Frequently asked questions

You can apply online via our web pages. Please see the guidance on the relevant pre-sessional course web page. 

Please note that we are not able to accept applicants from Imperial College Business School. Currently the Business School does not offer its own pre-sessional course or recognise other pre-sessional courses as a means of meeting the English language requirement. If you have any questions about this, please contact the Business School directly.

We open for summer 2024 applications on 7 March 2024. 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.

The application deadlines are published on each of the pre-sessional course web pages but we will close to applications sooner if the courses are full. 

No. We regret that we are not able to accept undergraduate applicants onto the 6-week pre-sessional course.

We accept under 18s with an unconditional offer for a degree programme onto our 3-week pre-sessional course only. Our consent form and code of behaviour form need to be completed and signed by a parent or guardian as a condition of offer. 

If you are an overseas student, in order to apply for the 6-week pre-sessional course you will need a UKVI approved secure English language test (SELT) result such as UKVI IELTS. This is because the course is being held on campus and you will require a visa. Please see the the advice on entry requirements on the 6-week course web page. 

Yes. If you are a prospective undergraduate or postgraduate student with an unconditional offer you should apply for the 3-week pre-sessional course.

You should also apply for the 3-week course if you are a prospective undergraduate or postgraduate student who has met the English language requirements for your offer and will have an unconditional offer by the start of the 3-week course. 

You will be notified of an offer through the online application system. You will need to accept your offer through the online system and pay the course fees in full in order to confirm your place.

To ensure you have sufficient time to complete all steps in the application process, you must accept your offer at least five weeks before the start of your chosen pre-sessional course.

As the 2024 pre-sessional courses are on campus in the UK, you may need a Student Route visa. Please see the College guidance on who is required to apply for a visa to study in the UK. 

Specific guidance for pre-sessional students is found on each of the pre-sessional course web pages. 

Yes. You can request a transfer of your offer to the 3-week pre-sessional course if you meet the English Language Requirement for your main degree programme prior to the start of the 6-week pre-sessional course as long as there is still time for the College to process the request and for you to apply for a visa (at least 4 weeks before the start of the 3-week course). You should email presessional@imperial.ac.uk. Details are set out in our Terms and Conditions.

Please be aware that if you are holding an unconditional offer for the 6 week Pre-sessional programme and you subsequently meet the English Language condition for your main course through a Secure English Language Test, you will not be able to transfer any visa application made or visa already obtained for the 6 week programme to be used for your main programme or for the 3 week Pre-sessional course. The CAS issued is specifically for the 6 week Pre-sessional programme and cannot be used for any other course. Any visa application fees and other payments you have made for your 6 week Pre-sessional visa will not be refunded and you will need to make a new visa application in your home country for the new programme. Therefore, we do not recommend using your CAS until you are confident you will not be transferring programmes. However please bear in mind applicants must be present for the first day of the Pre-sessional programmes and so enough time should be allowed for the visa application process. 

Both the 6-week and the 3-week Pre-sessional course will take place on the South Kensington campus in London. 

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.

In order to recieve a CAS, you must have paid the pre-sessional fee and uploaded a copy of your passport to My Imperial. It can take up to a week after we receive your fee payment to release your CAS. Please refer to the guidance on Student Route visas on the relevant pre-sessional course web page.  

6-week pre-sessional applicants with a conditional offer for their main programme of study will be issued with a CAS covering the pre-sessional course only. Once you pass the pre-sessional course and meet any outstanding conditions from your main course, then you will be provided with another CAS number to use in your new visa application. 

3-week pre-sessional applicants will be issued with a joint CAS to apply for a Student Route visa to cover both the pre-sessional course and their main programme of study. You will need to have an unconditional offer for both the pre-sessional course and your degree programme before this can be issued. 

Please refer to the guidance on Student Route visas on the relevant pre-sessional course web page. 

The tuition fees for the courses are set out on each of the pre-sessional course web pages. Once you have accepted your offer in the online application system, you will receive an invoice via email within 7-10 working days. 

For details of our refund policy, please see our terms and conditions.

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. The sponsor letter needs to state that the sponsor will cover the course fees for the ‘Pre-sessional English language programme’ and to include the dates and fees of the chosen pre-sessional course. Full information on what the letter needs to cover is found on the Sponsored students web page within Fees and funding.   

