including start-up and shut-down procedures)
• plant safety and layout (including environmental impacts of the plant);
• development of a sound business plan

Optional modules

You choose six of the optional modules below, without choosing modules you have already studied in Year 3.

• Advanced Bioprocess Engineering
• Advanced Process Operations
• Advanced Process Optimisation
• Applied Spectroscopy
• Colloids and Interface Science
• Dynamic Behaviour of Process Systems
• Dynamical Systems in Chemical Engineering
• Modelling of Biological Systems
• Molecular Modelling of Fluids
• Pharmaceutical Process Development
• Product Characterisation
• Sustainable Energy Technologies

These optional modules are indicative of the choices you can expect. Your options may differ from those listed.

Some Year 3 modules are required for accreditation. If you take your third year abroad, where an equivalent module is not offered, you may be required to take the module(s) in Year 4.

Minimum entry standards

Our minimum entry standard for 2022 entry is A*A*A overall, to include:

• A* in Chemistry
• A* in Mathematics
• A in Biology, Business Studies, Economics, Further Mathematics or Physics

If you’re studying four A-levels, we prefer the fourth to be in Physics, Biology, Further Mathematics, Business Studies or Economics at grade A.

General Studies and Critical Thinking are not accepted.

Typical offer range

As a guide, here are the typical offers made to at least 80% of A-level applicants for 2020 entry:

• Three A-level offer: A*A*A–A*A*A*
• Four A-level offer: A*A*AA

Practical endorsement (practical science assessment)

If you are made an offer you will be required to achieve a pass in the practical endorsement in all science subjects that form part of the offer.

The practical endorsement is part of the reformed English linear A-levels.

Language requirement

If you are applying for a course with a year in France, Switzerland, Spain or Germany you must show ability in the appropriate language.

Grade A in GCSE or a pass at AS-level will usually be required. You must be willing to continue language study once at the College.

Additional Mathematics support

OurA-level Mathematics online course covers a range of key topic areas to help you gain a deeper understanding of the skills and techniques required to succeed in your A-level Mathematics exams.

This optional course has been built around the A-level syllabus with the aim of developing your thinking skills, fluency and confidence.

Please note: this course is not compulsory and does not form part of the entry requirements for this course. It is available free of charge via the EdX website. It is self-paced so you can start it at any time.

Minimum entry standards

Our minimum entry standard for 2022 entry is 39 points overall, to include:

• 7 in Mathematics at higher level
• 7 in Chemistry at higher level
• 6 in Biology, Business Management, Economics or Physics at higher level

Typical offer range

As a guide, the typical offer made to at least 80% of IB applicants for 2020 entry was 41 points overall.

Language requirement

If you are applying for a course with a year in France, Switzerland, Spain or Germany you must show ability in the appropriate language.

Grade A in GCSE or a pass at AS-level (or equivalent) will usually be required. You must be willing to continue language study once at the College.

Mathematics Higher Level for award in 2022

For entry in 2022, the Mathematics Analysis and Approaches or the Applications and Interpretation syllabi will be accepted at higher level with no preference.

Additional Mathematics support

Our A-level Mathematics online course is available free of charge via the EdX website.

Although this optional course has been built around the A-level syllabus, it is relevant to your curriculum too.

Please note: this course is not compulsory and does not form part of the entry requirements for this course. It is self-paced so you can start it at any time.

The grades detailed below are the minimum requirements for students offering only Advanced Placements as their exams for entry to Imperial.

If you are studying a High School Diploma that is accepted by Imperial alongside Advanced Placements, requirements may apply to both your Diploma and Advanced Placements.

Please consult our country index to check whether we accept your High School Diploma programme for admission.

Our minimum requirement for this course is grades 5, 5, 5 to include:

• 5 in Calculus BC
• 5 in Chemistry
• 5 in Physics, Biology or Economics

You may also require a relevant language qualification for this year abroad degree.

Additional Mathematics support

We have recently launched an A-level Mathematics online course, which is available free of charge via the EdX website.

Although this optional course has been built around the A-level syllabus, it is relevant to your curriculum too.

Please note: this course is not compulsory and does not form part of the entry requirements for this course. It is self-paced so you can start it at any time.

Assessing your application

Admissions Tutors consider all the evidence available during our rigorous selection process and the College flags key information providing assessors with a more complete picture of the educational and social circumstances relevant to the applicant. Some applicants may be set lower offers and some more challenging ones.

Interview days

The Department plans to hold interview days as part of the selection process. Check back soon for more information.

Currently, Chemical Engineering courses do not accept UCL UPCSE or Warwick IFP Science and Engineering applications.

We want to make sure that the Imperial learning community is as diverse as the society we serve. So to make our admissions process as fair as possible, we have introduced admissions schemes for Home students that allow us to consider your application in the full context of any additional barriers you may face.

Find out if you meet the eligibility criteria for our contextual admissions schemes. 

If your predicted grades meet the minimum College entry standard of AAA at A-level or an equivalent level qualification in the relevant subjects, this department will guarantee you an interview.

Read more about the contextual admissions scheme in this department and others.

