Please also take a look at the student terms and conditions information on the Imperial College London website, which has more important information that you will need to be aware of prior to becoming a student at Imperial.

You may also visit the FAQs set out by the College with regards to admissions. Departmental-specific information (e.g. Selection & Interview process), will be detailed in the respective admission stages below.

You can also view the College's Academic Policy with regards to admissions for a clearer overview of its academic policy.

Before you apply

What does MEng mean?

Master of Engineering.

All our courses are four-year, "first degree" courses in engineering. Along with a number of other top engineering institutions in the UK, we no longer offer a B.Eng. (three-year, Bachelor of Engineering) course.

What undergraduate degree courses do you offer and how can I apply?

We award five MEng undergraduate programs:

H401: Aeronautical Engineering (4 years)
H410: Aeronautical Engineering with a Year Abroad (4 years)
H411: Aeronautical Engineering with a Year Abroad (5 years) 
H415: Aeronautics with Spacecraft Engineering (4 years)
H420: Aeronautical Engineering with a Year in Industry (5 years) 
 

The differences in the programmes are visualised below:

Programmes timeline under the Department of Aeronautics

 
 

All students must initially apply for the H401 MEng in Aeronautical Engineering.

All students follow a common programme of study for the first two years. After this, students on target to achieve a 1st by the end of the second year (for placements in the USA or Singapore), or a minimum of a 2:1 for placements in Europe, may apply to transfer to our Year Abroad stream. Students on target to achieve a minimum of a 2:1, who have organised a suitable industry placement, may transfer to our Year in Industry study stream.

All applications must be made via the UK government body UCAS. Further information can be found on the College's How to Apply page.

Please note, we do not award a BEng.

What are the entry requirements?

We accept a wide range of academic qualifications from all over the world. You may find a comprehensive list of the most common qualifications and requirements specific to Aeronautics here: Common Qualification Eligibility and Requirements (PDF)

An overview of requirements are:

  • A* grades in Mathematics and Physics plus an A grade in a third A level subject excluding General Studies. Many of our applicants have Further Mathematics as the third A Level subject.
  • For students wanting to transfer to the H410 Year Abroad course in Europe, a minimum of grade B at GCSE in French or German is also required.
  • College English language requirements apply to an entry into our MEng courses; please read the College web page on English language requirements.
  • Note that a high level of secondary school Mathematics and Physics is mandatory. Further Mathematics is highly recommended but not mandatory for admission to our courses.

Advanced Diploma

Imperial College has studied the proposed Advanced Engineering Diploma. It has been decided that the present restriction on the Additional Specialist Learning element to the equivalent of 1.5A levels does not include sufficient academic content to enable Diploma holders to demonstrate that they can cope with the high academic content of our engineering courses.

An exceptionally highly motivated Diploma holder with outstanding characteristics could be considered, but the Advanced Engineering Diploma as currently defined is not regarded as providing a normal entry route to our engineering courses.

Over and above academic qualifications, we are looking for applicants who can demonstrate enthusiasm and interest in Aeronautical Engineering and an awareness of its wide applicability in industrial and other fields.

We also only accept the following Foundation Course qualifications:

  • UCL Undergraduate Preparatory Certificate for Science and Engineering (UPCSE)
  • Warwick International Foundation Programme in Science and Engineering (WIFP)

Indian high school qualifications

Indian high school qualifications are not generally accepted for admission to the College. However, a special case may be made for applicants who have or are expected to obtain, exceptionally high marks from either the Central or Metro examination boards.

What if my qualifications are not listed above?

If your high school or other qualifications are not listed above, advice on eligibility prior to an application via UCAS is best sought from engineering.admissions@imperial.ac.uk.

What are the English language requirements?

College English language requirements apply to all courses; please read the College web page on English language requirements.

What are the fees?

Please check the College web page on undergraduate student fees for full details.

Your fee status will be assessed by the College once a UCAS application has been received but, if you are unsure about your fee status, preliminary guidance may be sought from the Engineering Admissions Team at engineering.admissions@imperial.ac.uk.

Is any financial support available?

There are no Aeronautics Department scholarships or bursaries to support undergraduate study in the Department of Aeronautics.

However, the Imperial Bursary is available to all Home undergraduates who are eligible for student funding from the Government.

Support is also available through Government funding options, including the Tuition Fee Loan (for Home and EU students) and Maintenance Loan (for Home students).

What is the difference between the H401, H410, H411, H415 and H420 courses?

All students initially apply to the H401 course and follow a common programme for the first two years. Transfer to the H410 (integrated year abroad - four years), H411 (year abroad- five years), and H420 (year in industry) programmes occur at the end of the third year. Students wishing to complete a Year Abroad in France or Germany must demonstrate that they have achieved the required level of French or German language fluency at this point. Language classes are offered as part of the Horizons programme and can be taken for extra credit in the first two years of study or as an I-Explore module in year 3.

You may find further information about your year abroad courses here:

For the H415 (Aeronautics with Spacecraft Engineering), the transfer happens at the end of the second year. Students who wish to transfer to this curriculum must undergo a separate round of evaluation for their results and interest in the programme.

Can I arrange to visit the Department?

It is not possible to arrange individual visits for mainland UK applicants. However, if you decide to apply and you appear likely to meet our entry requirements you may be invited to one of a number of admissions days, held from November through to February. As well as an interview with a member of the academic staff, these events afford an excellent opportunity to tour the Department, its facilities, and the College. There are also virtual tours available for you to explore around our Department as well as our Campuses.

Applicants from overseas who are unable to attend any of these events may be able to arrange to visit at a time more convenient to them by emailing aero.admissions@imperial.ac.uk.