These are international students from a range of countries. 

A dedicated team of English tutors with extensive experience in working with students to develop their academic English for study at Imperial College London.

The course focuses on academic English for STEMM disciplines, that is, science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine, to prepare you for the study of your science-related discipline through English. Tasks focus on developing your reading, writing, listening and speaking and advancing your academic study skills and strategies for independent learning. 

Our pre-sessional programme aims to develop your ability to operate within the challenging academic environment here at Imperial College London, to help you confidently and effectively communicate your science, and understand the expectations of students studying at university level in the UK.

No. All course materials are produced by the CfAE and provided for you. Many materials are available online and you will be given access once you are registered onto your pre-sessional course. 

No. At the start of your course you will be able to download Office 365 free of charge. During the course you will then be able to access the course materials online through your college Microsoft Office 365 account from anywhere at any time.

We will advise you which Microsoft apps will be most useful and you will be able to download them free of charge to your phone and your laptop.

There will no formal teaching or testing of your subject on the pre-sessional, but you will be asked to read, write and present on topics in or related to your field.

Yes, the pre-sessional is much more tailored to your needs as a prospective Imperial student. Students who have taken our pre-sessional report back that they feel far more prepared for their studies than other international students who have not taken the course. Departments tell us they can see a positive difference between those students who have taken the pre-sessional and those who have not.

Class sizes are generally small (approximately 12 students per group) so that you can get to know your classmates and your teachers well and so that your teachers can monitor your progress and guide your personal study.

The schedule below sets out the study programme on a typical week of the 6-week pre-sessional course. Details may be subject to change.

The schedule below sets out the study programme on a typical week of the 3-week pre-sessional course. Details may be subject to change.

100% attendance is expected and full and active participation throughout your course is expected. You will need to notify us of any absences throughout the course. If you are studying on a Student Route visa and your attendance falls below 80%, the College will report your attendance level to UK Visas and Immigration.

Once a student is enrolled on the 6-week pre-sessional course, successful completion of the course becomes the English Language Requirement (ELR) condition for their degree programme. If a student has a visa and withdraws during the course, the College must report this to UK Visas and Immigration as non-completion of the course.

If a student obtains an English test result that would have met the ELR, this could be submitted to Admissions. If accepted as meeting the ELR, the student would have to withdraw from the pre-sessional course and leave the UK in order to make a visa application for their degree programme. However, there would need to be sufficient time for a new CAS and visa to be issued for a degree programme. 

Please note that once you have used your CAS to obtain a visa, the relevant authorities are unlikely to issue a refund for the visa fee or immigration health surcharge. If you change your plans and ask to withdraw from a Pre-sessional course or transfer to the 3-week course, you will need to pay again if issued with a new CAS by the College. 

There are two formal tests and a coursework assessment (portfolio) for students on the 6-week pre-sessional course. 

Throughout the 6 weeks, you will create a record of the research and tasks that you do as you work on topics and materials from your future discipline. We call this your Personal Research Portfolio. In the final week of the course there is the Test of written English and the Test of spoken English.

The Personal Research Portfolio demonstrates your engagement with the concepts and topics of your discipline and demonstrates the progress that you have made in learning the language of your discipline and your ability to communicate key STEMM ideas clearly to others. The Test of Written English shows your ability to read and write academically on a general STEMM topic. The Test of spoken English is a viva voce, an individual interview in which you demonstrate your ability to converse on a topic related to your chosen field of study.

If you don't achieve a satisfactory grade at the end of the course, you will have the opportunity to retake the final assessments the following week. If you fail the assessment a second time, you might not be accepted onto your degree programme. Most students successfully pass the course.

No.

Successful completion of the pre-sessional programme means that you have satisfied the university's English language requirements for your main programme. This means you have fully attended the course, satisfactorily completed all the coursework, and passed the final course assessments.

You will not need to retake an English language test such as IELTS.

On the last day of the course (Friday 20 September 2024). If you pass the pre-sessional course at first attempt (as most students do), we will also report them to the Registry team on that date. The Admissions team will then need to review your main degree programme application conditions before confirming your place as unconditional. 

If you are required to take resits, you should get the resit result by Wednesday 25 September and we will report it to the Registry team at the same time.