FAQs for Master's programmes

Application process

Please see our COVID-19 (Coronavirus) FAQs page.

All applications to our postgraduate programmes are made online – we do not accept paper applications. Please refer to the ‘How to apply’ section of each programme page to see what documents you are required to submit with your application and to view the selection process.

All of our programmes are academically rigorous and include a quantitative component so all candidates are expected to be familiar with a basic level of mathematics before the start of the programme. The Quantitative Experience Statement provides an opportunity to demonstrate this to the selection committee.

In the Quantitative Experience Statement you need to list up to five of the most quantitative modules or elements of your studies to date. You should list the main topics of study (eg: algebra, probability etc) as well as the level of study (eg: high school, undergraduate degree, short course etc) as this will allow the selection committee to have an understanding of your quantitative experience to date.

Quantitative experience is a key selection criterion for our more quantitative programmes (MSc Finance, MSc Finance & Accounting, MSc Financial Technology, MSc Investment & Wealth Management, MSc Risk Management & Financial Engineering, MSc Business Analytics, MSc Climate Change, Management & Finance and MSc Economics & Strategy for Business) so please be sure to check the entry requirements for your programme of interest to ensure your background is sufficiently quantitative. For other programmes, candidates are advised to review both the programme content and the pre-study modules to see what the numerical content of the programme includes before they submit an application.

Yes, you can. Our finance programmes at Imperial College Business School are highly rigorous, and our students are required to have a high level of quantitative skills. If you are considering applying for a programme within our finance Master’s portfolio, we advise you to take our online maths test to test your quantitative ability and determine if you are suitable to apply for the programme.

Please note, this maths test is most relevant to candidates considering the MSc Finance, MSc Investment & Wealth Management, MSc Financial Technology and MSc Risk Management & Financial Engineering programmes.

You can apply to be considered for one programme each year. We will take your areas of interest and eligibility into account when considering you for alternative programmes.

While it is not compulsory to submit the results of an approved English language test with your application, it is strongly encouraged and will add weight to your application if you are able to show that you have met the language requirement prior to applying. You can find detailed information regarding the Business School’s language requirements and the tests that we accept here.

As part of your application you will be asked to provide the contact details of two referees. Your referees will be contacted by email once you have completed and submitted your application, and the email will contain instructions on how they can submit your reference via our application system. Please ensure that each reference letter that is submitted has been sent from an academic or professional email address. We cannot accept references sent from personal email addresses, such as Gmail, Hotmail, 126, 163, Sina, QQ and Yahoo.

Our electronic application service is provided by an external provider, so there may be a delay before the receipt of your references is confirmed on your student Imperial Gateway account. If you receive confirmation that your references have been received but this still isn’t confirmed on your Imperial Gateway account a week after receiving the confirmation, please contact the registry team at business.admissions@imperial.ac.uk.

Yes. As part of the selection process, shortlisted candidates for our MSc programmes will be invited to complete an interview.

For most programmes, interviews will normally be conducted 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.

Candidates for MSc Business Analytics (online delivery, part-time and on campus, full-time) will be assessed on both quantitative and general skill-based questions.

Preparing for your interview

The interview process typically takes about 20 minutes and does not require extensive preparation. It aims to supplement your written application by providing a further opportunity for you to articulate your suitability for your MSc programme of choice through questions about your previous experience and future aspirations.

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.

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.

Please make sure that the invitation doesn’t go to your junk mail by adding kiratalent.com to your list of safe senders. You must complete your online interview by the deadline stated in the email. If the email has gone into a junk, spam, or clutter folder in your inbox, we will not be able to rearrange a new interview for you, and your application will be considered for withdrawal.

Please note: our video interviews are conducted via the Kira Talent platform. As Kira Talent is an independent third party service provider with their own terms and conditions of service and privacy policy, please familiarise yourself with these and ensure you are happy with them before proceeding to use the Kira service and platform.

If you are invited to attend a Skype interview, you will be contacted by the Admissions Team with a proposed time and interviewer details. Please note that whilst we try to take into account time differences for international candidates, it is not generally possible to reschedule interviews due to interviewer availability. Please make every effort to ensure that you are available for the suggested time slot.

For MSc International Management and MSc Business Analytics (On-Campus), we operate a staged admissions process with several deadlines throughout the year. Please refer to the ‘How to apply’ section of each of these programme's pages to view application deadlines and decision dates for successful candidates.

For all other MSc programmes, you can expect to receive a decision within 8-12 weeks of having submitted a complete application. Please keep in mind that during busy times and/or where documents are missing from an application, this time may increase.

When an offer is submitted by the Business School, the Registry need to make a number of final checks before it can be formally approved. These may include an additional review of an applicant’s academic background or ensuring the references we have received are valid. Until you have received confirmation of the official offer via the College’s applicant portal, please do not arrange accommodation, book flights or decline any other offers you may be holding. The majority of offers are successfully approved by the Registry and you will be able to see full details of your offer conditions once your official offer has been confirmed.

