Application reference

About the project

In this section

• Imperial Home
• Study
• Apply
• Doctoral
• Application process
• Application reference

Application reference

• Choose a course
• Entry requirements
• Application reference
• Finding a supervisor
• Writing a research proposal
• Interview

Providing a reference

On your application form, you will need to provide the contact details of two referees.

One must be an academic reference, the second referee may be another academic referee, or where appropriate/relevant, a professional referee. Please ensure you include your referee's professional email account, as we cannot accept references from personal accounts.

All of our academic departments attach considerable importance to the report of the academic referee.

This can play a major part in deciding whether an applicant is called for interview and in determining whether an offer is made.

The assessment of previous academic performance is of particular value, as are indications of the strength of an applicant's motivation to study the chosen subject.

A professional reference can also be of use in establishing an applicant’s postgraduate career development and is a requirement for certain courses which stipulate relevant experience as an entry requirement.

How can I check the status of my references?

You can view your reference details in My Imperial .

• Log into your My Imperial account
• Click on the 'References' tile
• You will see a list of the reference details you provided on your application(s)
• Check the 'Request status' column and you will see one of the following statuses:
• Not submitted – the reference request will be sent when your application is submitted
• Pending sent – your application has been submitted and the reference request will be sent shortly
• Sent – the reference request has been sent to your referee's email address
• Complete – your referee has successfully submitted a reference
• Waived – this reference is no longer required

Nominating a new referee

If you have been informed that your referee is unable to submit a reference for you, please contact an alternative referee directly and ask them to submit a reference through our Admissions Enquiry form , ensuring they select the correct level of study and choose ' I'm a referee ' from the list of available options.

Application process

Choose a course

Entry requirements

Application reference

Finding a supervisor

Writing a research proposal

Interview

Research areas