“Apply as Early as Possible”: Imperial College London Admissions Tips

Last week, we spoke with Joël McConnell in our latest QSChats on Instagram to learn more about how Imperial College London has adapted its admissions process during the COVID-19 pandemic. McConnell is Executive Director of Marketing, Recruitment and Admissions at Imperial College Business School, and he answered your questions on video conference, which you can watch below.

Watch the video above for McConnell’s full answers, but we have also pulled out some useful information below.

What support can Imperial College London offer students with visas, fees and accommodation?

In terms of visas, housing and visa processing, it is business as usual. If visa processing is difficult locally, our multi-modal, multi-stream approach actually adds flexibility.

What is Imperial College London doing to bring a STEM and technology focus to entrepreneurship?

Imperial is all about STEM and business, so coming to Imperial College Business School gives aspiring entrepreneurs an unrivalled opportunity to connect with engineers, scientists and medical experts, launch cross-functional business ideas, and continue scaling them after graduation.

We also have an exciting new White City campus, where the Business School will add more teaching space. It is also not far from Soho House’s new White City property.

What should future international students keep in mind when applying?

Unlike an independent business school, ICBS is part of Imperial College London, a top Russell Group university. That means you get all the resources of ICBS, plus the additional resources of the wider university. ICL focuses exclusively on STEM and business, so you would be studying at a school that is very aligned with the sectors everyone is talking about right now.

We receive around 20,000 applications for just under 2,000 places across our 20-plus postgraduate programmes, taking different admissions routes and formats into account, so competition is extremely fierce. Apply as early as possible, submit a complete application, take the interview seriously, and ideally speak to an ICL alumnus when preparing your application.

Remember, ICBS is the business school of a globally ranked STEM university. Whether you are coming to study finance, general management, or something more specialised, we need to understand why this programme is the right fit for you and why you are specifically targeting a place at ICBS.

Can you tell us about diversity and inclusion at Imperial College London?

First of all: 9 out of 10 students at ICBS come from outside the UK, so by design this is a highly diverse school. At ICBS, we actively support organisations such as Bright Network, the Forte Foundation and Reaching Out MBA (ROMBA), and we also have targeted clubs focused on helping specific groups advance their careers, such as the LGBTQ+ Business Club.

Is Imperial College London considering a traditional and online hybrid model for the autumn term, or will it be online only?

Given everything that is happening right now, it is important to offer students both in-person and remote learning this autumn, so that we can adapt whatever happens. Yes, all of us, including staff, are looking forward to being back on campus full-time.

That said, this autumn we will offer multi-modal and multi-stream teaching, which will allow us to give our students the best possible options. We are also considering using set transition points to help candidates move between different formats.