Written by Haaris (US), MRes Bioengineering
Applying for postgraduate study can be daunting, but it’s a fantastic opportunity to learn at the cutting edge of your field, meet inspiring individuals and push your limits for career success.
1. Choose a course
The first and most important step is choosing a course. Generally, Imperial’s graduate degrees are either course-based or research-based.
Course-based degrees, known as postgraduate taught courses, are similar to a Bachelor’s as they focus on seminars and assignments, with the potential to do a capstone project – a long-term assignment where you apply what you’ve learnt to a real-world problem or research question – towards the end of your course.
Alternatively, research courses are much more independent and usually end with completing a thesis or dissertation. Most PhDs and some Master’s courses are research courses, such as the MRes Bioengineering degree I completed this year.
2. Check key application deadlines and entry requirements and prepare to make your application
Depending on the course, different deadlines for applications and funding will apply. It’s always better to submit your application earlier as funding deadlines come up quickly! Many courses have multiple rounds of applications, with deadlines ranging from December to May. However, later application rounds may not be considered for the same funding opportunities and courses may fill up from earlier application rounds.
You can check the application deadlines and entry requirements for courses on the relevant course pages on Imperial’s website. Some research-based programs may require students to contact a host professor or even write a project proposal prior to applying, so make sure to carefully read the requirements for any courses you’re interested in – and again, get started early!
My course had application deadlines all the way until May 2024 for a September 2024 start, but I reached out to mentors the previous summer and submitted my application by November 2023. As an international student, this was important to ensure timely processing of documents for my visa. I applied for the visa once I received my CAS from Imperial in summer 2024 and made sure everything was in order months in advance. My Marshall Scholarship programme helped streamline the whole process too. If you want to see what scholarships or funding support you could apply for to study at Imperial, you can use the online scholarship search tool.
3. Complete and submit your application
Imperial’s applications are similar to most other graduate schools with a focus on your undergraduate academic performance, recommendation letters and a personal statement.
Asking for references
If you have prior research, internships or work experience, your supervisors and mentors should be a priority to get recommendations from. Other letters can come from teachers from undergraduate courses, community leaders or people who have observed you in leadership positions. When asking for references, be sure to explain the context of the letter, give referees ample time to complete their reference (usually a month in advance), and send letter requests to their professional emails.
Writing your postgraduate personal statement
Personal statement writing is an important skill not just for applying to Imperial but for the rest of your career – they’re just like writing a cover letter to apply for jobs. In your personal statement, it’s important to mention your career goals and aspirations, reasons for choosing Imperial, any unique skills you have and prior work or research experience. Don’t just rewrite lines on your resume – you should go into depth about the projects you’ve worked on and how you as an individual contributed. Show Imperial why you would be a great addition to their community through the lens of your prior successes. If you have a specific professor you’ve already reached out to or begun drafting a project with, mention that within your personal statement as well. Also, check out Imperial’s guidance on writing a postgraduate personal statement for some top tips.
Paying your application fee
For some postgraduate courses at Imperial, you’ll have to pay an application fee. The fee can differ between each course, so check Imperial’s website to find out how much you might need to pay to apply to the course you’re interested in. Make sure this is paid by the payment deadline – you don’t want to miss out on opportunities because of delayed payment!
If you’re not able to pay the application fee, Imperial has an application fee waiver for students who are facing financial hardship – check if you’re eligible for an application fee waiver on Imperial’s website.
Creating and sticking to a timeline
Overall, the most important element of the Imperial application process is timeliness, especially for international students. It’s a good idea to make a timeline of when tasks need to be complete: sending reference requests, finishing personal statement drafts, submitting funding applications and working through visa checklists. Reaching out to other students who have gone through the process can be helpful not just for administrative tasks but also for application revision. By staying responsible, you’ll be finishing your application and hopefully joining Imperial in no time!
If you want to hear more about my experiences at Imperial, read my story.
