Key Facts · Imperial
Biochemistry at Imperial College London is the three-year Biochemistry BSc (C700) for October 2027 entry. The verified minimum A-level offer is AAA, and the 2027 cycle adds ESAT with Mathematics 1, Chemistry and Biology. The route has no normal interview, written-work or portfolio requirement.
Section 01
International Applicants
Hover to preview · Click to draw route
Select a highlighted country to see the admissions-test, score, and English-language requirements that apply specifically to applicants from that country.
Section 02
| Qualification | Typical Offer | Key Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| A-Level | AAA | A in Chemistry, A in Biology, Mathematics or Physics, A in a third subject required. General Studies, Critical Thinking not accepted.If made an offer, applicants must pass the practical endorsement in all science subjects that form part of the offer. Caveat: AAA is the verified minimum entry standard in accessible current sources; any higher typical-offer range above AAA was not independently verified from current official text. |
| IB Diploma | 38–39 points (38 minimum verified) | HL: 6 in Chemistry at Higher Level, 6 in Biology, Mathematics or Physics at Higher Level required.Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches or Applications and Interpretation are accepted at Higher Level with no preference. Caveat: minimum 38 points was verified in accessible Imperial programme-spec evidence; the 39-point typical-offer claim was not independently verified from current official text. |
| Advanced Placement (AP) | 5,5,5 | 5 in Chemistry, 5 in Biology, Physics (1 or 2 or C) or Calculus (AB or BC), 5 in another subject, excluding Art, Music and languages other than English required. SAT/ACT: ACT and SAT scores are not accepted for undergraduate entry; Imperial instead seeks AP tests with scores of 5 for US-curriculum applicants..Imperial's general accepted-qualifications page states a minimum of 3-4 AP tests at grade 5, while the course page specifies the three subject APs required for this course. |
Section 03
How It Ranks Against Peers
| University | Guardian UK | CUG UK | Times UK |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Cambridge | — | #1 | — |
| University of Oxford | — | #2 | — |
| Durham University | — | #3 | — |
| Imperial College London | — | #4 | — |
| UCL | — | #8 | — |
University of Cambridge
University of Oxford
Durham University
Imperial College London
UCL
Ranks shown are UK subject-table positions from the three major UK guides. World rankings are not included — UK applicants compare using UK-focused sources.
The peer table places Cambridge, Oxford and Durham above Imperial in that source, with UCL also included as a London comparator.
Section 04
YEAR 12
Use Year 12 to confirm that your subject combination fits Imperial Biochemistry and to gather evidence for the UCAS personal statement. Prioritise Chemistry-linked molecular biology, lab or reading evidence rather than generic interest in science.
Tip:Keep a short log of books, lectures, experiments, competitions or research topics and the specific biochemical ideas you learned from each.
1 SEP
Completed UCAS applications for 2027 entry can be submitted from 1 September 2026. Your reference must be completed before the application can be sent.
Tip:Ask your school for its internal deadline, which will usually be earlier than the UCAS deadline.
13 JAN
Biochemistry is a standard-deadline undergraduate course, so the 2027 equal-consideration deadline is 13 January 2027 at 18:00 UK time. Late applications may be considered only where places remain.
Tip:Do not treat 15 October as the relevant deadline unless you are also applying to Oxford, Cambridge, Medicine, Dentistry, or Veterinary Medicine/Science.
JAN — MAR
Imperial reviews the UCAS application and, for 2027 entry, the required ESAT result. No published Biochemistry interview stage was verified in accessible sources.
Tip:Check UCAS Hub, UAT-UK results timing and your email regularly in case Imperial requests clarification about qualifications or documents.
25 FEB — JUL
UCAS Extra opens on 25 February 2027 for applicants who have used all five choices and are not holding any offers. It remains relevant only if you need an additional choice before Clearing.
Tip:Use Extra strategically; do not withdraw viable offers unless you are certain you want to re-enter the process.
