What ESAT Score Do You Actually Need? — A Data Analysis (2025 Entry)
Data analysis · 2025 entry · Imperial College London
What ESAT Score Do You Actually Need?
The Engineering and Science Admissions Test (ESAT) was introduced in 2024 as the replacement for Cambridge's NSAA and ENGAA. It is now the single admissions test for science and engineering applicants to Cambridge, Oxford, and Imperial College London. Every year, students ask the same question: what score do I need? The universities refuse to publish thresholds. This post is an attempt to answer that question with real data.
The analysis is anchored by Imperial College London's publicly available applicant outcome dashboard for 2025 entry — the only source that links ESAT scores to actual offer/rejection outcomes by department. Cambridge and Oxford outcome data is not published; we cover what is known from other sources.
11,919 ESAT candidates
2024–25 cycle
2024–25 cycle
4 Universities
requiring ESAT
requiring ESAT
4.5 Median scaled score
(out of 9.0)
(out of 9.0)
10% Score above 7.0
(scaled)
(scaled)
Which universities and programmes require the ESAT?
🎓 University of Cambridge
🎓 University of Oxford
🎓 Imperial College London
🎓 University College London (UCL)
| University | Programmes Requiring ESAT | Modules Required |
|---|---|---|
| Cambridge | Engineering · Natural Sciences · Chemical Engineering & Biotechnology · Veterinary Medicine | Maths 1 + 2 chosen from Biology / Chemistry / Physics / Maths 2 |
| Oxford | Engineering Science · Physics · Physics & Philosophy · Biomedical Sciences (+ Foundation Year variants) | Maths 1 + Maths 2 + Physics (engineering/physics) or flexible science modules (BMS) |
| Imperial | Aeronautics · Chemical Engineering · Civil & Environmental Engineering · Design Engineering · Electrical & Electronic Engineering · Mechanical Engineering · Physics · Biological Sciences · Biochemistry · Biotechnology · Microbiology · Ecology & Environmental Biology (life sciences from 2026 entry) | For Physics and Engineering Math1+Math2+Physics For Life Science Math1+Chemistry+Biology |
| UCL | BEng Electronic & Electrical Engineering (H600) · MEng Electronic & Electrical Engineering (H601) — from 2026 entry | Maths 1 + any two from Physics, Maths 2, Chemistry, Biology |
⚠ Oxford & UCL note: Oxford adopted the ESAT only from 2026 entry onwards, and UCL adopted it for the first time in the 2025–26 cycle (also for 2026 entry). No applicant outcome data is yet available for either university. Cambridge does not publish score-outcome data by programme. The quantitative analysis in this report is therefore based on Imperial College's data.
⚠ Life sciences note: Imperial's biological sciences programmes (Biological Sciences, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Microbiology, Ecology) adopted the ESAT for the first time in the 2025–26 application cycle (2026 entry). No outcome data for these programmes is therefore available yet.
Data sources used in this report: UAT-UK ESAT Technical Report 2024–25 (September 2025) · UAT-UK Annual Report 2024–25 Candidate Data · ESAT Explanation of Results Oct 2024/Jan 2025 and Oct 2025/Jan 2026 · Imperial College London ESAT Scores Dashboard (2025 entry) · The Student Room applicant forums.
How scores work · Raw vs scaled · Module structure
Understanding the ESAT Score
Two score formats — and why it matters
Scaled score scale (reported to candidates, 1.0–9.0)
1.03.04.5 (median)7.0 (top 10%)8.0 (top 5%)9.0
1.0–3.0 · Below average
3.0–5.0 · Around median
5.0–7.0 · Above average
7.0–8.0 · Top 10%
8.0–9.0 · Top 5%
How scaling works: UAT-UK uses a Rasch IRT model. The median candidate's raw score is fixed to a scaled score of 4.5 and the 90th percentile is fixed to 7.0. A regression line maps all raw scores to the 1–9 scale, capped at 1.0 and 9.0. This means the scale is anchored to the actual cohort each year — so a scaled score of 6.0 always means the same percentile rank, regardless of whether the paper was easier or harder.
