Admissions · United Kingdom
Imperial College London Acceptance Rate: Admissions Statistics and English Requirements
Imperial College London made offers to 24.0% of undergraduate applicants in the 2025 UCAS cycle (8,143 offers from 33,923 applications), according to its five-year admissions statistics; 3,627 places were confirmed.
Imperial publishes applications received, offers made and places confirmed for every undergraduate programme over the last five UCAS cycles, split by fee status (Home and Overseas). On this page the acceptance rate is offers divided by applications, computed from those published counts, with the English test scores international applicants need.
Figures read from official sources on · LingoLeap Admissions Research
Imperial College London acceptance rate by year
Imperial acceptance rate for international (Overseas fee status) applicants
| Group | Cycle | Rate | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overseas fee status | 2025 UCAS cycle | 19.0% | 3,661 offers from 19,272 applications, summed from programme rows (counts of 5 or fewer are suppressed, so totals are slightly low). source |
| Overseas fee status | 2024 UCAS cycle | 19.3% | 3,937 offers from 20,378 applications; 1,647 places confirmed (summed from programme rows). source |
| Home fee status | 2025 UCAS cycle | 32.7% | 4,066 offers from 12,427 applications (summed from programme rows). source |
| Home fee status | 2024 UCAS cycle | 34.0% | 4,250 offers from 12,484 applications (summed from programme rows). source |
What the numbers mean
Imperial's figures count every UCAS application received for an undergraduate programme, whatever the outcome. 'Offer made' includes conditional offers; 'places confirmed' counts applicants whose offer became unconditional once their results were verified. Because many offer holders choose another university or miss their conditions, places confirmed (3,627 in 2025) are well below offers.
More than half of Imperial's applications come from applicants with Overseas fee status: about 19,300 of 33,900 in 2025. Those applicants received offers at roughly 19%, against about 33% for Home applicants. Imperial publishes these by fee status, which is close to but not the same as where an applicant lives.
Programmes differ widely. The Business School's Economics, Finance and Data Science BSc made 309 offers from 2,183 applications in 2025 (14.2%), while Civil Engineering MEng made 230 offers from 402 applications (57.2%). Several courses use admissions tests (UCAT for Medicine, and ESAT or TMUA for many science, engineering and mathematics courses), which Imperial reports alongside these statistics.
Imperial College London TOEFL and IELTS requirements
Minimums for international applicants from the university's own pages. Since 21 January 2026 TOEFL iBT reports a 1–6 band score; the notes give the older 0–120 equivalent where the university states one. Convert TOEFL and IELTS scores.
Undergraduate (university-wide)
TOEFL iBT: 4.5 overall (1–6 scale)
The 'standard' requirement level (4.5 overall, 4.5 each section) applies to most undergraduate programmes. Some programmes may use the 'higher' level. Imperial continues to accept new TOEFL format from January 21, 2026.
Official page · checked 19 March 2026
Master's (university-wide)
TOEFL iBT: 5 overall (1–6 scale)
The 'higher' requirement level applies to most postgraduate taught and research programmes. Some programmes use the 'standard' level (4.5 overall, 4.5 each section). Check individual programme pages. Imperial continues to accept new TOEFL format from January 21, 2026.
Official page · checked 19 March 2026
Check your score against Imperial College London
Take a free 2026-format TOEFL mock test for a 1–6 band estimate, then compare it with the minimum above and with other universities' requirements.
Free TOEFL mock testFAQ
What is the Imperial College London acceptance rate?
In the 2025 UCAS cycle Imperial received 33,923 undergraduate applications and made 8,143 offers, an offer rate of 24.0%. 3,627 places were confirmed, 10.7% of applications. The offer rate was 25.1% in 2024 and 25.9% in 2023.
What is Imperial's acceptance rate for international students?
Imperial publishes its figures by fee status. Summing its programme-level rows, applicants with Overseas fee status sent 19,272 applications in the 2025 cycle and received 3,661 offers, about 19.0%; in 2024 it was 3,937 offers from 20,378 applications (19.3%). Counts of 5 or fewer are suppressed in the published file, so these totals are very slightly low.
Is Imperial harder to get into than Oxford or Cambridge?
On published offer rates, no: Imperial made offers to 24.0% of applicants in 2025, compared with 16.7% at Oxford and 21.7% at Cambridge for 2025 entry. Imperial's rate varies much more by programme, though, and its most popular courses are far more selective than the average.
Does Imperial accept the new TOEFL?
Yes. Imperial continues to accept TOEFL iBT tests taken from 21 January 2026 on the new 1–6 scale. Most undergraduate programmes use the standard level of 4.5 overall with 4.5 in every section; some use the higher level of 5.0 in every section. Tests taken before 21 January 2026 are assessed against the old requirement while they remain valid.
What IELTS score does Imperial require?
Imperial's standard level, used by most undergraduate programmes, is IELTS Academic 6.5 overall with at least 6.0 in every element. The higher level is 7.0 overall with at least 6.5 in every element. IELTS One Skill Retake results are not accepted, and scores must come from a single sitting.