31 MAR — 12 MAY
UCAS says providers should aim to send decisions on applications received by 13 January by 31 March 2027. The formal UCAS reject-by-default date for those applications is 12 May 2027.
Tip:If Imperial is one of several choices, wait until all decisions are in before choosing your firm and insurance.
5 MAY / 2 JUN
If all decisions arrive by 31 March, the UCAS reply deadline is 5 May 2027; if all decisions arrive by 12 May, the reply deadline is 2 June 2027. Your personal UCAS Hub deadline is the one that counts.
Tip:Choose an insurance offer that genuinely protects you if exam results miss your firm-choice conditions.
30 JUN — 2 JUL
Applications received by 30 June 2027 at 18:00 are still sent to universities; after that, applications enter Clearing. Clearing opens on 2 July 2027.
Tip:For a competitive Imperial course, ask about vacancies before relying on late application or Clearing routes.
12 AUG
AQA provisional 2027 timetable evidence lists A-level results as available to students on Thursday 12 August 2027. Imperial place confirmation then depends on meeting offer conditions and UCAS/Imperial processing.
Tip:Have your UCAS Hub login, Imperial offer conditions and exam-board details ready before results morning.
YEAR 12
Use Year 12 to confirm that your subject combination fits Imperial Biochemistry and to gather evidence for the UCAS personal statement. Prioritise Chemistry-linked molecular biology, lab or reading evidence rather than generic interest in science.
Tip:Keep a short log of books, lectures, experiments, competitions or research topics and the specific biochemical ideas you learned from each.
1 SEP
Completed UCAS applications for 2027 entry can be submitted from 1 September 2026. Your reference must be completed before the application can be sent.
Tip:Ask your school for its internal deadline, which will usually be earlier than the UCAS deadline.
13 JAN
Biochemistry is a standard-deadline undergraduate course, so the 2027 equal-consideration deadline is 13 January 2027 at 18:00 UK time. Late applications may be considered only where places remain.
Tip:Do not treat 15 October as the relevant deadline unless you are also applying to Oxford, Cambridge, Medicine, Dentistry, or Veterinary Medicine/Science.
JAN — MAR
Imperial reviews the UCAS application and, for 2027 entry, the required ESAT result. No published Biochemistry interview stage was verified in accessible sources.
Tip:Check UCAS Hub, UAT-UK results timing and your email regularly in case Imperial requests clarification about qualifications or documents.
25 FEB — JUL
UCAS Extra opens on 25 February 2027 for applicants who have used all five choices and are not holding any offers. It remains relevant only if you need an additional choice before Clearing.
Tip:Use Extra strategically; do not withdraw viable offers unless you are certain you want to re-enter the process.
31 MAR — 12 MAY
UCAS says providers should aim to send decisions on applications received by 13 January by 31 March 2027. The formal UCAS reject-by-default date for those applications is 12 May 2027.
Tip:If Imperial is one of several choices, wait until all decisions are in before choosing your firm and insurance.
5 MAY / 2 JUN
If all decisions arrive by 31 March, the UCAS reply deadline is 5 May 2027; if all decisions arrive by 12 May, the reply deadline is 2 June 2027. Your personal UCAS Hub deadline is the one that counts.
Tip:Choose an insurance offer that genuinely protects you if exam results miss your firm-choice conditions.
30 JUN — 2 JUL
Applications received by 30 June 2027 at 18:00 are still sent to universities; after that, applications enter Clearing. Clearing opens on 2 July 2027.
Tip:For a competitive Imperial course, ask about vacancies before relying on late application or Clearing routes.
12 AUG
AQA provisional 2027 timetable evidence lists A-level results as available to students on Thursday 12 August 2027. Imperial place confirmation then depends on meeting offer conditions and UCAS/Imperial processing.
Tip:Have your UCAS Hub login, Imperial offer conditions and exam-board details ready before results morning.
Section 05
Imperial Biochemistry C700 requires the Engineering and Science Admissions Test, usually abbreviated ESAT, for 2027 entry. The required modules are Mathematics 1, Chemistry and Biology.
