What is UROP?

Updated October 2025

UROP is Imperial College London’s highly active Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme for students (from within & outside Imperial, subject to eligibility criteria) who wish to develop an appreciation of research and the environment within which it takes place. UROP is an educational activity, and is not work (not employment).

Since 1980 UROP has furthered the ambitions of thousands of students through the management of research experiences within Imperial.

Students and academic staff are encouraged to consider the possibilities which the UROP system offers.

Without the engagement of academic staff UROP would not happen, so Imperial extends a huge thank you to all staff who participate (academic staff plus day-to-day supervisors such as research and technical staff, post-docs and PhD students.)

In recent years, 2020 and 2021, despite the pandemic, and 2022 through to 2025 over 600 students have participated (with over 500 undergraduates from Imperial) each year. While the majority of UROPs continue to be undertaken on-campus some have been delivered wholly or partly on a remote basis (hybrid and remote). UROP is a cornerstone of the undergraduate student experience at Imperial and whether it was this summer (2025) or next summer (2026) we look forward to continued healthy participation.

What is undergraduate research? it is often considered to be the exploration of a specific topic within a field by a student that attempts to make an original contribution to the discipline (Wikipedia).

Undergraduate research when pursued through Imperial's UROP scheme has this general aim in mind but our UROPs can take many formats depending on what a student and their supervisor agree to pursue. Read the next TAB for more information.

What all UROPs should provide is a structured undergraduate research experience, with clear preparation, supervision and outcomes.

Undergraduate research is often a student’s first non-classroom experience of the academic research environment and attracts students for a variety of reasons.  It is a particularly attractive proposition to students who already have a keen interest in a specific research topic, and perhaps have already experienced the research environment through high school level research programmes. Since some students arrive at university with "experience" there is often a desire to get involved in undergraduate research as soon as possible, although for most students it is something they will connect with a little later in their degree.

It can be the first stepping stone to a future career in academic and commercial research environments and is why many academic staff get involved because for many, especially younger researchers, it was their own first experience of research. However, for some students it will perhaps inform them that academic research is not for them (a constructive outcome nonetheless).

Broadly speaking it is a great opportunity for any student to gain an understanding of the research environment and to obtain new skills or develop current ones. Perhaps for some students, when external internships in their discipline are few and very competitive, pursuing a UROP can be an alternative way of building their CV.

For credit or not?

• Undergraduate research in the form of a UROP is extra-curricular for Imperial undergraduates (although in some departments extra ECTS credit can be accrued separate to a student's degree programme for participating in vacation research; the credit being achieved as a consequence of the student submitting and passing an assessment; the amount of credit being decided by the length of the vacation research experience).
• For students from outside Imperial who attend Imperial to undertake a UROP, participation is normally expected to be extra-curricular.

Guidance for academic staff at Imperial College London on what actions to take when wishing to host a student. This weblink (information) is not accessible to students.

Updated October 2025

A UROP is an internally based (internal to Imperial College London) research experience undertaken by an eligible student, supervised by an approved member of the host department (ordinarily academic staff who are approved by the department to supervise student projects, but also in light of this other research staff, including postdoctoral research assistants, may be involved as named supervisors at the discretion of the host department). The participation of PhD students as part of the supervisory network for an individual UROP (i.e. assisting with day-to-day supervision of a UROP student) is also at the discretion of the host department.

By internal, this means that all UROP research experiences are based internal to Imperial in one of its many research groups or themes/areas. They may or may not involve off-site activity (with off-site activity subject to the Imperial's procedures for managing off-site activity).

The application process is direct to a member of academic staff as there is no centralised application system for UROP research experiences. UROPs are sometimes advertised by research groups, although for the most part academic staff are receptive to individual approaches from students who have identified their particular research area. When a research group advertises a specific opportunity but receive more than one enquiry before a decision has been made then the UROP scheme would expect there to be a fair and transparent process for making a selection.

A UROP can take many formats depending on what the student and their supervisor agree to pursue. It will depend on the interests of the student (we’ll take it for granted that the student is enthusiastic and motivated), the opportunities that exist at the time in the particular research group/area and the professional guidance of the academic supervisor. The vast majority of UROPs will be led by the academic, although for some senior undergraduate students it may provide an opportunity to lead on an idea with support and guidance from the academic.

Please take an opportunity to read about the experiences of students who have undertaken recent UROPs.

While a UROP will naturally contain some element of training, they are not explicitly training placements and a student should remember this when considering whether to pursue a UROP. Students need to be capable of self-direction under supervision.

Many UROP research experiences are project based but not all, with some students finding a more comfortable platform in supporting other members of a research group with a variety of research tasks.

UROP is mainly a summer vacation activity, although students might seek opportunities at other times. A typical research experience for an Imperial undergraduate lasts between 6 -10 weeks during the summer vacation. The minimum duration is normally 4 weeks. The maximum duration is normally 12 weeks.

Imperial undergraduates can also pursue UROP on a very much part-time basis during term-time, and prior to engaging with academic staff they should discuss participation with their personal tutor to ensure that they have considered any impact on their coursework. The hours per week for a part-time UROP should not be more than 6.

UPDATED - provision of a "bursary": A UROP is considered to be an extra-curricular educational activity at Imperial, and it is not work nor employment. NEW: For any UROP undertaken from 1 January 2026, a supervisor (and therefore the host dept) must provide or facilitate a bursary (financial support) for the student. Proposed supervisors who are unable to provide a bursary from funds they have access to ought to be willing to support a bursary application to a third party, including Imperial’s scheme, any dept-level scheme or an external scheme where they exist. Please note that family and personal resources are not valid sources of a bursary. The host dept must identify the bursary when completing the registration procedure (form). Further guidance will be published on 1 January 2026.

