APPLY NOW! University College London (UCL) EPSRC DTP Post Graduate Scholarship

Funding available

All studentships are fully funded for 4 years. They provide:

• 4 years fees (Home rate)
• Maintenance stipend at the UCL EPSRC DTP enhanced rate (ie £1000 above the UKRI London-weighted rate; this was £20,668 in 2022/23, and rises each year)
• Research Training Support Grant (RTSG) of £4,800. This is to cover additional costs of training eg courses, project costs, conferences, travel
• For overseas fee status students, a UCL award to cover the fee difference between the Home and international fee rate

Students will be initially registered for 4 years and are expected to submit their thesis within the 4 year funded period. The project should be designed and supervised to facilitate this.

For part time students the stipend and duration will be adjusted pro-rata (e.g. a 50% FTE student will receive 50% of stipend for up to 8 years).

Student Eligibility

• You must fulfil the academic entry requirements for UCL
• You must fulfil any additional academic entry requirements for the department you will be hosted by
• These studentships are open to those with Home and International fee status (including EU); however, the number of students with International fee status which can be recruited is capped according to the EPSRC terms and conditions so competition for International places is particularly strong.

An official fee status assessment by UCL admissions will be required for all successful candidates. However, the following guidance is provided to help you determine whether you will be Home or International category for EPSRC funding:

• UK nationals are Home category, provided they meet residency requirements.
• EU nationals with settled status are Home category.
• EU nationals with pre-settled status are Home category, provided they meet residency requirements.
• Irish nationals living in UK or Ireland are Home category
• Those who have indefinite leave to remain or enter are Home category.
• All others are classified as International category.

Residency requirements for UK nationals:

• living in UK, EEA, or Switzerland on 31-Dec-2020 and lived in UK, EEA, Switzerland, or Gibraltar for at least 3 years immediately before the studentship begins
• lived continuously in UK, EEA, Switzerland, or Gibraltar between 31-Dec-2020 and the start of the studentship

Residency requirements for EU, EEA, or Swiss nationals with pre-settled status:

• living in UK by 31-Dec-2020 (a requirement to receive pre-settled status)
• living in UK, EEA, Switzerland, or Gibraltar for at least 3 years immediately before the studentship begins

Note: These studentships are open to those with Home and International fee status (including EU); however, the number of students recruited with International fee status which can be recruited is capped according to the EPSRC terms and conditions.

Projects Available

Students can apply to any of the projects listed in the project catalogue. You may apply to a maximum of 5 projects.

View the 2023/24 project catalogue

How To Apply

An application to the UCL EPSRC DTP consists of 3 parts:

• Part A: Complete once. This must be submitted before parts B and C can be completed.
• Part B: Complete once. This must be submitted by 12:00 on  26-Jan-2023.
• Part C: Complete for each project you are applying to. You can apply to a maximum of 5 projects. This must be submitted by 12:00 on  26-Jan-2023.

Late, incomplete, or incorrect applications will not be considered.

Any candidate who reaches stage 3 of the selection process will also need to complete an application via the UCL admissions portal.

Step 1:

Complete application – part A

You must complete this form only once (unless you make an error in your email address and have to re-do it, as per instructions below).

This form collects personal data which will not be shared with the review panel. More information on the diversity data collected is shown below.

Other information collected in this form includes:

• Your intended study mode – full time or part time (minimum 50% FTE)
• If needed, your justification for a delayed start date (note that studentships are expected to start on 25-Sep-2023 and delayed starts will only be considered under exceptional circumstances)
• Any adaptations required for you to be able to attend an interview (likely to be held online)

The form also asks you to confirm that you will be able to provide 2 references. References will only be collected from candidates who are shortlisted for interview. Information on the requirements for references is shown below.

• You must complete and submit part A before you can complete parts B and C. After submitting part A an email will be sent to the email address you provided with your “Applicant ID”. It is essential you include this applicant ID in parts B and C of your application.
• If you do not receive the email within 24 hours of submitting, check your spam/junk folder. If you still can’t find it, there may be an error in the email address you provided – please simply redo part A. [Note: 123.com and qq.com email addresses frequently cause errors in the system; it is recommended that you try using an alternative email address from a free service such as gmail, yahoo, hotmail.]

 Step 2:

Complete application – part B

You must complete this form only once (unless you make an error in your email address and have to re-do it, as per instructions below).

This form contains an online template which we review in place of a traditional CV. We collect information on your achievements and experience, qualifications achieved, and grades achieved to date in your current degree program if you have not yet completed it.

Official transcripts will be requested from all candidates shortlisted for interview. There will be a short timeframe to provide your transcripts so we advise you to prepare these documents now so you are able to respond quickly if they are requested from you. Information on the requirements for official transcripts is shown below.

The host department(s) of the project(s) you are applying to should not request your CV, grade transcript, or any other application documents from you. Please email the DTP manager (epsrc.dtp@ucl.ac.uk) with any concerns and/or if you are asked to provide additional documents/information.

Step 3:

Complete application – part C

You must complete this form for each project your are applying to (up to a maximum of 5).

