Funding Details
Funded positions
Each year, we offer a number of funded studentships that cover your fees, research expenses and a cost of living stipend. The annual stipend rate for 23/24 is £20,622, inclusive of London allowance. To be eligible for these positions you must be eligible for home fees, although there are some scholarships available that bridge the gap between home and international fees. The procedure UCL uses to determine your fee classification is here. For some of these positions (some of those that are STFC funded) you are also required to have been living in the UK for at least 3 years, details of this requirement are given here.
Impact Studentships
UCL offers funding through the Impact scheme, in which UCL provides half of the costs of a studentship (home fees, living costs, research expenses) if the other half can be matched from another funding source. If you have suggestions for sources of funding where the matching funds can be found, please contact us to discuss this possibility.
Scholarships
We welcome applications for scholarships. Please send us a CV and a short statement about the projects you are interested in by the 30th of November for a PhD starting the following October (although sooner is preferred). The process often involves finding a potential supervisor before you can go ahead with the application so must be done well ahead of the deadlines. Some scholarship schemes are listed below, but it is also worth asking your local university, government or other contacts for other sources of funding. The UCL scholarship web-page also contains a list of other funding sources known to UCL, but this may not be exhaustive.- UCL Graduate Research Scholarships (GRS). Covers both fees and cost of living, and outstanding candidates have a good chance of being successful. From past experience, successful candidates had at least one research publication at the time of applying. Applicants for the GRS are automatically considered for the ORS as well, so international applications are encouraged!
- Departmental scholarships that bridge the gap between home and international fees and can be used in combination with one of the funded positions.
- UCL Overseas Research Scholarships (ORS). Covers only the difference between UK and International fees. Due to the timing of the process these cannot be used togther with one of the funded positions, so some other funding is required to cover the UK-rate fees and cost of living stipend.
- UCL Dean's prize. Covers the difference between UK and International fees, to be used in combination with another competitive scholarship to cover the UK-rate fees and cost of living stipend. These cannot be used togther with one of the funded positions.
- Chinese Science Council (CSC). These scholarships are open to Chinese nationals to carry out a PhD at UCL. More information, including the eligibility and conditions of the award, can be found in the link above.
- UCL Research Opportunity Scholarship. A new scholarship programme to support BME postgraduate research degree students, in partnership with the Windsor Fellowship. The scheme offers full financial support (fees and stipend) and a skills development programme, both designed to promote academia as a more attractive career option.
- Bell Burnell Gradudate Scholarhip Fund. Another new scholarship programme to support graduates who wish to study towards a doctorate in physics and are from groups that are currently under-represented in physics