Biochemistry
Develop skills towards a career in the applied biochemistry and biotechnology industries.
Focus on biology at the molecular and cellular level and understand chemical processes within living organisms
Develop your research expertise through the completion of a substantial project or dissertation
Enrich your learning on an optional research year abroad or year in industry
Course key facts
Qualification
BSc
Duration
3 years
Start date
October 2026
UCAS course code
C700
Study mode
Full-time
-
Fees
Not set Home
Not set Overseas
Delivered by
Location
-
South Kensington
-
Applications: places
10 : 1 (2024)
Minimum entry standard
AAA (A-level)
38 points (International Baccalaureate)
Course overview
Develop skills towards a career in the applied biochemistry and biotechnology industries on this three-year course.
With teaching delivered through lectures and case studies from business leaders and academics, this course will prepare you for advanced study or a career in the field.
You'll build familiarity with key aspects of both industries, including commercialising technology, entrepreneurship, and intellectual property and patents.
Through laboratory and computational work, you'll acquire the skills required to design, carry out and analyse data from biochemical experiments.
You'll also benefit from close interaction with the department's internationally leading research programme, with access to facilities including modern microscopes and tissue culture suites.
Your third year offers increased freedom to follow your own interests in chosen subject areas.
You'll choose from a wide range of optional modules on topics such as synthetic biology, cancer and bioinformatics. You'll then apply your expertise to a substantial project or dissertation.
Your studies will be complemented by a Life Science Skills programme that will provide training in quantitative skills, programming, statistics, and scientific writing and presentation.
Structure
This page is updated regularly to reflect the latest version of the curriculum. However, this information is subject to change.
Find out more about potential course changes.
Please note: it may not always be possible to take specific combinations of modules due to timetabling conflicts. For confirmation, please check with the relevant department.
Teaching and assessment
Balance of teaching and learning
Key
- Lectures, laboratory work and seminars
- Independent study
Years 1 and 2
- 30% Lectures, laboratory work and seminars
- 70% Independent study
Teaching and learning methods
-
Laboratory
-
Lectures
-
Tutorials
-
Seminars
-
Site visits
-
Group project
-
Research project
Balance of assessment
Key
- Examination
- Coursework
Year 1
- 60% Examination
- 40% Coursework
Year 2
- 48% Examination
- 52% Coursework
Year 3
- 56% Examination
- 44% Coursework
Assessment methods
-
Coursework
-
Essays
-
Individual research
-
Laboratory write-ups
-
Presentations
-
Reports
-
Written examinations
Testimonials
Entry requirements
We consider all applicants on an individual basis, welcoming students from all over the world.
Minimum entry standard
AAA
To include:
- A in Chemistry
- A in Biology, Mathematics or Physics
- A in a third subject
Not accepted: General Studies and Critical Thinking
Science Practical Endorsement: If you are made an offer you will be required to achieve a pass in the practical endorsement in all science subjects that form part of the offer.
Typical offer
AAA-A*AA (applicants studying three A-levels)
Offers made to at least 50% of 2024 entry A-level applicants.
Support for widening participation applicants
Our contextual admissions route for UK applicants may entitle you to additional considerations within the application process to help us form a more complete picture of your potential to succeed at Imperial.
Find out more about who is eligible and what support you may receive.
How to apply
Apply via UCAS
When applications open, you will be able to start your application via UCAS Hub. There you can add this course as one of your choices and track your application.
Applications open on 13 May 2025
Application deadlines – 14 January 2026 at 18.00 (UK time)
This department does not use a test as part of its selection process.
Predicted grades and scores in your application are important, but it’s not the only thing that drives the decision.
Our selectors will also consider things like your personal statement and your references to understand whether there is a good match between you and your chosen subject and department at Imperial.
You can read more about our selection process, including tips on writing a personal statement, in our How to apply section.
Assessing your application
Admissions Tutors consider all the evidence available during our rigorous selection process and the College flags key information providing assessors with a more complete picture of the educational and social circumstances relevant to the applicant. Some applicants may be set lower offers and some more challenging ones.
Generally, the department does not hold interviews.
Applications from school leavers who wish to take a gap year are welcome. Applicants must state in their UCAS personal statement how they propose to spend their time.
For Biological Sciences, Biochemistry and Biotechnology, we sometimes accept transfers from other institutions into the second year. Students should provide us with a transcript of their first year grades and details of their Pre-University Qualifications and the grades attained in them.
Offers are based on the number of places available (if any), the relevance of the modules covered in the first year elsewhere and the grades achieved. If we feel direct entry to the second year wouldn't be possible we may offer you first year entry instead.
We do not accept any transfers into the third year of any of our courses.
Applicants who are unsuccessful cannot be reconsidered for entry within the same cycle but may reapply the following year without prejudice with a new application. We consider resit students in open competition with all other applicants.
