Studentship applications

QMUL Principal’s Postgraduate Doctoral Research Studentships

How to apply
You should apply for your place at QMUL via the online portal by Wednesday 22 January 2025 (17:00).
On the online application form, you should indicate that you would like your application to be considered for the Principal's Studentship Competition.
Before applying, please read our Guidance to Applicants, which will help you to complete your applications. The guidance is relevant to all applicants, regardless of subject area and type of Studentship.

If you wish to apply for the BAME studentships, you should specify this in the statement of purpose that will form part of your application.

SHF/HSS candidates also need to indicate that they wish to be considered for the award, and to state how they meet the eligibility criteria or are subject to exceptional circumstances. These declarations are excluded from the character limit for their statement of purpose.

If you have already applied to QMUL to begin a PhD programme in autumn 2025, you may revise the research proposal and statement of purpose that you previously submitted, to take account of our Guidance to Applicants. However, you are not required to do so. If you wish to submit revised documents, you should email them to the Director of Graduate Studies in the appropriate School, giving the ID number from your application.

If you have already begun a PhD programme at QMUL, you should email the Director of Graduate Studies in the appropriate School, giving your student ID number and supplying a research proposal and statement of purpose (length and contents as indicated in our Guidance to Applicants).

How your application will be assessed
Your application will be considered and ranked by a School selection panel. Selected applications will then be considered and ranked by the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. If a candidate has already begun their PhD, selection panels will be looking for a research proposal that is concomitantly stronger than the proposal of someone yet to begin their thesis.

The School panel will evaluate applications on the basis of the following criteria and weightings:
• Quality of proposal (50%) – i.e. the significance and originality of the proposed research; its underpinning ideas, aims, and research questions; the research design, methodology, and/or sources; the suitability of the proposal for doctoral research; opportunities for dissemination and potential impact; and any ethical considerations that the proposal may raise
• Preparedness of applicant (25%) – i.e. previous academic achievements in relevant subject areas; any relevant professional/practitioner experience (particularly for applicants with non-standard academic trajectories); and relevant knowledge, skills, and/or training for the proposed research
• Feasibility of project (25%) – i.e. the project’s likely completion within the timeframe; the identification of training needs; justification of fieldwork and study visits; and fit with the expertise and interests of the two named supervisors
The Faculty panel will then evaluate applications on the basis of the following criteria and weightings:
• Quality of proposal (40%) – defined as above
• Preparedness of applicant (20%) – defined as above
• Feasibility of project (20%) – defined as above
• School ranking (20%) or the additional points required in the Candidate Statement of Purpose for the SHF/QMUL HSS applicants (20%) – as explained in the specific guidance
At both School and Faculty levels, if two or more candidates are equally ranked, preference will be given to the candidate scoring more highly on the following criteria: quality of proposal; if still equal, preparedness of applicant; if still equal, feasibility of project.
Offers will be made to successful candidates in late March 2024, to be accepted or declined within one week.
The studentships cover all tuition fees, and provide a grant for living expenses at UK Research Council rates for London (c. £19,668 p.a. full-time, c. £9,834 part-time). Awards are made for the full duration of the period of fee liability for the agreed course. Please note that these awards cannot be deferred.

For further information on PhD funding please consult: QMUL Research Funding.