An ATAS certificate is required for all visa-nationals, with the exception of EEA/Swiss nationals and nationals of the following countries: Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and the USA.

To apply for an ATAS certificate online, you will need your programme’s Common Aggregation Hierarchy (CAH) code and ‘descriptor’, as well as your university supervisor name. For this course, these are:

Your student visa application, or extension of stay, will automatically be refused if you need an ATAS certificate and cannot provide one.

For further guidance on obtaining an ATAS certificate please see the information on our International Student Support website.

All candidates must demonstrate a minimum level of English language proficiency for admission to the College.

For admission to this course, you must achieve the standard College requirement in the appropriate English language qualification. For details of the minimum grades required to achieve this requirement, please see the English language requirements for undergraduate applicants.

Our competence standards highlight the core skills students should be able to demonstrate when applying to this programme and throughout their studies.

View the Department of Chemical Engineering's competence standards [PDF]

We believe in providing the widest practicable access to all of our degree programmes and will make reasonable adjustments wherever possible to support your study. For more information, please contact the Department using the contact details below.

Department of Chemical Engineering

T: +44 (0)20 7594 5569
E: ce-admissions@imperial.ac.uk

2022 entry

£9,250 per year.

Year abroad

£1,385 for that year.

Read more about funding for year abroad placements.

For each subsequent year, you should expect and budget for your tuition fee to increase by an amount in line with inflation. The measure of inflation used will be the Retail Price Index (RPIX) value, taken from April in the calendar year in which the academic session starts.

For example, the RPIX value in April 2022 will apply to fees for the academic year 2022–2023.

Fee status

Whether you pay the Home fee depends on your fee status.

Your fee status is assessed based on UK Government legislation and includes things like where you live and your nationality or residency status.

Find out more about how we assess your fee status.

Home fee eligibility

You can find the conditions you need to meet to pay the Home rate of tuition fees from the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA). These apply to higher education courses in England and reflect the regulations as they currently stand, noting that these are subject to amendment.

Because of the UK’s exit from the European Union, some frameworks of eligibility have been amended. Individuals affected by the amended frameworks should refer to the UKCISA publication, Who pays ‘home’ fees for higher education in England [PDF].

Government funding

If you're a Home student, you can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan from the UK government to cover the entire cost of tuition for every year of your course.

You can also apply for a means-tested Maintenance Loan to help towards your living costs.

2022 entry

£35,100 per year.

Year abroad

100% of the relevant fee for that year.

Read more about funding for year abroad placements.

For each subsequent year, you should expect and budget for your tuition fee to increase by an amount in line with inflation. The measure of inflation used will be the Retail Price Index (RPIX) value, taken from April in the calendar year in which the academic session starts. For example, the RPIX value in April 2022 will apply to fees for the academic year 2022–2023.

Fee status

Whether you pay the Overseas fee depends on your fee status.

Your fee status is assessed based on UK Government legislation and includes things like where you live and your nationality or residency status.

Find out more about how we assess your fee status.

Home fee eligibility

You can find the conditions you need to meet to pay the Home rate of tuition fees from the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA). These apply to higher education courses in England and reflect the regulations as they currently stand, noting that these are subject to amendment.

Because of the UK’s exit from the European Union, some frameworks of eligibility have been amended. Individuals affected by the amended frameworks should refer to the UKCISA publication, Who pays ‘home’ fees for higher education in England [PDF].

This section outlines additional costs relevant to this course. These are not included in your tuition fees. It's possible that all, or only some, of these will be relevant to you.

Figures are approximated, usually based on costs in the most recent academic year. They are likely to change each year but it's useful for you to be aware of the things you may have to pay for. This can help you budget for life at Imperial.

Mandatory costs are those that you will need to pay to fully participate in and complete your studies. Optional costs are not essential to your studies so you can opt-out of these.

Laptop computer

You will need a laptop for some classes and coursework. The laptop must meet a minimum specification. For the 2018–19 academic year this was:

• Windows 10 capable
• Intel i5/i7 6th/7th generation processor
• 8GB RAM
• 256 GB SSD HDD

The Department has a number of laptops available for loan for the duration of your course. A deposit of £100 is required, refundable when you return the laptop at the end of your course.

You will have the chance to indicate whether you wish to take part in the laptop loan scheme when contacted by the Department in September before you start your course.

If you choose to borrow a laptop, you will be sent an invoice for the deposit amount which is payable online before the start of term. A variety of payment methods are available.

Placements and year abroad

If you are undertaking a placement or year abroad, you may have to consider the costs involved. These will vary, depending on the location of your year abroad or placement.

Costs may include flights, transport, visas, travel insurance, health insurance and living expenses such as accommodation.

Find out more about the types of placement costs

Student status with the Year Abroad

If you spend an academic year abroad, you will retain your student status at Imperial so that you will normally remain eligible for the same loans and grants that you would receive in the UK. As an exchange student, you will not pay tuition fees to the host institution abroad.

Living costs, including accommodation, are not included in your tuition fees.

Most Imperial undergraduates choose to live in our halls of residence in their first year. You can compare costs across different accommodation options.

Read our rough guide to university spending in London.