STEM Futures

You will experience different fields of science, technology, engineering and maths to gain a better understanding of which subjects you may want to study at A-level.

During on-campus events you will gain a feel for university life, working closely with Imperial academics and students. In August of year 10, you will take part in a non-residential summer school.

Students stay on the programme for two years. After year 11, students who meet eligibility criteria can progress to years 12 and 13.

Applications for Year 10 students are now closed.

You will take part in subject-specific workshops relevant to the STEM subjects you are taking at A-level.

You will also receive support with your university applications and attend workshops on personal statements and university interviews.

Applications for Year 12 students are now closed. We expect to release decisions to those who applied on Friday 7 February.
 

Applications for Year 10 students are now closed. We expect to release decisions on 21 February 2025. 

Please sign up to our newsletter so you do not miss any opportunities.

Applications are made through Aspire (our online application system). You must create an account with Aspire before you can fill out your application.  Please keep a note of the email address you use and your password. 

We recommend you use a personal email address, as opposed to a school email address, when creating an Aspire account. Security settings used in some school email servers will prevent you from receiving emails from Aspire.

As part of your application, you will be asked to provide details for a parent/guardian and a teacher. Both your parent/guardian and your teacher will be contacted to provide a supporting reference and verify some of the information you provide. Please make sure they complete this as soon as possible.  

We will ask for the subjects you are currently studying. If you do not have predicted grades for your current subjects you can type NPG or N/A in the grade field.

For more information about applying, please see our Outreach FAQs. Unfortunately, we cannot accept late applications.

If you think your participation in this programme will not be possible due to the costs associated with travel to our campus, please get in touch with the programme team no later than a week before the event, and they will be happy to discuss these circumstances with you.

For more information about STEM Futures please email the STEM Futures team.

To apply for the STEM Futures programme, you must be:

• Black or Black British- African, Black or Black British- Caribbean, Other Black Background, Mixed- Black African and White, Mixed- Black Caribbean and White, and Other Mixed background (to include Black African, Black Caribbean or Other Black background)
• in Year 10 at the time of application;
• attending a state-funded, non fee-paying school or college in London;
• and willing to travel to Imperial College London for the scheduled programme dates. Please check your distance using Google Maps.

This outreach programme is funded by Imperial College London, and aims to support students of Black heritage to access STEM studies at Higher Education. We use the criteria below to assess who is eligible to participate. The more criteria you meet, the more likely your application will be successful.

We recommend that you use our eligibility checker tool to see if you are eligible to apply. 

We will prioritise your application if:

• You are currently, or have been in care
• You live independently (estranged from your family), meaning you no longer have the support of your family due to a breakdown in the relationship which has led to ceased contact

We will also assess whether:

• You are a young carer and have caring responsibilities for a close relative with a disability, long-term illness, mental health condition, or drug or alcohol problem that is a significant demand on your time
• Your family income is below £50,000 each year
• You are eligible for free school meals and/or pupil premium
• You are the first generation to attend higher education (meaning your parents, step-parents, adoptive parents or guardians have not completed a higher education qualification) 
• You live in a neighbourhood with low overall progression rates to higher education (POLAR4 Quintile 1 or 2 areas) or high levels of deprivation (IMD Quintile 1 areas)
• Your school has a high percentage of students receiving free school meals

• Your school has below average attainment

  Academic criteria

To be eligible for this programme, you should:

• Expect to study STEM subjects in your post-16 options 
• Be studying at least eight GCSEs (or equivalent)
  

If you are a participant on the STEM Futures programme, please see the support guides below for instructions on how to join an event via Microsoft Teams:

• STEM Futures MS Teams Participant Help Guide v3.1
• STEM Futures MS Teams Participant Guide - Tablet v2

Applications for Year 12 students are now closed. 

Please sign up to our newsletter so you do not miss any opportunities.

Applications are made through Aspire (our online application system). You must create an account with Aspire before you can fill out your application. Please keep a note of your email address and password.

We recommend you use a personal email address, as opposed to a school email address, when creating an Aspire account. Security settings used in some school email servers will prevent you from receiving emails from Aspire.

As part of your application, you will be asked to provide details for a parent/guardian and a teacher. Both your parent/guardian and your teacher will be contacted to provide a supporting reference and verify some of the information you provide. Please make sure they complete this as soon as possible.

We will ask for the subjects you are currently studying. If you do not have predicted grades for your current subjects you can type NPG or N/A in the grade field. We will also ask for you GCSE grades. Please make sure to include all the subjects you took and the grade you achieved for each one.

For more information about applying, please see our Outreach FAQs. Unfortunately, we cannot accept late applications.

If you think your participation in this programme will not be possible due to the costs associated with travel to our campus, please get in touch with the programme team no later than a week before the event, and they will be happy to discuss these circumstances with you.

For more information about STEM Futures please email the STEM Futures team.

To apply for the STEM Futures programme, you must be:

• Black or Black British- African, Black or Black British- Caribbean, Other Black Background, Mixed- Black African and White, Mixed- Black Caribbean and White, or Other Mixed background (including Black African, Black Caribbean or Other Black background);
• in Year 12 at the time of application;
• attending a state-funded, non fee-paying school or college in London;
• and willing to travel to Imperial College London for the scheduled programme dates. Please check your distance using Google Maps.

This outreach programme is funded by Imperial College London, and aims to support students of Black heritage to access STEM studies at Higher Education. We use the criteria below to assess who is eligible to participate. The more criteria you meet, the more likely your application will be successful.

We recommend that you use our eligibility checker tool to see if you are eligible to apply. 

We will prioritise your application if:

• You are currently, or have been in care
• You live independently (estranged from your family), meaning you no longer have the support of your family due to a breakdown in the relationship which has led to ceased contact

We will also assess whether:

• You are a young carer and have caring responsibilities for a close relative with a disability, long-term illness, mental health condition, or drug or alcohol problem that is a significant demand on your time
• Your family income is below £50,000 each year
• You are eligible for free school meals and/or pupil premium
• You are the first generation to attend higher education (meaning your parents, step-parents, adoptive parents or guardians have not completed a higher education qualification) 
• You live in a neighbourhood with low overall progression rates to higher education (POLAR4 Quintile 1 or 2 areas) or high levels of deprivation (IMD Quintile 1 areas)
• Your school has a high percentage of students receiving free school meals
• Your school has below average attainment
  
  

Academic criteria

In addition to meeting the eligibility criteria outlined above, you must also meet the following academic criteria:

• Be in Year 12 at the time of application;
  Be studying Maths (compulsory) and at least one science subject (Biology, Chemistry or Physics) at A-level;
  Have achieved a minimum of eight GCSEs with at least five at grades 7-9, including maths and sciences;
  Have achieved a minimum of a grade 5 in GCSE English Language;
  Be willing to travel to Imperial College London for the scheduled programme dates.

If you are a participant on the STEM Futures programme, please see the support guides below for instructions on how to join an event via Microsoft Teams:

• STEM Futures MS Teams Participant Help Guide v3.1
• STEM Futures MS Teams Participant Guide - Tablet v2