Graduate Research Degrees

UCL offers two research graduate degrees in Philosophy: the MPhil Stud and the PhD.

The Philosophy MPhil Stud is a two-year (full-time) course. Students complete coursework across a range of areas, and produce a substantial research thesis, preparing them for PhD-level research.

The Philosophy PhD is a three-year (full-time) course. Most of our PhD students have completed our MPhil Stud, but it is possible to enrol on this course if you have obtained a similar qualification elsewhere.

The links, above, provide information about the courses, funding opportunities, and the application process.

Funding Opportunities

We are delighted to announce several sources of funding (assuming candidates of suitable quality). Some of these require separate applications, so please read the following information carefully:

  • Value: full fees; maintenance stipend
  • Available to: prospective students based on academic merit
  • Eligible fee status: UK
  • Eligible courses: PhD Philosophy
  • Deadline: 9th January 2026

UCL Philosophy is pleased to announce at least one Keeling scholarship for a PhD in any area of philosophy, beginning in September 2026.

The scholarship lasts for three years. It will fund UK tuition fees and provide a maintenance stipend (equivalent to the AHRC stipend, plus London allowance).

No separate application for this scholarship is necessary; all successful applicants to UCL's PhD in Philosophy will be considered automatically, provided they apply by 9th January 2026.

  • Value: full fees; maintenance stipend
  • Available to: prospective students based on academic merit
  • Eligible fee status: UK
  • Eligible Courses: PhD Philosophy
  • Deadline: 9th January 2026

UCL Philosophy is pleased to announce at least one Keeling scholarship for a PhD specializing in ancient philosophy, beginning in September 2026.

The scholarship lasts for three years. It will fund UK tuition fees and provide a maintenance stipend (equivalent to the AHRC stipend, plus London allowance).

Applicants wishing to apply for this Keeling Scholarship in Ancient Philosophy should indicate this on their UCL application form in the section 'Funding', and must apply by 9th January 2026.

  • Value: full fees; maintenance stipend
  • Available to: prospective students based on academic merit
  • Eligible fee status: UK
  • Eligible course: MPhil Stud Philosophy
  • Deadline: 9th January 2026

UCL Philosophy is pleased to announce one Keeling scholarship for an MPhil Stud specializing in ancient philosophy, beginning in September 2026. The recipient of this scholarship will be required to specialise to some extent in ancient philosophy over the two year programme, by completing at least two half-year modules in the area of ancient philosophy, attending the weekly ancient philosophy reading group, and by writing their research thesis (25,000–30,000 words) on a topic in ancient philosophy. Other taught modules can be taken in any area of philosophy, as well as in the relevant ancient language as required.

The scholarship lasts for two years. It will fund UK tuition fees and provide a maintenance stipend (equivalent to the AHRC stipend, plus London allowance).

Applicants wishing to apply for this Keeling Scholarship in Ancient Philosophy should indicate this on their UCL application form in the 'Funding' section, and must apply by 9th January 2026.

  • Value: full fees; maintenance stipend
  • Available to: prospective students based on academic merit
  • Eligible fee status: UK
  • Eligible course: PhD
  • Deadline: 9th January 2026

Thanks to the generosity of the UCL Arts & Humanities Faculty, the Philosophy Department is pleased to announce a scholarship for PhD in any area of Philosophy, beginning September 2026.

The scholarship lasts for up to 3 years. It will cover UK fees and equivalent of full UKRI maintenance stipend (inc. London weighting).

No separate application for this scholarship is necessary; all successful applicants to UCL's PhD in Philosophy will be considered automatically, provided they apply by the 9th January 2026.

Applications are invited for a specific PhD project, co-supervised by Tim Button (Philosophy) and David Pym (Computer Science), A Foundational Theory of Information Based on Inference. Funding would be supplied via the UCL EPSRC Landscape Awards (UELA). 

To apply for this project, applicants should do two things: 

  • Complete the UELA application. Start by filling out this form [Part A]; this will trigger an email to the asking for further details. Please note the application deadline for UELA 26-27 Round 1 will be: 13:00 UK time on Monday 05-Jan-2026
    An application consists of 4 parts. Please make sure you read all of the guidance before applying.
  • Complete a standard application for a PhD in Philosophy. Here, applicants should state explicitly that they are applying for UELA funding. In their research proposal applicants should simply outline how they would want to approach the project in question (i.e. a foundational theory of information based on inference).

  • Value: full fees (Home/Overseas); maintenance stipend; research allowance
  • Available to: prospective students, based on academic merit
  • Eligible fee status: UK, Overseas
  • Eligible courses: PhD Philosophy or MPhil Stud Philosophy
  • Deadline: 9th January 2026

UCL will offer fully-funded UCL Research Excellence Scholarships (RES) to exceptional applicants from any country.

This requires a separate application. For more details, please visit the UCL RES site.

The Philosophy Department also has a limited number of small scholarships, to be taken towards fees or as a stipend, as follows:

  • A.J. Ayer Award: ~£2,000
  • Ayer–Sumitomo Award: ~£800
  • Dawes–Hicks Award: ~£5,000
  • Jacobsen Scholarship: ~£9,500
  • G. Melhuish Award: ~£3,700
  • J.S. Mill Award: ~£1,400
  • Downing Scholarship: ~£250

There is no separate application procedure for these scholarships; all successful applicants to any UCL Philosophy Research courses (i.e. MPhil Stud or PhD) will be automatically considered for them, on the basis of academic merit.

Quirk PhD Scholarship: The Quirk PhD Scholarships support students in financial need to conduct research leading to a PhD in the fields of language and literature within the Arts & Humanities.  Learn more about the Quirk PhD Scholarship

Wolfson Postgraduate Scholarship: The Wolfson Foundation is offering three postgraduate research awards in the humanities for Arts and Humanities in 2026/27. These will be for three areas in history, literature and languages. Learn more about the Wolfson Postgraduate Scholarship.

EPSRC Doctoral Landscape Awards: The UCL EPSRC Landscape Award (UELA) 2026/27 will offer five fully funded studentships for Arts & Humanities projects. Learn more about the EPSRC Landscape Awards.

Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Doctoral Landscape Awards: The AHRC Doctoral Landscape Award recognises academic excellence and research potential. Learn more about the AHRC Doctoral Landscape Award.

For other possible sources of funding, you can use the UCL scholarship finder on the main UCL funding pages.

Advice on writing samples

Applicants for either the MPhil Stud or the PhD must submit two writing samples of around 2000 words each (excluding bibliography). These are a crucial part of our admissions process.

  • We ask for two pieces, as we do not want to make the decision on seeing only one piece of work.
  • We set a short word-limit, because we have so many applications. If you send in longer pieces, we cannot guarantee they will be read in their entirety. Longer pieces with highlighted sections can be submitted, but do be aware that is not always possible to get a feel for an argument from an isolated section. 

Remember: you are in competition with many other applicants; it is worth taking some time to work on pieces that fulfil the requirements.