STEM Potential

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 will progress to years 12 and 13.

Applications for Year 10 students will open on 9 January 2025 and close on 5 March 2025.

Please see below the scheduled dates for 2024/25 academic year:

• Monday 7 April – evening launch event
• Wednesday 9 April – all day event
• Wednesday 28 May – all day event
• 5-7 or 12-14 August – non-residential summer school – each student will attend on one of these weeks.

We will continue working with our students during year 11 running five more events.

All our events run in-person so you will need to live within one hour of Imperial’s South Kensington Campus. 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.

If you live far from our South Kensington Campus you can consider applying to our Y10 Insights Summer School instead as this residential programme only requires one return journey.

You will take part in subject-specific workshops relevant to the STEM subjects you are taking at A-level. Online, you will be paired with a current Imperial undergraduate as a mentor, who will provide you with support and information.

 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 and will re-open in September 2025. Unfortunately, we will not accept late applications.

These events will run in person at our London South Kensington Campus. Before applying you need to ensure you are able to travel to meet us. 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.

Please continue to look at other opportunities offered by Imperial Outreach team. We advise students to sign-up to our monthly newsletter so you do not miss any of the opportunities we offer.

This outreach programme is funded by Imperial College London and aims to support state school students from backgrounds under-represented at university and Imperial. 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.  All our events run in-person so you will need to live within one hour of Imperial’s South Kensington Campus.

We will prioritise your application if:

• You have been in care
• You live independently (estranged), 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
• Your parents/guardians did not attend university
• 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

In addition to meeting the Outreach eligibility criteria, you must also meet the following programme specific criteria:

• Be in Year 10 or Year 12 at the time of application;
• Be studying Maths (compulsory) and at least one science subject (Biology, Chemistry or Physics) if you apply during Year 12
• Have achieved a minimum of eight GCSEs with at least five at grades 7-9, including maths and sciences if you are applying during Year 12
• Have achieved a minimum of a grade 5 in GCSE English Language if applying during Year 12
• Be willing to travel to Imperial College London for the scheduled programme dates.

Applications for Y12 are now closed and will re-open in September 2025.

Applications for Year 10 students will open  on 9 January 2025 and close on 5 March 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.

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.

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 will not accept late applications.

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