Imperial College London

History

• Imperial College London was established in 1907.
  In 2007 the College celebrated its 100th year of academic excellence and became independent from the University of London.
• Breakthroughs associated with the College include the discovery of penicillin, the development of holography and the foundations of fibre optics. 
• Today Imperial research foci include interdisciplinary collaborations to improve global health, tackle climate change, develop sustainable sources of energy and address security challenges.

Notable alumni

• Cecil Balmond (MSc Civil Engineering 1970) – award winning architect, including CCTV in Beijing.
• Emma Townshend (MSc Humanities 1992) – writer/journalist.
• Simon Dennis (Biology 1997) – Olympic gold medallist.
• Louis Attrill, (MEng Civil Engineering 1997) – Olympic gold medallist.
• Keith Duckworth (Mechanical Engineering 1957) – designer of the Cosworth DFV (Double Four Valve) engine.
• Brian May (Physics 1968, PhD 2007) – lead guitarist of Queen.
• Declan Curry (Chemistry 1992) – BBC presenter.
• Jessica Hsuan (Materials 1992) – TV actress in Hong Kong.
• Narinder Kapany (PhD Physics 1955) – father of fibre optics.
• Andreas Mogensen (Aeronautics 1999) – first Danish astronaut (European Space Agency).
• Nicholas Tombasiz (PhD Aeronatics 1993) – chief designer at Ferrari F1.
• Cyrus Mistry (Civil Engineering 1990) – Chairman-elect of Tata Group.
• Roger Bannister (St Mary’s Hospital Medical School 1954) – first person to run a mile in under a minute.
• Simon Singh (Physics 1987) – writer/journalist.

Location and transport

• Eight campuses in and around London. The main campus is in South Kensington, in central London.
• South Kensington is an area long established as a cultural centre for the arts, sciences and music. Imperial's neighbours include the Royal Albert Hall, the Science Museum, the Natural History Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum.
• There are excellent transport links with the underground, buses and Paddington (Heathrow Express) and Victoria (Gatwick Express) mainline train stations nearby.

Entry standards

• Entry requirements for undergraduate courses range from A*A*A to AAB at A level, or equivalent qualification, depending on the course.
• Specific A-level (or equivalent) subjects may be required to apply for some subjects.
• Find out more about entry requirements at Imperial on the website.

Student mix

• In 2010–11 there were approximately 14,500 undergraduate and postgraduate students of which 36% were women.
• 29% of students are from outside the European Union.
• Students come from more than 125 countries.
• On average, undergraduate applications to admissions ratio for 2010 entry was approximately 6.0:1.

Teaching standards

• Acknowledged worldwide as a centre of excellence for teaching.
• Departments assessed by external agencies for teaching have scored between 21 to 24 points out of 24.

Research standards

• Consistently recognised as one of the top UK university institutions for research quality.
• Research income is one of the largest in the UK – £299.2 million for 2010–11.
• In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, 72.9% of Imperial's research activity was judged as world-leading or internationally excellent, the highest proportion of any UK university.

Academic strengths

• Amongst the top tier of scientific, engineering and medical research and teaching institutions in the world.
• Pays particular regard to the practical application of science, engineering and medicine in industry, commerce and healthcare.
• Fosters interdisciplinary working internally and collaborates widely externally.

Student facilities, including library and computing

• The Central Library at the South Kensington campus houses a large proportion of the taught course materials and offers extensive study space.
• Offers 24-hour access during the summer examination period.
• More than 3,000 PCs are available for student use in libraries and departmental areas.

Disability services

Students' union

• Imperial College Union has over 300 clubs and societies, amongst the highest number in the UK.
• Union venues play host to club nights, comedy nights, and other entertainments regularly throughout term. Union facilities at the South Kensington campus include three bars and two catering outlets, all at student value prices.
• Imperial College Union voted to disaffiliate from the National Union of Students in June 2008.

Sport

• Sport Imperial's facilities offer free gym and swimming to all students, both at the state-of-the-art Ethos Sports Centre in South Kensington, and at facilities across the College's other campuses.
• Other facilities include: boathouse at Putney and sports grounds at Harlington and Teddington (football, rugby, lacrosse, cricket, tennis and netball).
• There is no timetabled teaching on Wednesday afternoons, giving everyone the chance to take part in a wide range of activity.
• Imperial College Union has a wide range of sports clubs for students of varying abilities. Many compete at a high level.

Recent/prospective new builds

• In 2009 the College acquired a seven-acre site from the BBC in Wood Lane, west London, close to its Hammersmith Campus. Plans to build 606 postgraduate studio apartments on the site have been approved and, subject to permission, teaching and research facilities will also be developed there.
• Griffon Studios, new postgraduate accommodationin Battersea, will open in October 2011 and provide 452 studio apartments. A further block of 114 studio apartments is scheduled to be completed on the site in October 2012.
• The Wolfson Education Centre at the Hammersmith Campus has been redeveloped to provide a home for Imperial's new graduate entry Medicine course launched in 2008.
• The Central Library ground floor was refurbished in 2008 to provide state-of-the-art computer workstations and group study zones, as well as a café.
• The 410-bed Southside halls of residence at the South Kensington Campus opened in October 2007, and the new Eastside halls of residence opened in October 2009, providing an additional 453 beds as well as two common rooms and a cafe bar.
• The Ethos sports centre at South Kensington Campus opened in 2006 offering excellent sporting facilities which are free to students.

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