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BEng Mechanical Engineering
The broadest of the engineering degrees, covering mechanics, thermodynamics, materials and design — a foundation for almost any engineering career.
Overview
Imperial College London was founded in 1907 and is unusual among major British universities in teaching only science, engineering, medicine and business. There is no arts or humanities faculty, and that focus shapes everything from the timetable to the culture.
Its main campus is in South Kensington, alongside the major museums, with medical campuses attached to teaching hospitals across London and a growing research site at White City.
Programmes are technically demanding and mathematically rigorous, and many undergraduate degrees run as four-year integrated master's courses rather than three-year bachelor's degrees. Industry and clinical placements are common.
Courses and subjects
MSc Aerospace Engineering
Advanced study of flight vehicles — aerodynamics, structures, propulsion and control — at universities with genuine aerospace research programmes.
MSc Artificial Intelligence
A research-flavoured master's in machine learning, reasoning and the systems built on them, at universities with long-standing AI groups.
MSc Civil Engineering
A specialised master's in the engineering of infrastructure — structures, water, geotechnics and transport — usually chosen with a named specialisation.
MSc Computer Science
An advanced degree for computing graduates deepening a specialism, or a rigorous conversion route at programmes designed for other disciplines.
MSc Finance
A quantitative master's covering corporate finance, investments and financial markets, aimed at analyst-level roles in banking and asset management.
Admission requirements
Entry is competitive and mathematics-heavy across most of the portfolio.
- Strong Class 12 or equivalent results with mathematics and the relevant sciences — these prerequisites are non-negotiable for engineering and the physical sciences.
- Admissions tests for medicine and for several engineering and mathematics courses.
- Interviews for medicine and for some other programmes.
- A relevant bachelor's degree with a good classification for master's entry, with specific module content checked for technical courses.
- English proficiency at the level the department sets, which is higher for some courses than the university minimum.
Tuition fees
Imperial is specialised in science, engineering, medicine and business, and its fees reflect the cost of teaching laboratory-based subjects in central London.
- Set per programme, with international rates differing substantially from home rates.
- Laboratory and clinical subjects cost more than classroom-based ones, and Imperial is mostly the former.
- Business school programmes are priced separately and typically above the college average.
- Fees are usually fixed for the duration of the course at your entry-year rate for international students.
- London living costs are the dominant additional expense — the Home Office sets a higher maintenance requirement for London than elsewhere in the UK.
Work from Imperial's course page for your specific programme for your specific programme and year of entry — it is the only figure that will be correct for you, and it is republished every year. We will confirm the current cost and what it includes before you commit to an application.
Scholarships
Imperial concentrates its funding on science, engineering, medicine and business, and much of it is departmental rather than central. Its president's scholarships for doctoral candidates are the most substantial awards, decided on research potential and covering the duration of the programme.
- Doctoral scholarships — the largest awards, decided on research potential and normally covering the full programme.
- Departmental master's awards — subject-specific, published by each department.
- Faculty awards — narrower criteria within a discipline.
- External partnerships — jointly funded awards administered with industry and government partners.
Most awards require you to hold an offer before you can apply, and the rounds close early. Applying late for the course usually means the scholarship window has already shut.
Campus life
A South Kensington main campus in one of central London's most expensive districts, with a strongly technical, work-focused student culture.
- South Kensington sits beside the major museums and Hyde Park, with additional campuses including the medical sites and White City.
- A technical, high-workload culture — students consistently describe the pace as demanding, and the terms are structured around continuous assessment and lab work.
- An active union with a wide society range, including a well-known music and arts scene alongside sport.
- Good international student support, with a large proportion of the student body from outside the UK.
- College accommodation for most first-year undergraduates, after which students find private housing — usually further out, because central London rents are prohibitive.
London is the real cost. Halls in the first year are the affordable option, and planning where to live from the second year onwards — and how long the commute will be — is worth doing early.