The test is provided by UAT-UK and delivered through Pearson VUE test centres. For 2027 entry, the sitting windows are 12–16 October 2026 or 4–8 January 2027, and applicants to institutions other than Cambridge or Oxford can choose either sitting but may sit only once in an admissions cycle.
Account creation, access arrangements and bursaries open on 1 June 2026 at 3pm BST, while booking opens on 20 July 2026 for the October sitting and 26 October 2026 for the January sitting. Registration closes on 28 September 2026 at 6pm BST for the October sitting and 21 December 2026 at 6pm GMT for the January sitting.
UAT-UK states that there is no pass/fail score and that scores are used alongside the rest of the application. For international applicants, the test gives Imperial another common piece of evidence across different school systems, especially where qualification grading is not directly comparable. In reality, avoid chasing invented cut-offs; plan timed, no-calculator practice across all three required modules.
Full ESAT preparation guide | format, scoring, strategy, and practice resources.
ESAT Guide →Section 06
Interview Invitation
Late Nov
Arrival to Interview
Early Dec
Technical Question
Mid Dec
Decision
Early Jan
Interview Invitation
Late Nov
Arrival to Interview
Early Dec
Technical Question
Mid Dec
Decision
Early Jan
Practise with realistic questions from our free Biochemistry mock interview bank.
Free Mock Questions →Section 07
Weighting of Admission Factors
100%
Indicative — exact balance varies by college and year.
No written work, portfolio or normal interview requirement was verified, so academic suitability, required subjects, ESAT performance, personal statement, reference and contextual information carry the practical burden.
The decision-criteria visual uses editorial estimates: predicted or achieved grades and required-subject fit at 35, personal-statement evidence at 25, ESAT performance at 25, academic reference and predicted-grade context at 15, and contextual admissions at 10. Those numbers are not published Imperial weightings, and they are included only to support the page visual.
We recommend building the application around Chemistry, molecular biology and quantitative evidence. In reality, an application that says “I like science” is weaker than one that can explain a protein, pathway, experiment, paper or dataset clearly.
Section 08
Start with a biochemical problem, not a claim about being fascinated by life. A strong paragraph might connect enzyme kinetics, gene regulation, metabolism or protein structure to one book, paper, experiment or lecture you actually understood.
Because no normal interview was verified for this course, the personal statement has to do more explanatory work. We recommend using it to show how you think: what you read, what question it raised, what you did next, and what changed in your understanding.
It helps to keep the Chemistry side visible. Imperial’s required-subject profile includes Chemistry plus Biology, Mathematics or Physics, so a purely descriptive Biology statement can underplay the molecular and quantitative demands of the course.
See a full annotated example with line-by-line expert commentary.
Biochemistry PS Example →Section 09
Projects work best when they produce evidence of thought, not just activity. For Biochemistry, that usually means a small experiment, a reading dossier, a pathway map, or a data-based explanation that connects molecular mechanism to observation.
How to present a project:
Other supercurriculars should support the academic argument your application is making. Use them to show range across biology, chemistry, data and scientific communication.
These are support, not substitute. One carefully explained project is better than a long list with no reflection.
Competitions are not required, but they can stretch you beyond standard school questions. They are most useful when you can explain what the preparation taught you.
None are required; one or two done well beats five half-attempted.
Section 10
Students build the biochemical and life-science base shared across Imperial Biochemistry pathways. Current detailed 2027 module titles were not fully accessible in the audit environment, but accessible course-data/programme-spec evidence supports a foundation in biological chemistry, metabolism, cell biology, molecular biology and core scientific skills.
Core skills training begins quantitative, programming, statistics, scientific writing and presentation development
The second year continues the common core before later specialisation, deepening molecular, cellular and biochemical study. Exact 2027 module titles should be checked against the live Imperial specification before publication.
