Universities that use the ESAT
4 universities use the ESAT in their admissions: Cambridge, Imperial, UCL, Oxford. 4 of them require it outright; the rest use it to strengthen an application rather than to gate it. Which courses need it and which sitting you take vary by university, so compare them below and open yours for the detail.
| University | ESAT | Courses | Sitting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cambridge | Required | Engineering, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Natural Sciences, Veterinary Medicine | Cambridge applicants must sit the ESAT in the October sitting. |
| Imperial | Required | Aeronautics, Chemical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Design Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics | Imperial accepts the October or January sitting, but you must sit in October if you are also applying to Cambridge. |
| UCL | Required | Electronic and Electrical Engineering (BEng, H600), Electronic and Electrical Engineering (MEng, H601) | You can sit in October or January. The requirement applies from 2027 entry. |
| Oxford | Required | Physics, Engineering Science, Physics and Philosophy | From 2027 entry (applications in autumn 2026), the ESAT replaces the Physics Aptitude Test (PAT). Oxford applicants sit in October. Materials Science no longer requires an admissions test. |
Course lists change between admissions cycles, so confirm yours on the university's own page before you register. If any one of your choices requires the October sitting, that is the one to take: ESAT dates and deadlines sets out the registration window.
Not every course at these universities takes the ESAT. Cambridge, Imperial, UCL and Oxford also use the TMUA, the Test of Mathematics for University Admission, for a different set of courses, so check the requirement for your exact course rather than your university. ESAT vs TMUA sets the two out course by course, and the TMUA universities page covers that side in the same detail as this one.
What the score is used for
None of these universities publishes a required score, and the ESAT never decides an application on its own: it sits alongside your predicted grades, your personal statement and, where there is one, your interview. What genuinely differs is the weight. Some read it as one signal among several; others use it to earn you a reduced offer. How ESAT scoring works covers what the number itself means.