Fourth year abroad

Application Process 

1. Submit Your Application by Email

• Deadline: 1st November (Midnight) 

• Email to: d.zhang17@imperial.ac.uk 

2. Application Requirements

Ensure you submit the following: 

One-page personal statement (essay) 

• Explain why you want to study abroad and what you hope to gain from the experience. 

• Highlight why you are a suitable candidate for year abroad programme. 
• Two-page CV: Highlight relevant academic achievements, extracurricular activities, and research experience. 
• Transcripts: Send your Year 1 and Year 2 transcripts to support your application. 

 Additional Steps Before the Interview (If Shortlisted) 

If you are shortlisted for the interview, you must complete the following steps: 

• Notify Your Personal Tutor: Inform your personal tutor about your application that the YA programme coordinator may request a reference letter from them. 
• Provide Tutor Contact Details: Send the name of your personal tutor to the YA programme coordinator. 
• Find an Academic Mentor: Identify a faculty member (academic staff) from the following list: 

https://www.imperial.ac.uk/bioengineering/people/academic-and-teaching-staff/ 

The academic mentor should be willing to support your YA programme application.  

Your mentor will: 

• Provide summative feedback on your project one month before your final report submission for marking at Imperial. 

• Act as the second marker for your final-year project. 

1. Develop a Study Plan & Obtain Approval 

• Prepare a detailed study plan outlining how your selected modules align with your degree requirements. 

• Obtain approval from your Programme Director before finalizing your study plan. 

 Interview Process 

Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed. Each interview will last 10 minutes, consisting of: 

• 4-minute slide presentation 

• 6-minute Q&A session 

ETH Zurich Biomedical Engineering :

• Students will take MSc courses. 

• A combination of coursework and an independent research project is required. 

• Course details can be found on ETH Zurich's website

Grenoble Institute of Technology, France :

• Students will specialize in Systems and Microsystems for Physics and Biotechnology. 

• Courses will be selected from Semesters 3, 4, and 5. 

• A research project is required. 

National University of Singapore:

• NUS has a strong Biomedical Engineering department. You can only select Biomedical Engineering department when you attend the YA programme. 

• Students will take a combination of undergraduate and postgraduate courses. 

• Research opportunities may be available. 
• Students must ensure their selected courses align with Imperial’s degree requirements. 

The University of California has 9 campuses.  Not all of them offer Biomedical Engineering. 

The following campuses have strong Biomedical Engineering programmes: 

University of California, Berkeley - Bioengineering - 

• Students will take final-year (senior) or 200-level courses. 

• Students are advised to take BioE 196 to satisfy the project requirement. 
• It is essential to ensure prerequisites are met before enrolling in a course. 

University of California, San Diego - Bioengineering :

• Students will take final-year (senior) or 200-level courses. 

• Students are advised to take BioE 196 to satisfy the project requirement. 

• It is essential to ensure prerequisites are met before enrolling in a course. 

A normal course load would be 3 - 4 courses per term plus the project.  Ensure the total course hours are equivalent to the final year courses at Imperial, and we would expect you to take an equivalent number of credits abroad (about 30 per term, plus project work).  European schools use the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) for counting credits. Exchange students can normally take classes outside of the host department but with some restrictions specific to the host department. You can view the regulations for the MEng Biomedical Engineering (Mechanical Engineering pathway), MEng Biomedical Engineering (Electrical Engineering pathway), and MEng Biomedical Engineering (Bioengineering pathway).

We offer official exchanges only with the above universities.  Erasmus exchanges with other universities are currently not being considered.  However, if students from abroad would like to study at Imperial for a year, they are welcome to apply as Non-Exchange Occasional Students.  This requires that they pay Imperial fees.  Because of our course structure and exam schedule, visiting students are required to come for the entire year (we do not accept visiting students for a single term).  If after careful consideration a student wishes to apply, they should email Adrian Hawksworth. (The Erasmus Code is UK LONDON015)

The first step for completing project work at Imperial is contacting a potential supervisor in the Department of Bioengineering.  If a member of academic staff agrees to supervise, there are a number of different routes available.  For undergraduate project work, students can be registered either in the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme (UROP) or as Non-Exchange Occasional Students.  For postgraduate project work, students must be registered as Non-Exchange Occasional Students.  The supervisor can advise which application route is suitable.  The maximum stay for project work is 6 months.