Every year the Department of Physics receives many applications from countries all over the world. Entry is highly competitive but we are happy to consider any applicant who can demonstrate high achievement in Mathematics and Physics in a wide range of international qualifications.
You should only apply to one degree course within the Department; there is no advantage in applying to more than one.
Showcase area
- Entry requirements for international applicants
- English language requirements
- Information to include in applications
- International Student Support / Visa advice
- ATAS Requirements
The requirements listed here are either minimum or typical offers from recent years. We assess each application on its individual merits and the offers we make are often higher than quoted here. If your qualification is not listed please check the more extensive list of accepted qualifications on the Imperial College page and if you have any further queries, please contact the Physics Admissions Office.
Standard qualifications
A Levels: Grades of A*A*A in three full A Levels - including A* in Mathematics and A*A in Physics and another subject (excluding General Studies or Critical Thinking). Grade B/6 in GCSE English will satisfy the College English language requirements.
International Baccalaureate: Grades of 7,6,6 in three Higher Level subjects including at least 6 in both Mathematics and Physics, minimum of 40 points overall. For English Language requirements please refer to the main page.
European qualifications
European Baccalaureate: 9.0 in Mathematics and 9.0 in Physics, minimum of 85% overall. 6.5 in English in the final examination will satisfy the College English language requirements.
French Baccalaureate (FB) / International Option (OIB): 17 in Mathematics and 17 Physics, Très bien overall. 12 in English in the final examination of the OIB (not FB) will satisfy the College English language requirements.
German Abitur: 14 in Mathematics and Physics, taken at the highest possible level, 13 in a third subject, typically 1.3 of better overall.
Italian Diploma di Esame di Stato (DES): 10 in Mathematics, 10 in Physics and 100% overall.
Greece and Cyprus Apolytirion: typically 19.5 in the Apolytirion accompanied by A Levels with an A* in Mathematics and an A in Physics.
Other international qualifications
USA Advanced Placement Tests (AP): 5 in Calculus BC (Calculus AB is not sufficient), 5 in Physics C Mechanics, 5 in Physics C Electricity & Magnetism, and 5 in 2 other subjects. SATS can be considered in assessing applications but are not acceptable in meeting the entry requirements.
Singapore A Levels: A grades in either three or four H2 level subjects including Mathematics and Physics. An H3 subject is not required but will be taken into consideration, particularly for applicants who have already completed their A Levels. Applicants following the Integrated Program (SIPCAL) are required to obtain C in the general paper.
For entry in 2022 all applicants are required to hold an accepted English language qualification at Higher attainment level. This is equivalent to a grade B/6 in GCSE English or 7.0 in IELTS (minimum 6.5 in all elements).
View a full list of the accepted qualifications.
International applications are often delayed because applicants do not include sufficient information on their previous qualifications or academic achievement. For A Level applicants we need to see GCSE and AS results and individual module marks for any AS/A2 modules already completed, if they are available.
Please also make sure that your school provides predicted grades for individual examination subjects not yet completed and an overall predicted grade when applicable.
A wealth of additional information for international applicants can be found on the International Student Support web pages. In particular they host a useful page of visa and immigration advice.
Most International students studying one of our MSci Physcis courses (F303, F309, F390) will require ATAS clearance before applying for their visa. Any applicant made an offer for one of these courses will have the need to obtain this clearance specified as a condition of their offer from Imperial with a deadline of 19 July 2022.
We recommend that you should apply for this clearance as soon as you have made Imperial your Firm or Insurance choice with UCAS and May 2022 at the very latest.
The International Office has a useful page of advice on how to complete the application.
Contact details
Department of Physics
306 Blackett Laboratory
South Kensington Campus
London, SW7 2AZ
Tel: +44 (0)20 7594 7513
ph.admissions@imperial.ac.uk
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