Not sure where to start at Open Day? We’ve got lots of helpful information and tips – from planning your journey and what to bring to where you can take a break or grab a drink – to help you make the most of your day.
What to expect at our Open Days
Open Day starts at 9.00 and ends at 16.30. We recommend arriving at least 10 minutes before your first scheduled talk begins.
Events you'll need to register for in advance
Subject Sessions
You can register to attend a Subject Session when you book your Open Day place. Spaces are limited, so unfortunately, your guests can’t join you at Subject Sessions.
Subject Sessions normally last between 60 and 90 minutes and take place in a lecture hall or the department’s building on campus. At a Subject Session, you can hear presentations from academic staff, get detailed information about the courses available and learn more about how to apply.
Drop-in events and fairs
Subject and Student Life Fairs
This is where you can ask questions and find out more about our departments and meet staff from our student services including:
- accommodation
- admissions
- careers
- the Centre for Languages, Culture and Communication
- the Disability Advisory Service and Mental Health and Counselling Advice Service
- finance
- our students' union, Imperial College Union
Department drop-in sessions
Lots of our departments offer informal drop-in sessions, where you can talk to students and staff about our courses, take a tour of the department’s facilities and even join a taster lecture.
Parents' and supporters' talk
Join our team for a dedicated talk for parents and supporters to learn more about Imperial and the application process.
General talks
Hear from our students and staff about student life, support, careers and admissions at our general talks.
Accommodation and Ethos tours
Join a student-led tour of halls of residence on our South Kensington Campus or visit our on-campus sports centre, Ethos.
Abdus Salam Library drop-in
Visit our main library to meet staff and see our facilities for group, quiet and silent study.
Food and drink
Need to refuel? We have lots of catering outlets on campus that offer hot and cold food throughout the day. There’ll also be free tea and coffee available in the Queen’s Tower Rooms and Senior Common Room.
Taking a break and quiet spaces
If you need to take a break from Open Day, there are plenty of quieter spots on campus where you can find a moment of calm. If the weather’s fine, we recommend heading over to Prince’s Gardens just across Exhibition Road.
How should you plan for Open Day?
You can fit in a lot at our Open Days, so it’s a good idea to make a plan for:
- how you'll travel to campus
- what you need to bring
- what you want to ask us
To help you get started, here’s some information and advice to help you plan what you can do before Open Day, on the day itself and after Open Day.
Before Open Day
- Think about what you want to see and do
- Plan your journey
- Check if you can apply for our Open Day travel bursary
- Book accommodation if you need it
- Let us know about any accessibility needs
- Check the weather
Use our course list to find subjects you’re interested in and think about the questions you’d like to ask our staff and students. If it’s helpful, write them down.
A full schedule of talks, fairs and department drop-ins is now available to help you decide what you want to see and do.
Not sure what to ask at Open Day? Here are the top five questions our students recommend you put on your list.
The easiest way to get to our South Kensington Campus is by public transport.
The nearest Underground stations are South Kensington and Gloucester Road, on the District, Circle and Piccadilly lines. You can plan your route with the Transport for London journey planner.
On-site parking is only available for Blue Badge holders. If you need to request a car parking space, email us at opendays@imperial.ac.uk with your vehicle registration and driver’s name at least one week before Open Day.
You can also find more information about how to find us – including directions on Google Maps – on our South Kensington Campus page.
If you’re a year 12 student at a UK state school or college, you could apply for our travel bursary for our Open Days. We’ll cover the cover the cost of travel tickets by rail and other public transport for successful applicants.
Learn more about how to apply for travel bursary.
If you’re travelling to London from elsewhere in the UK or overseas, you might want to book accommodation. There are lots of options in central London to suit different budgets, including hotels, hostels and homestays. It’s a good idea to book early, as London is a popular destination during the summer.
Some of our student accommodation is available during the summer vacation period for the September Open Day. Find out more about their availability and prices on our website.
You can find access guides to our buildings at the South Kensington Campus on the AccessAble website.
You can also contact us to let us know your requirements by emailing us at opendays@imperial.ac.uk.
Rain or shine, we want you to enjoy Open Day and stay comfortable. Check the weather before you travel and bring layers.
On Open Day
- Your QR code. You’ll need this to check-in. You can find your code in your booking confirmation email.
- Your schedule. It’s really useful to make a note of talks and events you want to join during the day to make sure you don’t miss anything. You can also find details of the Subject Sessions you’ve booked by logging into our events system.
- A water bottle and reusable coffee cup. We have water fountains across campus and you can avoid a 30p levy charged on disposable coffee cups at our cafes if you bring a reusable cup.
- An umbrella and sun cream. The weather can be unpredictable, so check the weather in advance and bring layers.
- Comfortable shoes. You’ll be doing a lot of walking, so make sure you stay comfy!
- Notebook and pen. There’s a lot to take in on Open Day, so it’s a great idea to take notes – especially if you think of questions that you’d like to ask us.
When you get to campus, head to one of our Welcome Points to check-in. You’ll get a printed programme, a copy of our Study Guide and tote bag. It’s also a great place to ask questions if you’re not sure where to start.
You can check in by showing your barcode in your confirmation email to our student and staff ambassadors who will scan it. You can check in any time during Open Day, so if there’s a queue when you arrive, you can come back later.
You can find a campus map at the back of our Open Day programme to help you get around campus. We also have an online campus map which you can explore on our virtual tour.
We have lots of catering outlets on campus that offer hot and cold food throughout the day.
You can find water fountains across campus and free tea and coffee is available all day in our Senior Common Room and the Queen’s Tower Rooms in Sherfield Building (West).
After Open Day
Our Open Days are a great chance to visit London and see the sights around our South Kensington Campus. Need some inspiration? Check out Mita’s top tips for fun things to do in South Kensington.
If you don’t manage to make it to everything you want to do on Open Day, you can catch up with our talks and tasters online.
View our on-demand talks and tasters.
Visit more of our labs, workshops, teaching spaces and accommodation with our 360° virtual tour of our campuses and halls.
Take a virtual tour.
You can ask questions and chat to our student ambassadors online anytime through UniBuddy.
Meet our student ambassadors.