Year 12 Work Experience Programme

To apply for the Y12 Work Experience Programme, you must be:

• In Year 12 at the time of application
• Studying at a state school in the UK
• Able to travel to and from Imperial College London each day

We recommend that you use our eligibility checker tool to see if you are eligible to apply.

Not eligible to apply

• Students studying at a fee paying school
• Students studying abroad
• Students studying at an International school based in the UK

This outreach programme is funded by Imperial College London and aims to support state school students from backgrounds under-represented at university and Imperial. We use the criteria below to assess who is eligible to participate. 

 We will prioritise your application if:

• You have been in care
• You live independently (estranged), meaning you no longer have the support of your family due to a breakdown in the relationship which has led to ceased contact

 The more criteria you meet below, the more likely your application will be successful:

• 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
• Your family income is below £50,000 each year
• You are eligible for free school meals and/or pupil premium
• You are the first generation to attend higher education (meaning your parents, step-parents, adoptive parents or guardians have not completed a higher education qualification)
• You live in a neighbourhood 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

As well as meeting our eligibility criteria, applicants are required to meet the following:

• Expect to study a science, technology, engineering or maths subject at university
• Have achieved a minimum of eight GCSEs with at least five at grades 7-9, including maths and sciences
• Have achieved a minimum of grade 5 in GCSE English Language

Please note that there are specific A-level (or equivalent) subject requirements for each stream. For 2026 these are as follows:

During the five day programme you will get an insight into research being conducted within your chosen department and academic careers associated to this field of study. The programme will attempt to simulate typical working life. You will be expected to commute to and from campus each day, have lunch with your peers and meet deadlines. You will also have access to research and teaching laboratories, workshops and specialist technical suites whilst in your department. 

This summer school is fully funded (free to successful applicants), which includes all course fees, materials as well as lunch. Travel is not included, and it is expected that most participants will live in London or within the M25 (or have family in London they can stay with for the duration of the programme). However,  if travel cost is a barrier to attending the programme, successful applicants may request financial assistance for their travel. 

Please see below an overview of what to expect during your time with us.

Talks
As well as experiencing the world of academic research, participants will also be given talks relevant to applying to university covering topics such as writing effective personal statements and interview skills.  

Aspiring Medics - unfortunately, this programme is not suitable for applicants wishing to find medicine related work experience. For information on medicine related work experience please visit Medical Schools Council.

Applications are made through Aspire, our online application system. All applicants will be required to complete the  eligibility checker tool before accessing  Aspire to complete your application.

Setting up your account on Aspire
You must create an account with Aspire before you can complete your application.

• If you have applied to an Imperial Outreach programme in the past, you can use your existing account. There is a forgotten password feature on the Aspire login page.
• If this is your first application to one of our programmes, we recommend you use a personal email address rather than a school email address when creating your account. Security settings in some school email servers will prevent you from receiving emails from Aspire.

Completing your application

• Subjects: Once you are logged in you will need to start a new application. As part of the application form you will need to tell us about your school, the subjects you are currently studying and the course(s) you plan to study post-16.  Although the form will force you to include English, Maths and Science for Key Stage 4 (GCSE or equivalent) and ask you if you are planning on studying specific STEM subjects post-16, you also need to tell us about all the subjects you are studying at school. Please use the 'Other subjects' section to add this information. We require a minimum of 8 GCSEs.
• Outreach Programme: Please take care to ensure you select the correct programme when using the drop-down options. Some of our programmes have similar names, so it is important to double-check and select the correct programme, for example, Year 12 Work Experience Programme.
• Eligibility Criteria: You will be asked questions relating to the eligibility criteria listed above, such as if you are eligible for free school meals and your family household income. Where possible, please try to have this information to hand before you apply.
• Personal statement: You will also be asked to write a short personal statement. This gives you the chance to tell us more about why you are applying for this programme and why you think you would be suitable.
• Teacher and Guardian references: As part of the application process, we will seek references from a parent/guardian and a teacher at your current school. Please speak to the individuals you would like to provide these references in advance, so you can check you have the correct email address and contact numbers for them and that they are happy to support your application.

References
Once you have successfully submitted your application, we will email your parent/guardian and teacher referees. They will be sent a personalised link to Aspire, where they will provide information to support your application.

The reference forms ask similar questions about the eligibility criteria and include the opportunity to provide a supporting statement. These statements can be used to let us know about other challenges you may have faced and/or what you might get out of participating in the programme. Teachers will also be asked to verify the subject/grade information you provided in your application. Please note, your application may not be accepted without a teacher reference.

Decisions
We will release decisions via email on 6 May 2026. If you are offered a place on the programme, or on the waitlist, you will have a limited amount of time to accept this offer. Successful applicants will receive details on the next steps.

For information about the application process, please see our frequently asked questions (FAQs).