Course information

The 3-week pre-sessional course is an orientation course for undergraduate and postgraduate students who have already met the English language requirement for their degree programme but who wish to extend and enhance their academic skills in preparation for their first term at Imperial. 

The aims of the course are to: 

•  help students upgrade their written and oral language skills
•  give them a good understanding of academic conventions and expectations 
•  familiarise them with Imperial's facilities and resources 
•  give their studies at Imperial College London the best possible start

The 3-week pre-sessional course is full-time and intensive, with a fast-paced and varied programme of classes, activities and social events. The course will take place on South Kensington campus from 09.00 to 17.00 from Monday to Friday. 

Application process

1. Check which course you should apply for: read the entry requirements section above. 

2. Once you know which course meets your needs and have the relevant documentation (including an eligible test result if you are applying for the 6-week course), complete the online application form.

Please note:

• You should use the account details that you set up for your main programme application if you applied through My Imperial. Otherwise, create a new account.
• In the system, the entry term for this course is Late Summer 2023-24.
• If you are applying with a Pearson PTE Academic UKVI test result, you need to share your result with us through your test account by clicking on the Share Results button and selecting Imperial College London from the list of available institutions.
• We recommend you apply as soon as you receive the offer from your main programme of study and are clear which pre-sessional course will meet your requirements. Offers are made subject to places being available. We will close applications once the courses are full. 

3. We will process your application as quickly as possible but please allow 10 working days for a decision as your application is reviewed. 

4. When you receive an offer, accept it using the online application system in order to secure your place on the programme. You usually need to accept within 28 days but please note that you must accept your offer at least 5 weeks before the start of the course to allow time for all the processes to be completed. See point 6 below.

5. Within 10 working days of accepting your offer, you will receive an invoice for the course fees by email from the Tuition Fees team. In order to secure your place on the course, you must then pay the pre-sessional fees in full within 14 days of the invoice date unless it is close to the start of the course and point 6 below applies. 

N.B. If you are a sponsored student, the invoice for your fees will be sent directly to your sponsor. As soon as you have accepted your offer in the online application system, you should send a copy of your Financial Guarantee Letter to presessional@imperial.ac.uk. Full information on what the letter needs to cover is found on the Sponsored students web page within Fees and funding.

6. Please note: Notwithstanding the normal timeframes for accepting an offer and paying  the tuition fees, you must be in a position to enrol on the pre-sessional course in My Imperial by the start of the course and this means meeting all requirements including obtaining a visa if needed. 

7. When you have paid the fees in full and met any other conditions, you will receive confirmation of your place on the programme by email.

8. If required, you should follow the process for applying for a Student Route visa.

Accommodation

After you have been offered a place on the pre-sessional course, you will receive details by email of the summer accommodation available including how to book and the room rates. 

Visa application process

For students requiring a Student Route visa. 

1. Passport upload
As soon as your place is confirmed on the pre-sessional course (ie it is Unconditional Firm), you must upload a copy of your passport to the My passport, visa and CAS section of the online student portal, MyImperial. 

2. CAS number
Your CAS number will cover both the pre-sessional course and your main degree course. This means that it can only be issued once your status is Unconditional Firm for both your Pre-sessional course and main programme. Once this is the case and you have uploaded your passport, Admissions will issue your CAS number as soon as possible. You will be able to access it in the online student portal, My Imperial. You will also be sent an email notifying you that it is ready.

3. Visa application
You should now apply for your Student Route visa.

Meeting the Student Route Financial Requirements
In order to meet the Student route Immigration Rules requirements, applicants must have held a set amount of money in a bank account for a consecutive 28 day period prior to making the visa application. Students applying for a visa to cover the pre-sessional and their main course will need to have a minimum of £12,006 to cover living costs in the UK along with your tuition fees for the first year of the main course of study. View our guidance on meeting the financial requirements.