Module structure
Mathematics 1
Algebra, calculus, statistics
Compulsory for all Mathematics 2
Further maths & mechanics
Optional / dep't Physics
Mechanics, waves, electricity
Optional / dep't Chemistry
Organic, physical, inorganic
Optional / dep't Biology
Cells, genetics, ecology
Optional / dep't Score distributions by module (2024–25 cycle)
Score distribution — all modules (scaled 1.0–9.0)
4.0 Modal score
(most modules)
(most modules)
3.5 Modal score
Maths 2 (hardest)
Maths 2 (hardest)
~2% Achieve 9.0
in any module
in any module
Key finding: Despite the scale being designed so the median is 4.5, the most common score across almost all modules is 4.0 — suggesting the cohort slightly underperforms the design target. Maths 2 is the hardest module, with a modal score of only 3.5. Biology showed the widest spread, with over 7% of candidates scoring 1.0 in the 2025–26 sitting.
Raw score vs scaled score
| Raw score (out of 27) | Approx. scaled score (1–9) | Percentile | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–6 | 1.0–2.5 | Bottom ~15% | Well below average |
| 7–11 | 2.5–4.0 | 15–40th pct | Below average |
| 12–15 | 4.0–5.0 | 40–60th pct | Around median |
| 16–19 | 5.0–7.0 | 60–90th pct | Above average — competitive |
| 20–23 | 7.0–8.0 | 90–95th pct | Strong — top 10% |
| 24–27 | 8.0–9.0 | Top 5% | Elite |
Important: The mapping above is approximate. Exact raw-to-scaled conversion varies by module and year because the Rasch model adjusts for paper difficulty. Scaled scores are not comparable across modules — a 6.0 in Physics does not mean the same thing as a 6.0 in Maths 2.
Department-by-department · Offer vs rejected · Home vs Overseas · 2025 entry
Imperial College: Score by Outcome
Imperial is the only university that publishes anonymised ESAT score data broken down by applicant outcome. The dashboard shows, for each department, the mean test score of applicants who received an offer, were invited to interview but ultimately unsuccessful, and those not invited to interview. All scores below are raw scores out of 27 per module — not the scaled 1–9 score.
Each department card now includes a breakdown by fee category (Overseas, Home WP, Home non-WP), sourced directly from Imperial's Power BI dashboard. This reveals a consistent pattern: overseas applicants who receive offers score notably higher than their Home counterparts in every department.
🛩 Aeronautics
20.3%
overall offer rate
Offer
17.5
mean raw /27
≈ scaled 5.5–6.5
Interviewed, No Offer
15.5
mean raw /27
≈ scaled 5.0–6.0
Not Interviewed
8.2
mean raw /27
≈ scaled 2.5–3.5
Breakdown by fee category · mean raw score /27
| Fee category | Offer rate | Successful | Interviewed, No Offer | Not Interviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overseas | 23.1% | 18.6 | 18.7 | 7.2 |
| Home WP | 20.2% | 15.1 | 12.7 | 7.6 |
| Home non-WP | 16.7% | 16.5 | 15.4 | 9.6 |
Gap between offer and non-interviewed groups is 9.3 points — one of the largest of all departments. Overseas offer holders score higher than Home non-WP (18.6 vs 16.5), consistent with stricter academic screening for international applicants.
🔧 Mechanical Engineering
16.6%
overall offer rate
Offer
15.8
mean raw /27
≈ scaled 5.0–6.0
Interviewed, No Offer
15.3
mean raw /27
≈ scaled 5.0–6.0
Not Interviewed
10.0
mean raw /27
≈ scaled 3.5–4.5
Breakdown by fee category · mean raw score /27
| Fee category | Offer rate | Successful | Interviewed, No Offer | Not Interviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overseas | 14.2% | 16.8 | 19.1 | 10.3 |
| Home WP | 24.2% | 14.1 | 12.8 | 8.8 |
| Home non-WP | 18.7% | 15.1 | 15.1 | 10.0 |
The score gap between offer holders and interviewed-but-rejected is very narrow (0.5 points overall), suggesting the interview carries significant weight. Note the unusual overseas pattern: interviewed-but-rejected overseas applicants averaged higher (19.1) than those who received offers (16.8) — interview performance appears decisive for this group.
⚡ Electrical & Electronic Engineering
26.3%
overall offer rate
Offer
16.6
mean raw /27
≈ scaled 5.5–6.5
Interviewed, No Offer
11.8
mean raw /27
≈ scaled 4.0–5.0
Not Interviewed
11.2
mean raw /27
≈ scaled 4.0–5.0
Breakdown by fee category · mean raw score /27
| Fee category | Offer rate | Successful | Interviewed, No Offer | Not Interviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overseas | 18.0% | 19.8 | 14.0 | 11.7 |
| Home WP | 46.0% | 12.2 | 11.2 | 1.1 |
| Home non-WP | 64.0% | 14.2 | 11.3 | 2.0 |
The starkest Home/Overseas divide in this guide. Home non-WP offer rate is 64.0% vs only 18.0% for Overseas. Overseas offer holders averaged 19.8/27 — nearly 6 points above Home non-WP offer holders (14.2). Overseas applicants who are not interviewed had a low mean score of 11.7, suggesting the ESAT is an effective screen for this group.
