Eligibility criteria
Check whether you are eligible to take part in our outreach and widening participation programmes
Our fully-funded outreach programmes support young people from under-represented groups to access STEM degrees at universities like Imperial. As we receive more applications than there are places, we use the criteria below to assess who is eligible to participate. The more criteria you meet, the more likely your application will be successful.
To be eligible for any of our programmes you must be attending a state-funded, non fee-paying school or college in the United Kingdom.
View our outreach programme criteria
Eligibility criteria
Please check each outreach programme webpage carefully for any extra criteria before you apply.
We will prioritise your application if:
- You are currently, or have been in care
- You live independently (estranged from your family), meaning you no longer have the support of your family due to a breakdown in the relationship which has led to ceased contact
We will also assess whether:
- You are a young carer and have caring responsibilities for a close relative with a disability, long-term illness, mental health condition, or drug or alcohol problem that is a significant demand on your time (see more information below)
- Your family income is below £50,000 each year
- You are eligible for free school meals and/or pupil premium
- Your parents/guardians did not attend university
- You live in an area with low overall progression rates to higher education (POLAR4 Quintile 1 or 2 areas) or high levels of deprivation (IMD Quintile 1 areas)
- Your school has a high percentage of students receiving free school meals
- Your school has below average attainment
Academic requirements
Each programme may also have specific academic requirements, such as actual or predicted grades or a requirement to study certain subjects.
Please check each outreach programme webpage carefully for any extra criteria before you apply.
Information for young carers
You may be a young carer if you have caring responsibilities for a close relative with a disability, long-term illness, mental health condition, or drug or alcohol problem that is a significant demand on your time. This could have an impact on your ability to attend school or to study.
If you feel this applies to you, please make sure you tick the correct option in your Outreach programme application and provide relevant details. You can also ask your teacher and parent/guardian referees to give more detail in their supporting statement.
School visits and in-school activities
We look at your school location and data on deprivation, educational disadvantage and university participation to assess whether your school is eligible to take part. Please contact outreach@imperial.ac.uk to find out more.
What if I am not eligible for an outreach programme?
Our outreach programmes are for specific groups who are under-represented groups at university and in STEM subjects. We receive many more applications than we have places available for most programmes.
If you are not eligible to take part or your application is unsuccessful there are still plenty of ways to explore our campuses, meet current students and staff, and find out if Imperial is right for you. See information on open days and opportunities to visit or Imperial’s Global Summer School.