Is it possible to transfer from my current University course?

Transfer into our second or third year is only permitted in exceptional circumstances and is extremely rare. Our statistics show that over the past 5 years, there were no transfers sanctioned externally into an undergraduate programme in our Department.

Transfer into the fourth year is not possible under any circumstances.

When you apply

Why are there 2 deadlines on UCAS? Which deadline should applicants follow?

There are 2 application cycles adopted by the Department.

The first application cycle corresponds to applications made before the deadline for the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge. The second application cycle consists of all remaining applications made before the UCAS deadline for all other universities and courses.

Applications submitted before the UCAS deadline will be considered by the Department. You may view the various deadlines on the College's When to apply page.

All valid applications, regardless of which cycle, are assessed fairly and solely based on their merit.

After you apply

What happens once I have applied?

Once we receive an application from UCAS we attempt to make a decision on it as soon as possible. Unfortunately, due to the number of applications, it is not possible for us to write to all unsuccessful applicants.

Based on the initial application we will select suitable applicants to proceed to the next stage. Please see our Admissions procedure section for further information.

Successful applicants will receive their offer as soon as possible thereafter.

How can I check my application status and/or progress?

Applicants can access UCAS Track to follow your progress and status of the application.

All decisions on the application will be published on UCAS Track.

Is there such thing as a typical offer?

It is increasingly unlikely over the years to provide applicants with a typical offer. We recognise that there is a diversity of academic backgrounds across all the applicants and every application is assessed holistically by not only academic grades, but also the interest in our programmes and the desire to learn and adapt to our environment.

We are only able to provide a list of minimum academic requirements, but specific offers may vary according to each application.

You may watch our open day video to learn more about the various academic requirements.

Am I able to find out from the Department the reason why I have been rejected?

Unfortunately, due to the volume of applicants, we are unable to respond individually to every applicant. As we only have a limited number of vacancies (about 130-140 students per year), we have had to make the difficult decision of rejecting several wonderful candidates.

Our statistics have shown that the ratio of applicants to successful candidates is consistently at about 9:1 every year for the past 5 years.

After you receive your offer

Application for ATAS Certificate

 Useful information regarding applying for your ATAS certificate:


To apply for an ATAS certificate online, you will need your programme’s Common Aggregation Hierarchy (CAH) code and ‘descriptor’, as well as your university supervisor name. For this course, these are listed below as well as links to other information you may need.

For detailed  information including nationalities that do not need to apply for ATAS please refer to our International Student Support website.

  • More Information is available from the UK government on how to apply for ATAS.
  • You may apply for an ATAS certificate through the gov.uk portal.
  • For what type of student: you should select “Taught”.
  • CAH code: CAH10-01-04
  • Descriptor: Aeronautical and Aerospace engineering
  • Subject you are studying for:  MEng Aeronautical Engineering
  • Supervisor name: Professor Spencer Sherwin
  • Start and End Dates: Please see the term dates that are set out by the College
  • What will you be studying? You should look at the course description page on our website and make a brief summary of the core modules and projects you will cover during the course.
  •  Is this a joint programme with another country? – No

Please contact our International Student Support Team directly if you have any further queries regarding your ATAS at international@imperial.ac.uk

What are the term dates?

The College operates a three-term academic year. The Autumn term starts in the first week of October and lasts eleven weeks. Spring term starts in January after a three-week Christmas break and also lasts eleven weeks. The Summer term starts at the end of April and lasts for nine weeks after an Easter break.

Full details can be found on the College term dates page.

The first day of term is normally stated as a Saturday, as this is when students living in College halls of residence can move into their room. The first day of teaching is usually the following Monday.

Where would I live?

All first year students who accept Imperial as their firm choice are guaranteed a place in College accommodation provided they're eligible and complete their application by the deadline.

Find out more about accommodation for prospective undergraduate students.

Issue of iPads

At the start of your first year, you will be issued an Apple iPad from the department.

  • 10.2" diagonal screen, Space Grey iPad
  • 8th Generation Wi-Fi
  • 32 GB storage
  • together with an Apple pencil and a protective case.

The iPad will be used primarily as a reading and note-taking device and should not be a substitute for a capable laptop for completing coursework. All iPads will be managed centrally by the college ICT centre and will remain the property of the College.

What are the computer requirements for this course?

The Department has dedicated computer rooms (CAGB 203, CAGB 761 & CAGB 762) for students who need access to software on campus. Students can log in to the system using their own College account. Remote desktop connections are also possible if students find it more convenient to access the College computer from their laptops or computer at home.

Most engineering software applications such as CAD software are not supported on Mac OS. Hence, it is advisable for students to access a College computer should they need to use the appropriate software.

The most common applications used by the Department for coursework throughout the curriculum are:

  • Programming: MATLAB, Python
  • Computer-Aided Design (CAD): SolidWorks, PTC Creo, 3DExperience
  • Finite Element Analysis (FEA): Abaqus
  • Materials database: CES Edupack 2019
  • Microsoft Office 365

These applications can be accessed through our Software Hub once you enroll as a student.

It is recommended to use a laptop for assessing the various software used in completing coursework assignments. The laptops are typically of the following specifications:

  • Capable of running Windows 10 or above
  • Intel i5/i7 3.6GHz CPU or AMD Ryzen 5/7 or equivalent
  • 16GB RAM
  • 512GB storage
  • Webcam and Microphone (able to support virtual meetings and lectures on Microsoft Teams)

Please note that these applications can be very demanding on computer hardware, hence you may wish to obtain a computer with better specifications than recommended to get a better experience. 

Further guidance on ICT for the Department can be found on our ICT and Computing support page.