🔬 Physics
37.1%
overall offer rate
Offer
17.5
mean raw /27
≈ scaled 5.5–6.5
Not Interviewed / Rejected
10.4
mean raw /27
≈ scaled 3.5–4.5
Breakdown by fee category · mean raw score /27 · no interview stage
| Fee category | Offer rate | Successful | Not Interviewed / Rejected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overseas | 31.4% | 19.4 | 11.1 |
| Home WP | 58.3% | 14.0 | 5.7 |
| Home non-WP | 41.4% | 16.2 | 9.8 |
No interview stage — the ESAT does the final sorting directly. Overseas offer holders average 19.4/27, the highest of any group across all departments. Home WP students show a notably higher offer rate (58.3%) vs Home non-WP (41.4%), reflecting contextual admissions. Overseas applicants face a much lower offer rate (31.4%) and require significantly higher scores.
⚗️ Chemical Engineering
43.5%
overall offer rate
Offer
14.2
mean raw /27
≈ scaled 4.5–5.5
Interviewed, No Offer
14.2
mean raw /27
≈ scaled 4.5–5.5
Not Interviewed
5.9
mean raw /27
≈ scaled 2.0–3.0
Breakdown by fee category · mean raw score /27
| Fee category | Offer rate | Successful | Interviewed, No Offer | Not Interviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overseas | 38.8% | 15.4 | 16.7 | 8.1 |
| Home WP | 40.8% | 12.2 | 10.8 | 5.4 |
| Home non-WP | 54.9% | 12.9 | 11.3 | 5.7 |
The overall offer and interviewed means are identical at 14.2 — the interview drives the final decision, not the ESAT score. Overseas applicants need higher scores to clear the interview bar (15.4 offer mean vs 12.9 for Home non-WP). The very low not-interviewed mean (5.9) confirms the ESAT acts as a hard filter before interview.
🏗 Civil & Environmental Engineering
58.0%
overall offer rate
Offer
12.6
mean raw /27
≈ scaled 4.0–5.0
Not Offered
3.0
mean raw /27
≈ scaled 1.5–2.5
Breakdown by fee category · mean raw score /27 · no interview stage
| Fee category | Offer rate | Successful | Not Offered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overseas | 57.1% | 13.0 | 2.7 |
| Home WP | 45.5% | 11.8 | 2.9 |
| Home non-WP | 65.2% | 12.0 | 3.9 |
The largest offer-vs-rejection gap of all departments (9.6 points). Unlike other departments, Overseas offer rates are comparable to Home here (57.1%), and offer holder scores across all groups are similar (~12–13). The ESAT is the primary filter with no interview — rejected applicants across all groups averaged around 3.0/27, well below the cohort median.
✏️ Design Engineering
24.5%
overall offer rate
Offer
8.9
mean raw /27
≈ scaled 3.0–4.0
Interviewed, No Offer
11.4
mean raw /27
≈ scaled 4.0–5.0
Not Interviewed
7.3
mean raw /27
≈ scaled 2.5–3.5
Breakdown by fee category · mean raw score /27
| Fee category | Offer rate | Successful | Interviewed, No Offer | Not Interviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overseas | 15.7% | 11.1 | 11.9 | 7.7 |
| Home WP | 90.7% | 7.0 | 7.3 | 4.0 |
| Home non-WP | 34.7% | 7.3 | 7.4 | 6.2 |
⚠ The most unusual pattern: offer holders have a lower mean ESAT score (8.9) than interviewed-but-rejected applicants (11.4). The fee category breakdown confirms this: Home WP offer holders averaged just 7.0/27. Portfolio and interview performance dominate here. The extraordinary Home WP offer rate (90.7%) reflects strong contextual widening participation policy for this programme.
Cross-department comparison
Offer vs not-interviewed mean scores by department
University College London · Electronic & Electrical Engineering · 2026 entry
UCL: The Newest Adopter
UCL adopted the ESAT for the first time in the 2025–26 admissions cycle (2026 entry), making it the fourth and most recent university to require the test. Unlike Cambridge, Oxford, and Imperial — where the ESAT covers a broad range of STEM programmes — UCL currently requires it for just two programmes: BEng and MEng Electronic & Electrical Engineering (H600/H601).