Second-year study consolidates the molecular, cellular and biochemical platform needed for final-year options
The third year gives BSc students increased freedom to select advanced optional topics, with accessible course-copy examples including synthetic biology, cancer and bioinformatics. Students also complete a substantial project or dissertation.
BSc completion year: advanced options, optional modules and an independent research project.
Section 11
For core molecular and cellular foundations, start with Molecular Biology of the Cell for cell behaviour and Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry for proteins, enzymes, metabolism and biomolecular structure. The Epigenetics Revolution gives a readable route into gene regulation and chromatin, while Life Ascending connects biochemical mechanisms to evolutionary explanation.
For video support, Amoeba Sisters is useful for revising cell biology, genetics and enzymes, while Ninja Nerd gives more detailed lecture-style explanations of biochemistry, cell biology and metabolism. Bozeman Science can help with biological molecules and experimental reasoning, and Khan Academy is useful for structured biology and chemistry consolidation.
For research context, Nature Podcast gives weekly exposure to biology, chemistry and medicine research, while Genetics Unzipped broadens genes, genomes and DNA beyond the syllabus. This Week in Microbiology is useful for microbes and experimental papers, and The Life Scientific helps applicants understand scientists' research paths.
For structured study, MIT OCW 7.05 General Biochemistry samples university-level protein structure, metabolism and nucleic acids, while MIT OCW 7.016 Introductory Biology bridges school Biology to biochemistry, molecular biology and genetics. Khan Academy AP/College Biology is separate from the Khan Academy YouTube channel listed above and is best for consolidation; OpenLearn: A tour of the cell is another accessible cell-biology bridge rather than advanced-originality evidence.
Section 12
Where graduates of this course head after leaving — by sector, as reported in the university’s destinations survey.
Full employer lists, median salary bands, and sector notes live on the careers data page.
Imperial’s Life Sciences careers page reports that around 42% of Life Sciences graduates choose further study and 43% go into employment at the end of their first degree. Discover Uni reports that 85% of Imperial BSc Biochemistry graduates were in work or study 15 months after the course, using a small Graduate Outcomes cohort.
Section 13
Imperial considers contextual admissions information, so applicants should ensure their school reference and UCAS application accurately reflect educational context and disruption. For Biochemistry, the strongest applications will evidence Chemistry plus Biology, Mathematics or Physics readiness, and lack of access to a relevant subject should be explained by the school where relevant.
Admissions-test preparation should be accessible and curriculum-linked, with timed practice across ESAT Mathematics 1, Chemistry and Biology under no-calculator conditions. International applicants should verify academic qualification acceptability and English-language evidence early, because direct-entry eligibility differs sharply by country.
Watch & Learn
Student vlogs, mock interviews, lecture tasters, and admissions advice.
MIT OCW introduction to modern biology and the structure of an undergraduate biology course.
Amoeba Sisters explanation of enzyme-substrate interactions, active sites and induced fit.
Bozeman Science overview of amino acids, protein structure and biological importance.
Ninja Nerd lecture on the molecular mechanism of DNA replication.
Ninja Nerd lecture connecting metabolism to nucleotide biosynthesis.
All videos are the property of their respective creators.
Further Reading
Super-curricular reading, websites, and tools recommended by our expert tutors.
by MIT OpenCourseWare
Use selected lectures to sample the level and style of university biochemistry.
by Nelson, Cox and Hoskins
Best used as a reference for enzymes, metabolism and biomolecular structure.
by Alberts et al.
A broader cell-biology foundation for molecular biosciences.
by UK Biology Competitions
Good evidence of biological problem-solving beyond the specification.
by Royal Society of Chemistry
Helpful for strengthening the chemistry side of a Biochemistry application.
by Nuffield Foundation
A structured way to demonstrate practical research engagement where eligible.
by The Genetics Society
Accessible current context for genes, genomes and molecular biology.
Free Resource
Free Admissions Newsletter
Weekly tips on Biochemistry admissions, application deadlines, and interview prep — straight from Imperial graduates.