Imperial College London is a public research university in South Kensington, London. In 2025–26 it had 22,311 full-time students, and 53% of them were charged the overseas fee rate.[1] It is ranked 2nd in the QS World University Rankings 2027.[2]
For 2026 entry the undergraduate fee is £9,790 for Home and Ireland students and £42,700 to £58,600 a year for overseas students, depending on the subject (Medicine is the highest).[3][4] Taught master’s fees for overseas students run from £44,600 to £51,000 in the engineering and business examples we checked, with the full-time MBA at £78,000.[5][6] Undergraduate applications go through UCAS; the usual English requirement is IELTS Academic 6.5 overall (Standard) or 7.0 (Higher), depending on the course.[7][8]
Key facts
| Official name | Imperial College London[9] |
| Location | London, England (South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ); nine campuses across London and the South East[9] |
| Type | Public research university[10] |
| Founded | 1907 (Royal Charter of 8 July 1907, from the Royal School of Mines and the Royal College of Science; City and Guilds College joined in 1910). Independent of the University of London since July 2007[10] |
| Full-time students 2025–26 | 22,311: 12,477 undergraduate, 5,433 taught postgraduate, 4,401 research postgraduate (excludes research students writing up)[1] |
| Fee status of full-time students | 10,493 Home (47.0%) and 11,818 Overseas (53.0%)[1] |
| Faculties | Engineering; Medicine; Natural Sciences; Imperial Business School[10] |
| QS World University Rankings 2027 | 2nd[2] |
| Undergraduate tuition 2026/27, Home and Ireland | £9,790 per year[3] |
| Undergraduate tuition 2026/27, overseas | £42,700 to £58,600 per year, by subject (2026 entry cohort)[3] |
| Postgraduate taught tuition 2026/27, overseas | e.g. £44,600 to £48,900 in the Faculty of Engineering examples; £17,200 to £78,000 in Business School programmes (2026 cohort)[5] |
| Undergraduate application route | Online through UCAS[7] |
| English language (IELTS Academic) | Standard 6.5 overall, 6.0 in each element; Higher 7.0 overall, 6.5 in each element[8] |
| Official website | imperial.ac.uk |
Checked against the sources listed at the bottom of this page on 9 November 2026.
About Imperial College London
Imperial College London was created by Royal Charter on 8 July 1907 as the Imperial College of Science and Technology, bringing together the Royal School of Mines and the Royal College of Science. The City and Guilds College joined in 1910, and in July 2007 Imperial became fully independent of the University of London.[10]
The main campus is in South Kensington in west London, and the college now has nine campuses across London and the South East.[9] Teaching and research are organised in four faculties: Engineering, Medicine, Natural Sciences and Imperial Business School.[10] In 2025–26 the college had 22,311 full-time students (12,477 undergraduates, 5,433 taught postgraduates and 4,401 research postgraduates).[1] Imperial’s own statistics guide counts students by fee status, not by nationality: 53.0% of the full-time students were Overseas-fee students.[1]
How is Imperial College London ranked?
In the QS World University Rankings 2027, published on 18 June 2026, Imperial College London is 2nd in the world. This is the top position among UK universities in that edition; the University of Oxford is 4th, the University of Cambridge 6th and UCL 8th.[2][11]
Rankings differ by publisher and year, so treat one position as one view. How we compile rankings. See also the UK university ranking.
What can you study at Imperial College London?
Undergraduate fee pages list programmes in four faculties:[3]
- Faculty of Engineering: ten departments, among them Aeronautics, Bioengineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Computing, Earth Science and Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Materials, Mechanical Engineering and the Dyson School of Design Engineering.[12]
- Faculty of Natural Sciences: Chemistry, Life Sciences, Mathematics and Physics.[13]
- Faculty of Medicine: Medicine and Medical Biosciences at undergraduate level.[4]
- Imperial Business School: undergraduate programmes plus MSc and MBA programmes.[14][6]
Postgraduate taught fees are published by faculty for 2026 entry, for example the Department of Computing, the Department of Aeronautics and the Energy Futures Laboratory in Engineering.[5] Imperial does not use one university-wide admissions test; some departments use tests (the site names ESAT, TMUA, UCAT and GAMSAT) in their selection.[7]
How much does Imperial College London cost in 2026/27?
Undergraduate (2026 entry cohort, per year)
| Faculty / programme | Home and Ireland | Overseas |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering (all ten departments) | £9,790 | £45,500 |
| Natural Sciences: Chemistry, Life Sciences, Physics | £9,790 | £45,500 |
| Natural Sciences: Mathematics | £9,790 | £42,700 |
| Medicine (non-clinical and clinical) | £9,790 | £58,600 |
| Medical Biosciences | £9,790 | £45,500 |
| Imperial Business School (all programmes) | £9,790 | £42,700 |
The Home fee is capped by the UK Government. Fees are set by year of entry, not year of study, and fees for later years of study may be higher than the listed amounts.[3] Students from the EU who started on or after 1 August 2021 (excluding Ireland) are charged at the higher non-Home rate.[3]
Postgraduate taught (2026 cohort, full-time, per year)
| Programme | Home and Ireland | Overseas |
|---|---|---|
| Computing (all programmes) | £24,600 | £46,000 |
| Aeronautics (all programmes) | £19,400 | £45,000 |
| Energy Futures Laboratory (all programmes) | £19,200 | £44,600 |
| MSc Metals and Energy Finance | £31,400 | £48,900 |
| MSc Business Analytics (1 year) | £28,200 | £47,000 |
| MSc Finance | £51,000 | £51,000 |
| Full-time MBA (total programme fee, fixed) | £78,000 | £78,000 |
These are examples from the faculty fee tables, not a full list. The engineering fees come from the Faculty of Engineering page and the business fees from the Imperial Business School page.[5][6] The Business School states that MBA fees are fixed and will not increase with inflation; for other 2026–27 fees Imperial states an inflation increase of 3.5%, rounded to the nearest £50.[6][3]
Tuition is only part of the cost. For living costs in London and the UK, see our United Kingdom guide.
