A four-year MEng, JFM2
Imperial says the course engages with both the scientific and engineering aspects of materials, from processing to performance. It is delivered by the Department of Materials.
Undergraduate · Imperial Materials
Imperial Materials Science and Engineering MEng against Oxford Materials
Imperial's Materials Science and Engineering MEng combines the science and the engineering of materials over four years, with electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction in the laboratory and an individual project in the final year. Its published minimum is AAA or 38 IB points, with no test, and selection involves an applicant day with an interview and a group task. Oxford's Materials Science asks for a higher standard and a different selection process, so the sensible comparison is by what each course asks of you rather than by name.
Official information · last verified for 2027 entry
What Imperial asks for in Materials Science and Engineering
Taken from Imperial's Materials Science and Engineering MEng course page and read on 31 October 2026. For a normal 2028-entry application, made in 2027, every requirement below is last verified for the previous cycle and may change; Imperial's 2028-entry requirements and dates are awaiting publication.
AAA, or 38 IB points, with Mathematics
The minimum A-level standard is AAA to include A in Mathematics, A in Chemistry or Physics and A in a useful subject. The IB standard is 38 points with 6 in Mathematics and 6 in Physics or Chemistry at Higher Level.
Typical offers are higher
The typical offer is A*AA at A level and 39 IB points. Imperial says typical offers can be higher than the minimum.
No admissions test
Imperial says the department does not use a test as part of its selection process.
An applicant day
Applicants likely to meet the requirements are invited to an applicant day with a 30-minute interview with a lecturer and a 45-minute engineering group task.
Official sources
Read on 31 October 2026 on Imperial's Materials Science and Engineering MEng course page, which describes 2027 entry. Imperial's Department of Materials pages, the BEng course page, fees, the contextual-offer details and the 2028-entry values were not read and are not stated.
The course
From structure and properties to processing and an individual project
Imperial describes assessing how technological advances relating to materials are transforming areas such as healthcare and transport, and considering innovations in biomedical engineering, robotics and quantum computing. The first year has core modules in mathematics and computing, the performance of structural materials, engineering practice, materials processing, structure and properties; the second year adds materials characterisation and the performance of functional materials. In the third year students take theory and simulation of materials, managerial economics and research techniques and choose four options such as nanomaterials, biomaterials or nuclear fusion. The fourth year includes an individual project and options from nuclear materials and density-functional theory to machine learning for materials and nanomedicine.
Imperial or Oxford
Two materials degrees with different asks
Avandy's Oxford Materials Science guide records Oxford's own published rules. Compare them by course, not by assumption.
Imperial asks for
AAA at A level or 38 IB points as a minimum, with Mathematics and Chemistry or Physics, no test, and an applicant day with an interview and group task.
Oxford asks for
A*AA at A level including Mathematics and Physics, or 40 IB points with 766 at Higher Level, no written test and online interviews, according to Avandy's Oxford guide.
Choose by fit, not grade
Imperial's engineering-focused MEng, with a group task and an individual project, differs in style from Oxford's course. Read each course page, then choose which you can prepare for.
Entry rules
Mathematics and a science, no test, and an applicant day
The A-level standard is AAA with Mathematics, Chemistry or Physics and a useful subject; typical offers run to A*AA. The IB standard is 38 points with Higher Level Mathematics and Physics or Chemistry, with 39 as the typical offer. There is no admissions test. Applicants whose applications suggest they will meet the requirements are invited to an applicant day, normally on a Wednesday between November and March, with a one-to-one interview that Imperial wants to feel like a conversation, a group task and a student Q&A. The page shows 8 applications for every place for 2025; that is a historical ratio, not a requirement or a prediction.
A decision framework
Three questions before you commit
This is Avandy's own framework, not Imperial's.
Science or engineering emphasis?
Imperial presents both. If the processing, design and project side excites you, the MEng fits.
Which second subject do you hold?
Chemistry or Physics alongside Mathematics both qualify here.
Are you ready for a group task?
The applicant day includes teamwork, which Imperial says it deems important.
Planning for 2028 entry
Planning for 2028 entry: what carries over and what is awaiting publication
Applying for 2028 entry means applying in 2027, under rules Imperial has not yet published for that cycle. Each item below carries one of two labels. Last verified for 2027 entry means Imperial published it for the previous cycle and it may change. Awaiting publication for 2028 entry means Imperial has not yet published it.
Grades, the subject rule, the absence of a test and the applicant day: last verified for 2027 entry
These are the best guide to what to prepare. Imperial has not confirmed them for 2028 entry.
The UCAS deadline and applicant-day arrangements: awaiting publication for 2028 entry
Check Imperial's course page for the 2028-entry values when they appear.
What to do now
Confirm Mathematics and Physics or Chemistry, read about electron microscopy and processing and prepare for an applicant day.
Support
Independent support with course choice and preparation
Avandy provides independent academic and admissions support. It is not affiliated with Imperial College London or any of its colleges or departments. Preparation sits within the Avandy Trinity Advisory Model: a Strategic Admissions Consultant, a PhD-level Academic Mentor and a Subject-specific Tutor, working to the actual requirements of each course. Support here means course-fit advice, mathematics and science mentoring and ethical interview practice; Avandy gives no scores or probabilities and does not supply interview questions. No outcome is promised.
Questions
Questions applicants ask
What are the Imperial Materials MEng entry requirements?
AAA at A level including Mathematics and Chemistry or Physics, or 38 IB points with 6 in Mathematics and Physics or Chemistry at Higher Level. This is Imperial's wording for 2027 entry.
Is there an admissions test?
No. Imperial says the department does not use a test as part of its selection process.
What happens at the applicant day?
A 30-minute interview with a lecturer, a 45-minute engineering group task and a 45-minute Q&A with student ambassadors.
How does it compare with Oxford Materials?
Avandy's Oxford guide records A*AA including Mathematics and Physics, or 40 IB points, so the published standards differ. Compare each course page.
How long is the course?
Four years, including an individual project in the fourth year.
Are these the rules for 2028 entry?
No. They are Imperial's wording for the 2027 application cycle. Check the course page again when Imperial publishes its 2028-entry requirements.
Students and families
Talk to us about Imperial Materials Science and Engineering
Tell us about the student's curriculum, their Mathematics, Physics or Chemistry, how they reason about materials and what they would say at an applicant day, the universities on the list, and the intended year of entry. A senior adviser will review the academic profile before recommending how to prepare.