This form is the main part of your application. It asks questions to assess your aptitude, suitability, and motivation for doctoral study and the specific project. 

The questions in the form are provided here so you can prepare your answers. However we cannot accept applications via email. You must submit your application using the online form.

The host department(s) of the project(s) you are applying to should not request your CV, grade transcript, or any other application documents from you. Please email the DTP manager (epsrc.dtp@ucl.ac.uk) with any concerns and/or if you are asked to provide additional documents/information.

Diversity monitoring data

The UCL EPSRC DTP is committed to equality of opportunity in our studentship selection processes.

Part A of the application collects diversity monitoring data. By providing this information, you will help us to ensure that our policies and procedures are effective in avoiding discrimination and promoting equal opportunities in making those awards.

You have the option to select “not disclosed” for any of the questions. The answers you supply will be kept confidential. The data will not be sent to reviewing panel members, and the answers you give will have no bearing on the outcome of your application. When analysing the data internally it is aggregated and not considered on an individual basis.

You can view UCL’s privacy policy at https://www.ucl.ac.uk/legal-services/privacy/ucl-prospective-students-enquirers-and-applicants-privacy-notice

UCL has an obligation to report the data on all applicants to EPSRC (the funder). The data is aggregated before reporting and will not be linked to individual applicants. Please review their data policy (https://www.ukri.org/about-us/privacy-notice/) – note that EPSRC is part of UKRI which has a single shared data policy.

Grade Transcripts

Grade Transcripts will only be requested if you reach stage 3 of the selection process. We advise you to prepare these well in advance so you are able to uplod them immediately if you reach stage 3.

Transcripts need to meet the requirements of the UCL admissions office.

References

If you reach stage 3 of the selection process you will need to provide the details (name, email, institution/organisation) of two people who can provide a reference for you.

Who can be a referee:

Your referees cannot be part of the proposed supervisory team for the doctoral study you are applying for. Referee 1 must be an academic reference (if your most recent academic qualification was more than 5 years ago this can be substituted by a reference related to research experience gained during employment).

Make sure you have permission from your referees, and are confident that they will be able to submit a reference within the timeframe.

How references are collected:

References will only be requested for candidates who reach stage 3 of the selection process. You will only need to provide your referees’ details, they will automatically be contacted to provide your references.

UCL admissions portal

If you reach stage 3 of the selection process you will need to complete an application to study at UCL via the UCL admissions portal.

Guidance on completing an application in the UCL admissions portal will be provided when stage 3 is reached.

What happens after applying

Applications will be reviewed in a 3-stage process. Make sure you respond quickly to any correspondence about the application process during this period.

Final outcomes are expected to be confirmed by the end of April 2023, although this may be later in the case of reserve candidates.

Stage 1: Initial departmental review

Parts B and C of your application is sent to the host department of the project you have applied for. All applications are anonymised. The department will review and shortlist candidates to be interviewed.

Stage 2: Shortlisting and interview

Once stage 2 begins, all those students who were not shortlisted in stage 1 will be notified that they were not successful.

Shortlisted candidates will be contacted by their proposed host department with an invite to attend an interview (likely to be held online). If you have any adaptations/requirements to enable you to attend an interview, please make sure you provide these in part A of your application so that supportive arrangements can be made accordingly.

Stage 3: Nomination to central panel and final selection

Once stage 3 begins, all those students who were not shortlisted after interview in stage 2 will be notified that they were not successful.

Departments selects their preferred candidates from those interviewed to nominate to the central selection panel. As part of this nomination the central panel will receive information on candidate’s performance at interview.

If you are nominated to the central panel, the EPSRC DTP will contact you to request you to complete an application via the UCL admissions portal.

Nominations will be reviewed by a panel of senior academics representing diverse areas of UCL from across EPSRC’s subject area remit. The central panel will make final selections for all 60 awards, ensuring the number of International students stays within EPSRC’s cap (an absolute maximum of 18 international students). A reserve list will also operate. The majority of outcomes are expected to be communicated by the end of April, but will be later in the case of reserve candidates.

Selection criteria:

Primary criteria

1. Candidate’s academic performance and skills to date
2. Candidate’s potential for success and excellence in doctoral research and potential for future success

Secondary criteria / suitability checks

1. Fee status – within EPSRC’s cap on international recruitment an absolute maximum of 18 international students can be recruited, so competition for international candidates will be particularly strong

What happens if you are not selected

There is always strong competition for funded studentships. If you receive a rejection from this open competition, it does not mean that you have been rejected by UCL or other funding opportunities you have applied to. You should receive separate outcome notifications from other opportunities you have applied to. You are advised to contact the department you applied to be hosted by to see if there are other opportunities you can apply to.

Appeals and complaints

As applications are reviewed by panels of academic staff in a multi-step process, it will not be possible to request an appeal if you disagree with the outcome of your application on grounds of the academic assessment or judgement made.

However, if you think that the published process (as shown on this webpage) has not been followed, you may contact epsrc.dtp@ucl.ac.uk to raise your concern. Please clearly mark your email EPSRC DTP RECRUITMENT APPEAL in the subject line. Your appeal and application will be reviewed by a panel in light of this new information.