How do you apply to Imperial College London?
- Undergraduate: apply online through UCAS Hub. You submit one UCAS application with up to five courses (four for medicine, dentistry and veterinary courses) and one personal statement that covers all choices. Each Imperial course counts as a separate choice.[7]
- Admissions tests: some departments require a test, depending on the course. Check the course page for the test you need.[7]
- Postgraduate taught: register for a My Imperial account and apply there. The selection process includes a personal statement, references and an interview.[15]
We give no deadlines here because they change every year and differ by course. International applicants who need a student visa must meet the relevant English standard in an accepted test, and this is confirmed in the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS).[8]
Which English level do you need?
Imperial uses two levels, Standard and Higher; each course page states which one applies.[8] For IELTS Academic:
| Level | Overall | Minimum in each element |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | 6.5 | 6.0 |
| Higher | 7.0 | 6.5 |
Scores must be reached in a single test sitting and must have been taken within two years of the course start date.[8] Imperial also accepts other tests such as TOEFL iBT (92 overall at Standard, 100 at Higher), PTE Academic (62 and 69) and the Duolingo English Test (115 and 125); the page lists more tests and says that a new TOEFL 1–6 banded scale applies to tests taken from 21 January 2026.[8] The Pre-Sessional English Programme is open to postgraduate applicants only, and the Business School does not accept pre-sessionals for this purpose.[8]
Frequently Asked Questions
How much are Imperial College London’s fees for international students?
What is the Home fee at Imperial in 2026/27?
The undergraduate Home and Ireland fee is £9,790 per year; the Home fee is capped by the UK Government.[3]
How is Imperial College London ranked?
It is 2nd in the QS World University Rankings 2027, the highest of any UK university in that edition.[2]
What IELTS score do you need for Imperial?
Standard courses ask for 6.5 overall with 6.0 in each element; Higher courses ask for 7.0 overall with 6.5 in each element. Your course page says which level applies.[8]
How do I apply to Imperial as an undergraduate?
Apply online through UCAS Hub with one application and one personal statement; you can choose up to five courses in total (four in medicine, dentistry and veterinary subjects).[7]
More about studying in United Kingdom (UK)
- United Kingdom (UK): best universities
- Cost of Studying Abroad
- International Student Scholarships
- University Ranking Methodology
More university profiles in United Kingdom (UK)
- Durham University
- King’s College London
- London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
- Queen Mary University of London
- University College London (UCL)
- University of Birmingham
- University of Bristol
- University of Cambridge
- University of Edinburgh
- University of Exeter
- University of Glasgow
- University of Leeds
- University of Manchester
- University of Nottingham
- University of Oxford
- University of Sheffield
- University of Southampton
- University of Warwick
- University of York
Sources
[1] Imperial College London: Statistics Guide 2025–26 (PDF for the 2025–26 academic year, without a publication date)
[2] UK Education Centre: QS World University Rankings 2027 officially released (QS publishes the ranking at topuniversities.com, which blocks automated access) (article posted 19 Jun 2026; QS edition released 18 Jun 2026)
[3] Imperial College London: Undergraduate tuition fees 2026–27 (page without a date; © 2026)
[4] Imperial College London: Undergraduate fees 2026–27, Faculty of Medicine (page without a date; 2026 cohort)
[5] Imperial College London: Taught postgraduate fees 2026–27, Faculty of Engineering (page without a date; 2026 cohort)
[6] Imperial College London: Taught postgraduate fees 2026–27, Imperial Business School (page without a date; 2026–27 entry)
[7] Imperial College London: Undergraduate application process (page without a date; © 2026)
[8] Imperial College London: English language requirements (page without a date; © 2026)
[9] Imperial College London: About Imperial (page without a date; © 2026)
[10] Wikipedia: Imperial College London (history, faculties and type)
[11] Scholarship Scanner: QS World University Rankings 2027 released, four UK universities in the global top 10 (article dated 18 Jun (year not stated on the page; site notice 2026))
[12] Imperial College London: Undergraduate fees 2026–27, Faculty of Engineering (page without a date; 2026 cohort)
[13] Imperial College London: Undergraduate fees 2026–27, Faculty of Natural Sciences (page without a date; 2026 cohort)
[14] Imperial College London: Undergraduate fees 2026–27, Imperial Business School (page without a date; 2026 cohort)
[15] Imperial College London: Apply for postgraduate taught study (page without a date; © 2026)
Figures may change; check official sources before you decide. How we compile our data · Found an error? Tell us.