ESAT Modules by Course: Cambridge, Imperial, Oxford and UCL (2027)

Choosing ESAT modules is not a free choice for most applicants — most courses fix them, and the rules differ in ways that catch people out. Cambridge Engineering requires Maths 1, Maths 2 and Physics; Imperial Chemical Engineering takes Chemistry as its third module but Oxford Chemical Engineering takes Physics; Imperial's life sciences want Biology and Chemistry; and several courses leave the choice to you. Book the wrong modules and you must cancel and re-book. This guide gives the 2027-entry rules for all four universities, with a chooser that combines them.

UAT-UK Course List 2027 entry; Technical Report 2025-26 (Table 4).

Oxford joins the ESAT for 2027 entry, replacing its Physics Aptitude Test (PAT) for Physics and Engineering. Its Physics department is blunt about the weight it carries: "The primary shortlisting criterion is the ESAT score, interpreted in the light of contextual data about candidates", and it warns that "the syllabus and difficulty level of the October 2026 ESAT will be different from those of the previously used Physics Aptitude Test". Oxford Chemistry, Biology and Biochemistry are not ESAT courses.

Cambridge Natural Sciences, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology and Veterinary Medicine, Oxford Biomedical Sciences and UCL Electronic and Electrical Engineering all let you choose any two modules after Maths 1. Cambridge does not say which pair it prefers, so the sensible rule is to follow your subjects: a physical-sciences Natural Sciences applicant usually takes Physics and Maths 2 (or Chemistry), a biological one Chemistry and Biology. What you should not do is pick a module you have not studied because it looks easier — each is scored against everyone else who sat it.

You cannot choose who sees your ESAT score. It is sent automatically to every UCAS choice whose course lists the test — compulsory or optional — once UAT-UK matches you to your UCAS application (by your UCAS Personal ID, or your other booking details if you left it blank), and a university sees it only if that course uses the ESAT. There is no way to withhold a score from one university and show it to another. That is one more reason to get the modules right: a score in the wrong modules for one course still goes to all of them.

If one course gives a free choice and another fixes modules, the fixed ones decide (with Design Engineering's two fixed modules, you still add a third of your choice). If two courses fix different third modules — Imperial Chemical Engineering (Chemistry) and Cambridge or Oxford Engineering (Physics), for example — you need four modules. UAT-UK approves that only "when they are required", after a review of up to two working days, and says "taking four modules when you do not need them does not improve your application". Ask before booking: modules cannot be changed afterwards, and re-booking does not guarantee a seat.