Membership

Imperial College Union is at the heart of a worldwide Imperial Community, bringing together past and present students of Imperial College London.

Every year, thousands of alumni continue to take part in the activities that meant the most to them during their time at Imperial - whether it was sport, theatre, motor clubs, mascotry, dance or simply just socialising in our bars and spaces.

We achieve this through offering three membership types to fit the needs of our community of students and alumni: Members, Life Members and Associate Members. 

Members

All registered students of Imperial College London are automatically Members of Imperial College Union. Members are able to participate in every activity and service offered by Imperial College Union. Additionally, only Members are entitled to participate in our democracy, for example by standing to be a Officer Trustee or voting in elections. 

Life Members

After you leave Imperial you can still remain part of Imperial College Union by becoming a Life Member. Anyone who was a student and, therefore, a full member of the Union for at least one year, is eligible for Life Membership. Similarly, If you were an Associate Member of Imperial College Union for at least two years, you are also eligible for Life Membership.

Life Membership costs £40, of which up to £30 can be allocated directly to a Club, Society or Project of your choice. The full range of Life Membership benefits can be explored below.

Buy your Life Membership today

Associate Members

Students who are over 18 and are studying at other Higher Education institutions around the world may become Associate Members of Imperial College Union. Staff of Imperial College London are also entitled to become Associate Members of the Union. 

An Associate Membership can be purchased for £5 per month from the Union Reception, situated on Level 2 (Beit Quad), in person or by phone. You will need to fill in an Associate Member form and present a valid student ID card or Imperial Staff card in person or via email, in order to purchase Associate Membership. Associate Members can purchase Life Membership for £40 once they have been a Member for at least two years (cumulatively).

The full range of Associate Membership benefits can be explored below.

Benefits of Life & Associate Membership

Becoming a Life or Associate Member of Imperial College Union brings a wide range of benefits and opportunities, enabling you to remain a part of the Imperial community long after you have completed your studies.

Supporting Clubs, Societies & Projects

As a Life or Associate Member of Imperial College Union you may join any of our 370+ Clubs, Societies or Projects. While many are free to join, most clubs will charge a membership fee which may differ for Life and Associate members.

As of 2017, we have reformed Life Memberships to enable new Life Members to allocate up to £30 of their £40 fee to a Club, Society or Project of their choice. This means that you can continue to support and fund your favourite extracurricular activities from when you were a student, and you can maintain a close relationship with current student leaders and representatives.

Please be advised, that there are some restrictions placed on Associate Members competing on behalf of Imperial College. For more information, please refer to British Universities and Colleges Sport regulations or ask the relevant Club/Society Chair. There are no restrictions on any recreational activities. 

Access to our bars, spaces and events

Life and Associate Members are entitled to make full use of our bars - FiveSixEight, Metric, The Union Bar, h-bar, and Reynolds - throughout the year. These bars are not open to the general public due to our licensing conditions and our historical role as a social hub for members of the Imperial community. Life and Associate members can also purchase tickets to our events, such as Welcome Week shows and balls, the Summer Ball, and our regular Carnivals.

Beit Venues, our conference and events team, welcome enquiries from Life and Associate members looking to host events in South Kensington - whether it's a corporate meeting for ten or a formal dinner for 100+, Beit Venues can assist you.

Keeping in touch

Life and Associate members can keep up with the latest news on their favourite student groups, mascots and venues through our communication tailored to alumni and partner institutions. 

Accessing your membership

Life and Associate Members are able to use our website in the same way as a current student - to manage their Club, Society & Project memberships, buy tickets to our events, and purchase Imperial College Union products such as branded clothing and gifts.

Using our website as a Life Member

If you are a current student or staff member at Imperial College London or have left within the past year you will have an Imperial College London login and password; you can use this to log into the site to purchase Life Membership. Your Life Membership purchase will take about an hour to process, after which you will be able to log in as normal with your new credentials.

If you no longer have an operating Imperial College London login or password then create a temporary login to purchase your Life Membership, the system will take about three working days to record your Life Membership correctly.

Using our website as an Associate Member

Associate Members can make use of many of the functions on imperialcollegeunion.org, such as joining Clubs, Societies & Projects and buying tickets to events. To do this, Associate Members can create a login linked to their Associate Membership.