Applying for MSc Finance
September 2023: Applications for 2023 entry are now closed. Sign up to our mailing list to receive updates for the next intake.
Apply online
Applications are made through our online application system, which gives you the flexibility to complete your application in your own time and save your progress. The form includes questions about you and your educational history to date.
Alongside your selected programme, you will have the option to indicate which other areas of finance are of most interest to you. If we do not make you an offer for your selected programme, we will automatically consider you for alternative programmes within the Finance Suite. We will take your areas of interest and eligibility into account when considering you for alternative programmes.
You will also need to provide the following in support of your application:
In the career planning questions you will need to show you have thought about the type of employer you want to work for immediately after graduating and have researched your target organisation(s) and role. You will also need to answer the following questions to demonstrate awareness of what is required and the steps you will take to prepare for your chosen career.
1. How will your chosen programme help you reach your career goal?
2. Do you see any barriers that you may need to overcome to reach this goal (personally, professionally, or academically)?
3. What gaps in your skillset will you need to develop to prepare for this career?
All of our programmes include some quantitative content and so it is useful for the selection committee to have an understanding of the level of your quantitative experience to date.
You will be asked to list up to five of the most quantitative courses you have covered in your studies to date, list the main topics included and the level of study (e.g. undergraduate degree, secondary school, short course etc) and the grade achieved.
Failure to complete the quantitative experience statement will delay the processing of your application.
You will be asked about your experience of using programming languages and your level of proficiency. Software and programming skills are not an entry requirement, but it is helpful for the selection committee to understand your previous experience, if any.
You will be asked to pay an application processing fee of £100.
Supporting information
Once you have submitted your application form, you will need to upload the following supporting information to complete your application.
You will need to submit electronic copies of your full degree transcripts and certificates (with English translations if necessary).
Transcripts should include: details of all of the modules studied on the degree, your marks for each, and the overall mark, grade or classification that you achieved if you have completed your studies.
Your personal statement provides an opportunity for you to tell us a bit more about yourself and your motivation for undertaking this programme. In the personal statement section of the application, we ask you to answer the following questions:
- Please share your motivation for undertaking this programme?
- What is your proudest non-academic achievement?
- What would you contribute to the cohort and to the Imperial community?
- How would you use your degree to make a positive impact?
Each section of the personal statement has a 1500 character limit (including spaces).
You must include a full and up-to-date curriculum vitae (CV) – we do not require that you use a particular format, but a CV template is available here for your convenience.
You will need to provide the contact details of two referees (one of which must be academic*). When you submit your form, the online application system will send an automatic reference request directly to their professional email accounts so they can submit their recommendation letter quickly and efficiently online.
*We will accept two professional references where applicants graduated five or more years ago.
Most of our MSc programmes do not require a GMAT, yet a well-balanced result (usually with a total score above 650) will definitely add weight to your application.
If you have already taken the GMAT or GRE, you should upload a copy of your results and request your score to be released to Imperial College Business School. This will enable us to verify your results online, so you should not send a hard copy unless we request it.
To submit your score online, you must request for it to be shared with Imperial College Business School. Our GMAT code is S22-7S-94 and our GRE code is 0121.
If you have decided to take the GMAT or GRE, please include details of your planned test date on the application form and ensure that you contact the Admissions team once your score is available.
If English is not your native language, you may be required to take an English language test (You can find accepted tests and required scores here). You should upload a scanned copy of your English language certificate
You may submit your application form before you have obtained English language test results. Please include details if you have a planned test date on the application form and ensure that you contact the Admissions team once your score is available.
Interview
We will evaluate your application, and if selected, you will be invited to interview – normally this will be through our video interview platform, which you can access online to record and submit your answers; occasionally you may be invited to interview via Skype or telephone instead.
If you are invited to submit a video interview, you will be sent details of how to access and use the Kira Talent online interview platform. Please make sure that the invitation doesn’t go to your junk mail by adding kiratalent.com to your list of safe senders. Once you have created an account, you will be asked a series of questions, to which you can record your answers as short videos and submit them online
Application result
You will be notified informally via email and officially via your Imperial Gateway account with the result of your application. If you are successful you can then meet your conditions of offer, accept your place and pay your deposit.
Our normal application processing time is approximately 6-8 weeks
To avoid delays to your application it is imperative that you submit a complete application, uploading all requested documentation, and supplying correct referee details through our online application system. Please note that you should not send in hard copies of documents when submitting an application.