Unfortunately we are unable to confirm when you will receive a decision on your application but we will be in touch via email as soon as there is an update. Please be aware that you do not need to provide any additional information unless you think that this will add significant weight to your application (e.g. updated transcripts, relevant internships, English language results).

The waiting list is loosely ranked and should positions open up we will consider the strongest applications on the list first. Please note that as the list is only loosely ranked, we are unable to advise on a candidate’s individual position on the list. It is also worth noting that candidates can remain on the waiting list for multiple admissions rounds.

Please email your programme admissions team if you would like feedback on your application. Please note that whilst limited feedback can be provided, the decision of the academic selectors is final and it will not be possible for your application to be reconsidered.

Entry requirements

We are unable to assess eligibility before an applicant applies as the academic selection committee needs to review a full application before any decision can be made. Please check the specific entry requirements of the programme you are interested in studying along with our international entry requirements. If you feel you meet our entry requirements you can apply online.

In addition to the guidance available on our website, we also hold regular information sessions both online and on-campus throughout the year where we would be happy to discuss your suitability in more detail.

MSc International Management

You are required to have a valid GMAT or GRE score as part of your application for MSc International Management. We recommend a GMAT score of 600+. If you are taking the GRE, we recommend a minimum score of 156 in the verbal, and 158 in the quantitative sections.

Find out more about GMAT/GRE

No. This is to ensure that all our students are able to gain maximum benefit from their programme by being able to interact effectively with teaching staff and other students.

Please note that English language interviews are available to admitted students who have been or will be awarded a degree from an English speaking country and have studied in an English speaking country for a minimum of one year. Please refer to the English Language Requirements page to see if you meet the eligibility criteria for an English language interview.

The majority of the MSc programmes require a minimum of an Upper Second Class Honours degree (or international equivalent) to be admitted. While work experience can add weight to an application, this would not be considered in place of meeting the academic requirement, regardless of how lengthy the experience has been.

The exceptions to this are MSc International Health Management, MSc Business Analytics (online delivery, part-time), and MSc Strategic Marketing (online, part-time). Please refer to the programme’s entry requirements for more detailed information.

We may consider candidates applying to MSc Business Analytics (online delivery, part-time) with non-traditional qualifications and backgrounds, on the basis of highly relevant work experience or demonstrated interest.

The Business School does not offer pre-sessional English courses or accept attendance of a pre-sessional English course as a means of meeting the English language requirement.

Fees and funding

Tuition fee amounts are different depending on the programme you are studying. For more specific information on a particular programme’s fee and deposit amount, please visit the Fees page for your programme of interest. Unless otherwise stated, tuition fees are the same for UK, EU and international students.

Yes, you can. You can pay your tuition fees in either one or two instalments payable at the start of term, or at the start of term and February, respectively. If you pay in instalments there will be a 2% surcharge of the total amount added to your first instalment. You would be asked to select a payment schedule during the offer acceptance process. Please contact the Student Finance Team if you have further questions about this process.

The Business School offers a variety of different scholarships, each with unique eligibility criteria.

All candidates who submit an MSc application before the scholarship deadlines (listed on our website) and receive an offer for one of our programmes will automatically be considered for scholarship(s) relevant to their programme, providing they do not have additional criteria such as a video submission or GMAT result. You can be considered for multiple scholarships at the same time.

Additionally, there are a number of cross-programme awards and programme specific awards also available. Please check on the scholarships page on your programme of choice for eligibility and entry requirements.

Find out more information about all our MSc scholarships.

Yes, we offer a 10% bursary on programme fees to successful candidates with an undergraduate degree from Imperial awarded at a minimum of upper second class, or Master’s degree awarded with a minimum of Merit. In order to be considered for this bursary, you must submit your application by the scholarship deadline.

If you are being sponsored by an organisation that will be responsible for paying your tuition fees, you must provide acceptable proof of the award.

Satisfactory evidence of sponsorship is usually regarded as an original, dated and duly authorised letter from your sponsor on headed paper which includes the following:

Your name and College Identifier Number
The programme for which you have been offered a place
The amount of fees which will be paid by your sponsor
The address to which the invoice should be sent
Any Purchase Order Number required
Confirmation that the fees will be sent directly to Imperial College

Sponsorship letters should be posted to:

Business School Admissions team
Registry
Imperial College London
Level 3 Sherfield Building
South Kensington Campus
London
SW7 2AZ

Visa and immigration

Your CAS number holds information about the programme you will study and if you have paid any fees. You will not need a formal letter from the College confirming your offer status for your visa appointment.

For more information about what you will need, see the UKVI website.

If you need any advice about your visa please contact the International Student Support team. Most information can be found on the International Student Support website.

We will start to issue CAS from April. The details of your CAS will appear on your My Imperial record after you have met all the conditions of your offer. Please note that you will need to upload a scanned copy of the photo page of your passport and current visa (if you have recently completed a degree in the UK), before your CAS can be issued. Please upload these documents to the ‘Passport/visa’ section of your My Imperial account.