Because this is UCL's first year using the ESAT, no applicant outcome data is available yet. There is no published dashboard equivalent to Imperial's, no FOI data, and no meaningful student-reported scores specific to UCL. What we can set out is how UCL intends to use the score and what reasonable benchmarks suggest.
2 Programmes requiring ESAT
(H600 BEng · H601 MEng)
(H600 BEng · H601 MEng)
2026 First entry year
using ESAT
using ESAT
None Interviews held
for these programmes
for these programmes
How UCL uses the ESAT
UCL EEE admissions process →
Why adopted
Differentiation problem: UCL adopted the ESAT because EEE receives a large number of applications from candidates with very high predicted grades (A*A*A typical offer). Predicted grades alone are no longer sufficient to distinguish between applicants, so the ESAT provides an additional quantitative signal.
No interview
Final decision role: Unlike Cambridge (where ESAT gates the interview) and Imperial EEE (where interviews are also held), UCL EEE has no interview stage. This means the ESAT score feeds directly into the final offer decision — it does not simply act as a shortlisting filter. This gives the ESAT more direct weight per application than at universities with interviews.
Modules
Maths 1 + any two: UCL requires Maths 1 plus any two from Physics, Maths 2, Chemistry, and Biology. In practice, applicants to EEE will typically choose Maths 2 and Physics as the two optional modules, consistent with the course content and with what Imperial EEE requires.
Holistic
Combined with other factors: UCL states the ESAT is used "as additional information in conjunction with other aspects of the UCAS application including predicted/achieved A Level grades (or equivalent), the personal statement and UCAS reference." No minimum threshold or weighting formula has been published.
Modules required vs Imperial EEE
| Programme | Maths 1 | Maths 2 | Physics | Interview? | No-offer pathway |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UCL EEE (H600/H601) | ✅ Required | ✅ Recommended | ✅ Recommended | No | ESAT → direct offer/reject |
| Imperial EEE (H600/H601) | ✅ Required | ✅ Required | ✅ Required | Yes | ESAT → interview → offer/reject |
What score should UCL EEE applicants target?
⚠ No UCL outcome data exists yet. The benchmarks below are inferred from (a) Imperial's published EEE score data for 2025 entry, which uses the same modules, and (b) UAT-UK's overall cohort statistics. They should be treated as reasonable starting estimates, not confirmed thresholds.
⚡ UCL — Electronic & Electrical Engineering
N/A
offer rate (not published)
| Score band (scaled) | Raw approx. /27 | Interpretation for UCL EEE |
|---|---|---|
| Below 4.0 | <12 | High risk — well below cohort median; likely insufficient without exceptional grades/PS |
| 4.0–5.5 | 12–15 | Below competitive — around the median of Imperial EEE rejected applicants (11.2/27) |
| 5.5–7.0 | 15–19 | Competitive range — around Imperial EEE offer-holder mean (16.6/27); aim for this minimum |
| 7.0+ | 19+ | Strong — top 10% of all ESAT candidates; above Imperial EEE offer-holder mean |
| 8.0+ | 22+ | Elite — top 5%; significantly strengthens application |
Since UCL has no interview stage, the ESAT carries more direct weight than at Imperial EEE. A reasonable working target is scaled 6.0+ across all three modules, with 7.0+ putting you in a strong position. Overseas applicants should note that Imperial EEE overseas offer holders averaged 19.8/27 — target at least this level.
Context: UCL vs Imperial EEE at a glance
| Factor | UCL EEE | Imperial EEE |
|---|---|---|
| ESAT since | 2026 entry (year 1) | 2025 entry (year 1 — one cycle of data available) |
| Modules | Maths 1 + 2 of choice | Maths 1 + Maths 2 + Physics |
| Interview | No | Yes |
| ESAT role | Final decision (no interview buffer) | Shortlisting for interview; interview resolves final offer |
| Mean offer score (Imperial 2025) | No data | 16.6/27 raw (≈ scaled 5.5–6.5); overseas: 19.8/27 |
| Overall offer rate | Not published | 26.3% |
| Outcome data available | ❌ None yet | ✅ Imperial dashboard (2025 entry) |
Watch this space: UCL's 2026 entry cycle will complete in spring 2026. Student-reported scores for UCL EEE will begin to emerge on The Student Room and Reddit from summer 2026 onwards. Until then, the Imperial EEE 2025 data remains the best available proxy for calibrating UCL targets.
