Core modules

• Chemistry of the Elements: Hydrogen to Uranium 
• i-Engage 
• Introduction to Spectroscopy
• Language of Chemistry 
• Language with History and Politics
• Practical Chemistry I
• Reactivity at Carbon Centres 
• Structure and Bonding: Atomic Structure to Molecular Orbitals
• The Reactions Toolkit: Thermodynamics and Kinetics 

Core modules

• Chemistry of the Elements: Hydrogen to Uranium 
• i-Engage 
• Introduction to Spectroscopy
• Language of Chemistry 
• Language with History and Politics
• Practical Chemistry I
• Reactivity at Carbon Centres 
• Structure and Bonding: Atomic Structure to Molecular Orbitals
• The Reactions Toolkit: Thermodynamics and Kinetics 

Core modules

• Advanced Chemistry Topics I
• Advanced Chemistry Topics II
• Industry 4.0
• Practical Chemistry III
• Language with Scientific and Technical Translation

Core modules

• Advanced Chemistry Study Abroad
• Research project Abroad
• Extended Language Project

You spend this academic year (October–May) at a leading institution abroad, attending lectures and completing a Chemistry research project.

You will also complete a Chemistry language project. This is a non-scientific project focusing on a topic of current interest in the politics, economics, history or culture of your host country.

The project will be supervised and assessed by our , and includes an oral exam when you return to Imperial.

Please note that places on study abroad courses are limited and therefore not guaranteed. You may need to meet a certain academic standard to be eligible for selection.

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 vote for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union.

Minimum entry standards

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

• A in Chemistry
• A in Mathematics
• A in another subject (Biology,  Economics and Physics are preferred)

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: AAA–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

Study of the appropriate language to at least AS level grade B is required.

Additional Mathematics support

Our A-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 38 points overall, to include:

• 6 in Chemistry at higher level
• 6 in Mathematics at higher level
• 6 in a third subject at higher level (Biology, Economics or Physics are preferred)

Typical offer range

As a guide, the typical offer made to at least 80% of IB applicants for 2020 entry was 39–40 points overall.

Language requirement

Study of the appropriate language to at least AS-level grade B is required.

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 Chemistry
• 5 in Calculus BC
• 5 in another subject

Preferred third subject

• Biology
• Macroeconomics or Microeconomics
• Physics C Mechanics or Electricity and Magnetism

Language requirement

You must also achieve at least grade 4 in the relevant language.

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.

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.

Post-application open day and interview

If assessment of your UCAS application indicates that you are likely to satisfy our requirements, you will be shortlisted for an academic interview as part of our interview programme.

There will be a pre-recorded talk by the admissions tutor made available online, about the department, the structure of the course and other opportunities available to enrich your experience with us. There will also be talks and presentations available by the accommodation and finance teams, and from Horizons about the great range of modules they offer. We are organising online Q&A sessions, where you will have the chance to talk to the admissions tutor and to current undergraduates, and you can see more about the department on the Chemistry and Imperial360 websites.

We will run interviews in the morning and afternoon (UK time) to accommodate students in different time-zones, and each applicant will be interviewed individually. The interview will comprise a discussion with an experienced academic who will be looking to assess an applicant’s motivation for studying chemistry and their potential for the future.

Although the discussion may begin with topics mentioned in the UCAS personal statement, the conversations will likely expand to cover topics that the applicant may not be so familiar with. This enables the interviewer to observe how an applicant thinks and how they reason their way through a problem.

The interviewers are highly experienced and are able to see through nerves, stress and silly mistakes so you should not worry about answering the questions. There are no trick questions, if an answer seems obvious, it might be just that.

We then use the interview feedback in combination with the UCAS application, to decide whether we are able to make an offer, and what the conditions of the offer will be. We aim to send you our offer decision by e-mail, within one week of the interview. You will be able to see the exact conditions of any offer we make by logging in to UCAS Track.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The Department of Chemistry have put together a list of frequently asked questions that often arise during the admissions process.

A foundation course is a one-year preparation course, designed for international students, which leads to undergraduate programmes in the UK. Foundation programmes are normally for school-leavers who have studied a non-British curriculum but wish to pursue a degree at a UK university.

Foundation programmes are offered by many UK universities, but only UCL’s Undergraduate Preparatory Certificate for Science and Engineering (UPCSE) is considered for entry to Imperial.

UCL UPCSE

A year-long programme for international students whose school leaving qualifications do not allow them direct entry to UK universities. Students must complete four modules across the year – two compulsory and two elective modules:

To be considered for admission to Chemistry, international students studying UCL UPCSE must achieve:

• 70% overall
• 80% Chemistry
• 80% Mathematics

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, the Department of Chemistry will guarantee you an interview. The department is also able to provide a guaranteed standard minimum offer to a large majority of eligible applicants.

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

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 higher 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.

An ATAS certificate is not required for overseas students who apply for this course.

For more information about the Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS), please see the International Student Support website.

View our terms and conditions on visas.

Our competence standards highlight the core skills students should be able to demonstrate by the end of this course.

View the Department of Chemistry'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 Chemistry

T: +44 (0)20 7594 5721
E: ch.admisssions@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

£36,200 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.

Lab equipment and materials

The Department provides the materials you will need in the laboratory, such as glassware (with no replacement charge for breakages), printed laboratory manuals and chemicals.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Wearing personal protective equipment is compulsory for some activities on this course. Where this applies, the Department of Chemistry will provide you with the necessary PPE free of charge to ensure you can undertake lab work safely. This includes:

• Gloves
• Lab coat
• Safety spectacles*

* we do not usually provide prescription spectacles

Lost items

If you lose an item, such as your lab coat, you will be required to pay a fee to cover the cost of its replacement.

We will charge you the same amount that we originally paid for the item. This fee is donated to ChemSoc, the student-run departmental society, to help to support their activities.

You will not be charged for a replacement if it is for another reason, such as theft or as a result of the item becoming worn out.

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.