South Kensington Campus
Exhibition Road
London
SW7 2AZ
Tel 020 7594 8031
admissions@imperial.ac.uk
www.imperial.ac.uk
Open days: contact the college

PERFORMANCE

Sunday Times ranking 3 (3)

Student satisfaction 73.7%
Head teacher ranking 4 (7)
Peer ranking 5 (2=)
Research quality 73.6%
A-level/Higher points 487
Unemployment 5.8%
Firsts and 2:1s 68.8%
Student/staff ratio 10.3:1
Dropout rate 3.4% (4.7%)
World ranking 6

Multimedia

• The Times University Guide table

1908: The Imperial College Of Science And Technology

They possess a competent staff of distinguished professors, some of them men of the highest eminence

VITAL STATISTICS

Undergraduates 8,537 (0)
Postgraduates 4,126 (1,183)
Teaching staff 1,237
Applications/places 13,688/2,404; 5.7:1 (+3.7%)
Clearing entry 0%
Live in 30% (90%) £54-£220
Bursaries 40%: £300-£3,000
Scholarships None

SOCIAL MIX

EU/overseas 10.7%/30.2%
Mature 5.1%
State school 65.1%
Lowest social classes 16.5%
Low-participation areas 3.2%

One of the leading institutions in the world for studying science and engineering, Imperial College demonstrated its excellence in these areas (and others) in the research assessment exercise (RAE), the results of which were published last December. In pure mathematics, 40% of the research entered for the RAE secured the top 4* rating, indicating world-leading quality in all areas; this feat was matched also in epidemiology, civil engineering and history, while in business and management 35% of work submitted gained the coveted 4* rating.

The result is almost £40m of annual research revenue from UK industry in addition to the £93m of research funding awarded centrally off the back of Imperial’s outstanding RAE results, which ranked it fourth in the UK.

A research profile to compare with the best is backed up by a teaching record that saw four-fifths of the teaching rated excellent in official assessments carried out by other academics. Student satisfaction scores have thus far failed to do the college justice. The overall satisfaction score of 71.8% last year put Imperial in the bottom 30 institutions nationally.

An improvement to 73.7% still leaves Imperial ranked 92=, with computer science students (81.4%) the happiest, far outstripping mechanical engineering students (69.7%), who are the least satisfied, according to a Sunday Times analysis of the 2009 national student survey results.

The addition of 15,000 sq m of new facilities for engineering and business students, and the renovation of a further 27,000 sq m on the main South Ken campus (including civil engineering’s Skempton building by 2010) will transform the place by 2016. The new Eastside halls of residence in Princes Gardens, opposite the campus, will provide a swanky address and 419 study bedrooms, two common rooms, a convenience store and a cafe-bar from next month.

Imperial’s other principal academic strength lies in medicine. Its 2,000-plus students are scattered across a number of hospitals in central and west London, including Charing Cross, Hammersmith and St Mary’s, Paddington. Work is under way on a £99m facility to treat people with serious health problems, including heart and circulatory diseases. It will bring together 450 researchers and clinicians from the college and its associated healthcare NHS trust.

Bursary provision is among the most generous in higher education, with up to £3,000 of support offered annually to those from households where the annual income is less than £25,000.

Students benefit from some of the best sporting facilities in central London, thanks to the new Ethos sports centre.

STUDENT VIEW

Ashley Brown, students’ union president:

First impressions You are bombarded by culture and things to do.
Worst feature The workload here is very high, so you have to manage your time well.
Facilities We have new halls of residence with a bar and shop.
Deal clincher Excellent career opportunities and great clubs and societies.

Rated excellent (13)
Business and management; chemical engineering; chemistry; computer science; electrical and electronic engineering; general engineering; geology; materials technology; mechanical aeronautical and manufacturing engineering; maths, statistics and operational research; molecular biosciences; organismal biosciences; physics and astronomy.

Student satisfaction
Computer Science 81.4; Technology 78.8; Electronic and Electrical Engineering 76.3; Medicine and Dentistry 75.2; Physical Science 75; Civil, Chemical and other Engineering 73.8; Biology and related Sciences 73.6; Other subjects allied to Medicine 73; Mathematical Sciences 71.6; Mechanically-based Engineering 69.7

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