Imperial College London is the UK's specialist science, engineering, medicine and business university — ranked 2nd in the world in the QS World University Rankings 2027 — and it makes no pretence of being anything else. There are no humanities degrees to hide behind: if you want STEM or business in central London, Imperial is the purest version of it. That focus is also its filter: entry standards are among the highest in the UK, and the applicant pool is self-selecting.
Fees — 2026-27 (overseas, per year)
| Programme | Tuition (£) |
|---|---|
| BEng Computing / MEng Mechanical Engineering / BSc Biological Sciences / BSc Physics | 45,500 |
| MBBS/BSc Medicine (6 years) | 58,600 |
| Home undergraduate fee | 9,790 |
| MSc Computing (taught master's example) | 46,000 |
| Taught master's range (overseas) | About 39,900–51,000 (Business School higher; MBA about 78,000) |
Imperial lists overseas fees course by course, so the £45,500 figure is a base for selected courses, not a universal rate — check your exact course page. Monthly living costs in London for Imperial students are reported at £1,719–£1,837 excluding tuition, which puts a realistic annual London budget (tuition plus living) at roughly £66,000–£68,000 for a standard undergraduate course before any scholarship. That is the number to test against your family's budget, not the tuition figure alone.
Programmes
Imperial's undergraduate courses are almost entirely STEM and business: Computing, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Aeronautics, Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry, Life Sciences, Earth Science, and Medicine, plus Imperial Business School undergraduate degrees. Most engineering degrees offer both a 3-year BEng/BSc and a 4-year MEng/MSci route, with the master's route including advanced modules and a major project. Medicine is a 6-year MBBS/BSc with an intercalated BSc year. The teaching style is intensive and quantitative from week one — Imperial is not a university for students who want to ease into a subject, and its dropout and resit patterns reflect that intensity honestly.
Admission
Undergraduate applications go through UCAS (13 January 2027, 18:00 for most courses; medicine and other early-deadline courses closed 15 October 2026). Published guidance puts the floor for some applicant systems at around 90% in Class XII in required subjects, with mathematics at 95% for Computing — but the floor is not the competitive standard, and Imperial's overall undergraduate acceptance rate is reported at about 25%, with about 17.6% for international undergraduates. Some courses require admissions tests (for example, medicine applicants take the UCAT, and other courses may set their own assessments — check your course page). Postgraduate taught applications go through Imperial's own department-led portal, with application fees of £90 for standard MSc courses, £125 for Business School MSc courses and £150 for the MBA.
Scholarships and research
Undergraduate scholarships for international students are mostly merit-based and partial — for example, Imperial Inspires Scholarships of £15,000 a year for eligible undergraduates, and International Baccalaureate Excellence Scholarships — rather than full funding. At doctoral level, President's PhD Scholarships cover full tuition plus a maintenance stipend of around £25,000 a year for a small number of exceptional international applicants. The realistic funding strategy for most undergraduates is therefore: family funding plus a partial scholarship, not a full ride — unless you hold a major external award. Imperial's research environment is its other draw: undergraduates work alongside research groups from early in their degree, and the South Kensington campus sits among London's museums and research institutions.
FAQs
How much is Imperial tuition for international students? £45,500 a year for selected science and engineering undergraduates, £58,600 for Medicine, for 2026-27 entry.
What is Imperial's world ranking? 2nd in the QS World University Rankings 2027.
What are the UCAS deadlines? 13 January 2027 at 18:00 for most undergraduate courses; 15 October 2026 for medicine and other early courses.
Does Imperial offer full scholarships to undergraduates? Generally no — undergraduate international scholarships are partial and merit-based; full funding is rare and usually external.
Is Imperial only STEM? Essentially yes — science, engineering, medicine and business, with no general humanities faculty.
Related guides on Pakunii
UCAS Application Guide 2027 · IELTS Academic Guide · Fully Funded Scholarships 2027 · Digital SAT 2027 Guide
Sources and verification: Imperial 2026-27 overseas UG £45,500 selected courses, Medicine £58,600, Home £9,790, MSc Computing £46,000, London living £1,719–£1,837 monthly, QS 2027 rank 2nd, UG acceptance about 25% overall / 17.6% international, MSc application fees £90 / £125 Business / £150 MBA, President's PhD stipend about £25,000 — per Imperial published fee and course pages, re-checked October 2026.