Key findings · Takeaways for applicants
Summary & Takeaways
Cross-department benchmark table
| Department | Offer rate | Mean score — Offer | Mean score — Rejected | Gap | Interview? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aeronautics | 20.3% | 17.5 (≈5.5–6.5) | 8.2 | +9.3 | Yes |
| Mechanical Eng | 16.6% | 15.8 (≈5.0–6.0) | 10.0 | +5.8 | Yes |
| Elec & Elec Eng | 26.3% | 16.6 (≈5.5–6.5) | 11.2 | +5.4 | Yes |
| Physics | 37.1% | 17.5 (≈5.5–6.5) | 10.4 | +7.1 | No |
| Chemical Eng | 43.5% | 14.2 (≈4.5–5.5) | 5.9 | +8.3 | Yes |
| Civil & Env Eng | 58.0% | 12.6 (≈4.0–5.0) | 3.0 | +9.6 | No |
| Design Eng | 24.5% | 8.9 (≈3.0–4.0) | 7.3 | +1.6 | Yes |
Key findings
Finding 1
The score gap between offer holders and rejections is large and consistent. Across all Imperial departments, offer holders score 5–10 raw points higher than those not invited to interview. This represents roughly 2–3 scaled score points, or moving from the 50th to the 80th percentile.
Finding 2
For departments with interviews, the ESAT gates the interview — not the offer. In Aeronautics, Mechanical Engineering, and Chemical Engineering, the ESAT score for those interviewed-but-rejected is close to offer holders. The interview resolves the final decision. Departments without interviews (Civil Eng, Physics) show the ESAT doing more of the final sorting.
Finding 3
Overseas applicants consistently need higher scores. In every department, overseas applicants who received offers averaged higher ESAT scores than Home counterparts. The gap is largest in EEE (19.8 vs 14.2 for Home non-WP) and Physics (19.4 vs 16.2). This reflects stricter academic screening for international applicants across the board.
Finding 4
Design Engineering is the outlier. Offer holders have a lower mean ESAT score (8.9) than interviewed-but-rejected applicants (11.4). Portfolio and creative skills dominate, with the ESAT serving only a basic gatekeeping role. Home WP students had a 90.7% offer rate.
Finding 5
No official threshold exists — but the data reveals a practical one. Score distributions show virtually no offers below a raw score of ~10/27 (≈ scaled 3.5–4.0) in competitive departments. For overseas applicants the practical floor is higher still.
Practical target scores
Cambridge Engineering / Natural Sciences — aim for 6.5–7.5+ average across modules
Oxford Physics / Engineering Science — aim for 7.0+ (first year data; benchmark may adjust)
Imperial Aeronautics / Physics — aim for 6.0–7.0+ (scaled); overseas: raw ~19+/27
Imperial EEE — aim for 5.5–7.0 (scaled); overseas offer holders averaged 19.8/27
Imperial Mechanical Eng — aim for 5.5–7.0 (scaled); overseas: raw ~17+/27
Imperial Chemical Engineering — aim for 5.0–6.0 (scaled); overseas offer holders averaged 15.4/27
Imperial Civil & Env Eng — aim for 4.5–5.5 (scaled); scores similar across Home and Overseas
UCL EEE (H600/H601) — aim for 6.0–7.0+; no interview means ESAT has direct weight; overseas: target 19+/27
Imperial Design Engineering — ESAT is less decisive; portfolio & interview matter more
Imperial Life Sciences (Biosciences) — first year of ESAT requirement; no benchmark data yet
Remember: All scores shown are means — half of successful applicants scored below these figures. The ESAT is always considered holistically alongside predicted grades (A*A*A typically required), personal statement, and interview (where applicable). A strong score does not guarantee an offer. A moderate score does not prevent one. Use these benchmarks as directional targets, not thresholds.
Data sources & links
UAT-UK Technical Report 2024–25
PDF — full statistical report UAT-UK Candidate Data Report
PDF — candidate numbers & demographics ESAT Explanation of Results 2024–25
PDF — score distribution charts ESAT Explanation of Results 2025–26
PDF — most recent cycle Imperial Score Dashboard
Interactive dashboard — 2025 entry UAT-UK Course List 2027 Entry
PDF — all programmes requiring ESAT All information current as of May 2026. ESAT requirements, score scales, and programme lists can change between admissions cycles. Always verify on the official UAT-UK website (esat-tmua.ac.uk) and the relevant university course pages before applying.
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