Once your CAS is ready, you will receive an email confirming that it has been uploaded onto your My Imperial account. If you log into My Imperial you will be able to find your CAS number and the details that have been included in your CAS.

Please note that we cannot provide you with a CAS if you have outstanding conditions on your offer. Please ensure that you allow enough time to meet your conditions and apply for a visa before the start date of your programme of study.

The Business School

The Business School holds online information sessions throughout the year to give you the opportunity to learn more about the programmes from the Programme Director, current students and alumni. Please refer to the meet us page to find out when the next event is being held for your interested programme(s).

The Business School is located on the South Kensington campus of Imperial College London. Please refer to the location page for our address and guidance on how to get here.

Accommodation

Many students choose to live in private rented accommodation whilst attending the Business School whilst others choose to book accommodation through GradPad. Please refer to the accommodation page for more information regarding the different types of accommodation available to you.

Admitted students

When the Business School recommends an offer, the College Registry team will perform a final review of your application to make sure that all College entry requirements are met before making an official offer. This process can take up to three weeks from Business School’s recommendation.

You will not need a formal letter from the College confirming your offer status for your visa appointment. However, if you do need an official offer letter for another reason, you can access a printable version on your Imperial Gateway account.

You may request to defer your place for one academic year by writing to the Admissions Team. All requests to defer are considered on a case-by-case basis and approval is not guaranteed. Where possible, requests to defer should be submitted no later than three months prior to the programme start date.

IELTS and TOEFL certificates should be scanned and emailed to business.admissions@imperial.ac.uk. If you have not yet received your certificates, you can email your IELTS Test Report Number or TOEFL 16 digit registration number to the Registry team.

If you have completed the Pearson Test of Academic English, please ensure you have sent your scores to Imperial via your Pearson PTE account.

If you have completed another one of Imperial’s accepted English language qualifications, you will need to post the original, hard copy to the Registry team to support this qualification. Please refer to the Admitted Students page for more information and the address that the document will need to be posted to.

Please refer to our admitted students page on meeting your offer conditions for details of how and where to send your academic documents.

If you are made an offer for a place on the programme, you will be asked to pay a deposit, which is non-refundable apart from in certain circumstances, in order to secure your place. This is part of the total fees, not an additional cost. The tuition fees team will email your deposit invoice within five working days of accepting the offer, and this will need to be paid within 30 days of receiving the invoice.

You can see the specific deposit amount for your programme of choice in the 'Fees and funding' section for that programme.

Once the deposit has been paid, please allow time for the deposit to be processed. You should see confirmation that the deposit has been received on your Imperial Gateway account after 3-5 working days of making the payment. If the deposit condition has not been cleared on your account after five working days of making the payment, please contact the Tuition Fees team for assistance.

It is not normally possible to extend a deposit deadline, but it may be possible to consider a request to do so in exceptional circumstances. Please email your Business School Admissions team outlining the reasons for requesting the extension and state when you expect to be able to make the deposit payment.

Apart from in certain circumstances, deposits are not refundable if you fail to take up your place on the programme. You can find out if you qualify for a refund and the process for requesting a refund on the College’s postgraduate deposit information page.

Once the Business School Registry team has updated your Imperial Gateway account with your offer you will have 28 days to decide whether you would like to accept or decline this. Should you choose to accept, the Tuition Fee team will issue you with an invoice for the deposit payment within five working days of you making this decision. Once you have received the invoice, you will then have a further 30 days in which to make the deposit payment. Please be aware that failure to pay the deposit on time may result in your offer being withdrawn.

All admitted students must pay the deposit. The only exception to this is students with confirmed sponsorship for the full value of their tuition fees, who will need to provide proof of their funding to the College Registry before being exempted. Please refer to the ‘I’m being sponsored; what documents do I need to provide? FAQ if this is applies to you.

All incoming MSc Business Analytics students are required to bring a laptop with them that meets the following requirements:

Recommended configuration: Core i7 or equivalent, 16GB or more of RAM

OS: Windows 7 or higher, Mac

All students are expected to have already installed the following software (by and large free):

A Python IDE and package (Anaconda 3)
PostgreSql
R Studio

Note that although you are not required to know programming at the time of joining, you are expected to learn programming and most classes use R, Python or SQL. To get started and make your learning easier you may want to take a free online R course, a Python course and a SQL tutorial once you install the above.

All students should be willing to learn programming and become proficient in code.

Your device and internet access are the most important components of a rewarding remote or online experience. We want to make certain that you have all the necessary resources available to make the most of your experience. You can find out more on our technical requirements page.

Ready to apply?

Discover our programmes

General enquiries

If you have a query relating to one of our programmes which you can't find the answer to on our website, please get in touch by completing our general enquiries form.

MSc Scholarships Meet us