Year 11 Online STEM Challenge

To apply for the Y11 Online STEM Challenge, you must:

• be in Year 11 at the time of application
• be studying at a non-fee paying school in the UK
• be able to travel to campus for the final day of the programme

This outreach programme is funded by Imperial College London and aims to support students from backgrounds under-represented at university and Imperial. We can only consider applications from students currently attending non-fee paying schools in the UK who meet at least one of the eligibility criteria. The more criteria you meet, the more likely you are to be offered a place.

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

 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 eligible for free school meals and/or pupil premium
• Your family income is below £50,000 each year
• 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)
• Your school has a high percentage of students receiving free school meals
• Your school has below average attainment
• 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)
• You are a young carer*

* A young carer is someone under 18 years of age who helps look after a close relative who has a condition such as a disability, long-term illness, mental health condition, or drug or alcohol dependency. They do extra jobs in and around the home, such as cooking, cleaning, or helping someone get dressed and move around.

For this programme, you should:

• Expect to study science and maths in your post-16 studies
• Be studying at least eight GCSEs (or equivalent)
• Be on track to achieve a minimum of five GCSEs at grades 7-9, including maths and sciences
• Be on track to achieve a minimum of a grade 5 in GCSE English Language 

Applications for the Year 11 Online STEM Challenge are now closed. The deadline for applications was Wednesday 5 March 2025. We expect to release decisions by 6 May 2025. Applications are made through Aspire, our online application system. 

Setting up your account

You'll need to create an account with Aspire before you can complete your application.

• If you have applied to an Imperial Outreach programme in the past, you can use your existing account. There is a forgotten password feature on the Aspire login page.
• If this is your first application to one of our programmes, we recommend you use a personal email address rather than a school email address when creating your account. Security settings in some school email servers will prevent you from receiving emails from Aspire.

Completing your application

Once you are logged in you will need to start a new application. As part of the application form you will need to tell us about your school, the subjects you are currently studying and the course(s) you plan to study post-16. Although the form will force you to include English, Maths and Science for Key Stage 4 (GCSE or equivalent) and ask you if you are planning on studying specific STEM subjects post-16, you do need to tell us about all the subjects you are studying at school. Please use the 'Other subjects' section to add this information.

Please make sure you select the right programme when using the drop-down options. Some of our programmes have similar names, so double-checking is important.

You will be asked questions relating to the eligibility criteria listed above. Where possible, please try to have this information to hand before you apply. You will also be asked to write a short personal statement. This gives you the chance to tell us more about why you are applying for this programme and what you hope to get out of the experience.

As part of the application process, we will seek references from a parent/guardian and a teacher at your current school. Please speak to the individuals you would like to provide these references in advance, so you can check you have the correct email address and contact numbers for them and that they are happy to support your application.

References

Once you have successfully submitted your application, we will email your parent/guardian and teacher referees. They will be sent a personalised link to Aspire, where they will provide information to support your application.

The reference forms ask similar questions about the eligibility criteria and include the opportunity to provide a supporting statement. These statements can be used to let us know about other challenges you may have faced and/or what you might get out of participating in the programme. Teachers will also be asked to verify the subject/grade information you provided in your application.

Decisions

We will release decisions via email by 6 May 2025. If you are offered a place on the programme, or on the waitlist, you will have a limited amount of time to accept this offer and send back your conditional documents. Successful applicants will receive details on the next steps.

For information about the application process, please see our application FAQs.