By registering a UROP the host department ensures that a research experience (whether the student participant is from within or outside Imperial College) is hosted appropriately. Specifically, Imperial students undertake a UROP on an extra-curricular basis (i.e. the research experience does not constitute part of their degree programme) and therefore UROP provides the host academic department with the light touch means to administer the research experience, including ensuring that the period the student spends in the research group is insured appropriately. For students from outside Imperial, a UROP registered research experience also provides access to student-type services, including an ID card and library access.

Please note that UROP has been developed to be first and foremost on offer to students of Imperial and as such some supervisors might give priority to their applications over those from students from outside the University.

Guidance for academic staff at Imperial College London on what actions to take when wishing to host a student. This weblink (information) is not accessible to students.

"Our main reason for having UROP students in the laboratory is to begin the process of fostering the next generation of research scientists. As a bonus, because they are willing to explore new territory, they often make novel and unexpected findings that lead us in new research directions." Dept of Life Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences.

"Hosting undergraduate students in my lab during the summers has been extremely beneficial for everyone. The students have a chance to get involved in research projects, which often opens the door to further graduate studies. PhD students and post-docs in my group benefit from the extra help and the chance to supervise students. I enjoy introducing students to research, which is very different from classroom learning. Understanding how to tackle questions when there is no known answer is a new experience for many UROP students. But, once they catch the excitement of doing something that has never been done before, they are hooked." Dept of Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering.

"For a sharply defined research project that involves training in one or two techniques, the brief 8-week UROP project is immensely useful. On such a project, the student immediately feels the buzz of research. Not merely an extra pair of hands, the student is encouraged to think through the meaning of the work. In the end the student has experienced research and the supervisor has had important work done on his/her hypothesis." National Heart and Lung Institute, Faculty of Medicine.

"The UROP scheme allows undergraduate students to get a very close contact with research being carried out at our university. In addition to how useful this is for the training they receive at Imperial, it is often the case that interesting ideas and results are generated directly as a consequence of UROP research experiences." Dept of Aeronautics, Faculty of Engineering.

Guidance for academic staff at Imperial College London on what actions to take when wishing to host a student. This weblink (information) is not accessible to students.

Updated: October 2025

Who can participate in UROP at Imperial College London?

UROP has been established at Imperial for over 40 years and naturally seeks to be of greatest assistance to our own undergraduate students. Therefore, while other eligible students are welcome to try and find a supervisor, academic staff are free to prioritise Imperial undergraduates. UROP at Imperial, unless it is agreed otherwise, is an on-campus activity.

The following categories of students are able to participate:

1. All undergraduate students at Imperial College London, including international students, are eligible to undertake UROP during a vacation AND also during term-time. NEW: Additional guidance/change: UROPs are longer available to be undertaken during the summer upon completion of a student’s degree enrolment. Imperial undergraduates who are not fully enrolled at Imperial for the period of a planned UROP must seek guidance from urop@imperial.ac.uk (e.g. students whose status is "not-required-to-be-enrolled" or who are on an interuption of studies). Further guidance will be published from 1 January 2026.

2. Undergraduate students, regardless of nationality, enrolled at other UK universities (institutions of higher education) are eligible.

NEW: Additional guidance: UROPs are longer available to be undertaken during the summer upon completion of a student’s degree enrolment. Undergraduates who are not fully enrolled at their home UK university for the period of a planned UROP must seek guidance from urop@imperial.ac.uk (e.g. students whose status is "not-required-to-be-enrolled" or who are on an interuption of studies). Further guidance will be published from 1 January 2026.

3. Eligibility also applies to students of overseas institutions of higher education who:

are UK or Ireland nationals, or have pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme.

AND

have yet to graduate from an undergraduate degree and who would remain registered at their home university (institution) for the whole duration of any UROP research experience at Imperial. Students who are not currently undertaking their degree studies in English should be prepared to provide the how department with evidence that they have the equivalent of Level B2 (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) ideally at the point they approach a member of staff. Further guidance will be published from 1 January 2026.

A notice to students who are NOT covered by the eligibility criteria

IMPORTANT

If you are a not covered by the above eligibility criteria but would like to undertake a research experience at Imperial you might still search for a supervisor and should you obtain the provisional approval of a member of faculty at Imperial to host you, you would then need to discuss with the host dept as to the best means of hosting. The UROP scheme will not provide guidance on this.

Guidance for academic staff at Imperial College London on what actions to take when wishing to host a student.

(this page is for internal use)

Guidance on visas/immigration is provided by the College's International Student Support team.

Erasmus is the European Union's Lifelong Education Programme. The programme incorporates (traineeships) the ability to undertake a research-based opportunity.

A student who has been awarded an Erasmus Traineeship grant by their home university is at liberty to find a willing supervisor at Imperial (however, please first review the UROP eligibility TAB on this webpage). Ordinarily though, such a student would need to apply as a Visiting Student (read the Erasmus Traineeship section) if they have found a willing supervisor (therefore, the activity would be akin to a UROP, but would not be administered through the UROP registration system). Allow for more time to meet all the administrative requirements.

Academic staff at Imperial are able to read guidance on what actions to take when wishing to host a student here, including guidance on how to complete a Learning Agreement for a Traineeship. This weblink (information) is not accessible to students.