We do not accept Access courses, Foundation years or OU courses.
General studies will not be accepted at any level. Other qualifications, such as Key Skills or Critical Thinking, while useful, will not count towards an offer.
An ATAS certificate is not required for students applying for this course.
The structure of the Department's courses means that transfer between different Biotechnology and Biochemistry degrees is usually possible up until the end of the second year.
- Transfer onto Language for Science courses must be completed at the very start of the first year.
- Transfer onto Year in Industry/Research courses should be completed at the start of the second year to allow time to arrange a suitable placement.
- It is not possible to transfer onto one of the Biological Sciences degrees from a Biochemistry or Biotechnology degree.
- Transfer onto the Management Year is subject to approval from the Imperial College Business School; and academic performance in the first two years of the degree (students should be working to a 2:1 standard by the end of their second year).
If you are an international student, transferring to a different course could have an impact on your student visa.
Please visit our International Student Support webpage for further information.
Language requirement
Teaching is in the language of your host country, so you will need to reach an acceptable proficiency in the relevant language before you go. Free language classes are available at the College to help you prepare.
Availability
There are limited places available on the Year Abroad programme, which means that competition for selection is strong and a placement cannot be guaranteed.
Normally, only students with marks of 60% or above will be eligible for placements in France and Germany. Only students with marks of 70% or above will be eligible for placements in the USA.
Please note the list of universities located abroad that the Department currently has partnerships with is illustrative.
Partnerships with universities are subject to continuous review and individual partnerships may or may not be renewed.
Read more about how our language for science degrees are taught on the Centre for Languages, Culture and Communication website.
Fees and funding
Home fee
2026 entry
Not set
As a guide, the Home fee for 2025-26 was £9,535 per year.
Year abroad
2026 entry
Not set
As a guide, the Home fee for 2025-26 was £1,450.
Year in industry
2026 entry
Not set
As a guide, the Home fee for 2025-26 was £1,900 for that year.
Your fee is based on the year you enter the university, not your year of study. This means that if you repeat a year or resume your studies after an interruption, your fees will only increase by the amount linked to inflation.
Find out more about our tuition fees payment terms, including how inflationary increases are applied to your tuition fees in subsequent years of study.
Whether you pay the Home or Overseas fee depends on your fee status. This is assessed based on UK Government legislation and includes things like where you live and your nationality or residency status. Find out how we assess your fee status.
If you're a Home student, you can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan from the UK government to cover the entire cost of tuition for every year of your course.
The loan is paid directly to the university.
You will start repaying it only after you leave your course, have a job, and are earning above a certain amount.
Once the repayments start, the amount you pay each month depends on how much you earn, not on how much you owe in total.
Home students can apply for a means-tested Maintenance Loan to help with their living costs.
How you apply for student finance depends on whether you have studied before and where you’re from or normally live. Find out more on the UK government's website.
The Imperial Bursary is available to all Home undergraduate students with a household income below £70,000 per year.
The amount awarded is based on your household income, with up to £5,000/year available for students from the lowest income households.
It's money which you don't need to pay back, and it's paid on top of any government funding you may also receive.
It is available for each year of your course, as long as your annual household income remains below £70,000.
You might need to budget for additional costs related to your course that aren't covered by your tuition fees – like field trips, books and protective clothing.
Our extra costs page outlines the additional costs related to courses in each of our departments. It's not an exhaustive list and any additional costs you could incur will be determined by the course and modules you choose.
How will studying at Imperial help my career?
94% Of Imperial Life Sciences graduates in work or further study*
- 94% Of Imperial Life Sciences graduates in work or further study*
- 6%
83% Of Imperial Life Sciences graduates in highly skilled work or further study*
- 83% Of Imperial Life Sciences graduates in highly skilled work or further study*
- 17%
*2021-22 graduate outcomes data, published by HESA in 2024
Gain an excellent grounding in biochemistry towards more advanced study.
-(1).svg){kind=icon}
Graduates often pursue further study in master's programs or doctoral research.
Many others advance to roles in business, government and industrial research, or public health.
Other potential career paths include healthcare, management consulting, biochemistry, and medical communications.
Further links
Contact the department
- Telephone: +44 (0)20 7594 5398
- Email: lifesciences.admissions@imperial.ac.uk
Visit the Department of Life Sciences website
Request info
Learn more about studying at Imperial. Receive useful information about our life in our undergraduate community and download our latest Study Guide.
Events, tasters and talks
Meet us and find out more about studying at Imperial.
Course data
Terms and conditions
There are some important pieces of information you should be aware of when applying to Imperial. These include key information about your tuition fees, funding, visas, accommodation and more.
You can find further information about your course, including degree classifications, regulations, progression and awards in the programme specification for your course.
Programme specifications