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Apply for Studentships

Learn about the types of studentships available to current and prospective students.

View live studentship opportunities

What is a studentship? 

‘Studentship’ is the term used for a funding package, or grant, awarded to a student by one or a combination of the below funding sources for university study. Studentships can cover part or all of a student’s tuition fees and include a ‘stipend’ for living costs.

Who can apply for a studentship? 

Each studentship opportunity has its own specific eligibility criteria: some are open to both current and prospective students, others only to prospective students and many of the studentships available at UCL are open to both Home and International-fee status applicants – please check individual opportunities for their eligibility requirements. 

Studentships at UCL

Sources of Funding

Postgraduate research funding comes from a variety of sources - some schemes are funded internally by UCL, while others are externally funded by a wide range of organisations. Schemes are administered in one of the following ways:

  • Funded and managed by UCL
  • Funded by an external organisation with UCL responsible for the management of funds
  • Funded by an external organisation with the external organisation responsible for the management of funds and liaising directly with the student regarding their funding

Where UCL manages the funding of an externally funded scheme or studentship, for example, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Wellcome Trust grants, UCL rights and regulations apply in addition to those of the funder. Please note that if a studentship is externally funded and the external organisation manages and liaises directly with the student regarding the funding, UCL is not responsible for the administration of funding in any way.

Examples of internally and externally managed funding sources are:

Internally managed funding sources

  • Central UCL schemes (for example, the Research Excellence Scholarship (RES) and the Research Opportunities Scholarship (ROS))
  • Discipline specific faculty or departmental studentships and schemes
  • UKRI Research Councils
  • Some charities and societies (for example, the British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK and the Royal Society)

Externally managed funding sources

  • Employer
  • Nation-specific schemes (for example, the China Scholarship Council (CSC))

There are numerous studentship opportunities at UCL, including:  

Doctoral Training Entity (DTE) Studentships 

Doctoral Training Entities, or DTEs, is the term used by UCL for all its funded postgraduate research training programmes. In addition to providing funding, DTE studentships offer prospective doctoral researchers the opportunity to develop their research skills through a defined training programme as part of a cohort. Funders of DTEs include UKRI, Wellcome Trust, and the British Heart Foundation. 

For more information on UCL’s DTEs, visit Doctoral Training Entities (DTEs).

UCL Research Excellence Scholarship (UCL-RES) 

The UCL Research Excellence Scholarship (UCL-RES) is the premier scholarship programme for exceptional scholars pursuing doctoral research at UCL. It combines what was previously known as the GRS and ORS scholarships.  

UCL-RES applications for the 2024/2025 academic year start are closed. The scholarship runs each year with the application window opening in October.

For detailed information on UCL-RES, including eligibility and the application process, visit the Research Excellence Scholarship page.

UCL Research Opportunities Scholarship (UCL-ROS)

UCL's Research Opportunity Scholarship (UCL-ROS) supports current and prospective Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) postgraduate research degree students to excel in academia.

The UCL Scheme offers full financial support and a skills development programme, and responds to persistent under-representation and structural inequalities that disadvantage talented ethnically minoritised researchers. Visit the UCL-ROS scholars testimonials to see how this scholarship has benefitted UCL's community of UCL-ROS scholars.

UCL-ROS applications for the 2024/2025 academic year start are closed. The scholarship runs each year with the application window opening in October.

For detailed information on UCL-ROS, including eligibility and the application process, visit the Research Opportunities Scholarship.

Other UCL Studentships & Scholarships 

Explore a list of available UCL studentships, usually advertised by project, by utilising our Funded Research Opportunities Search. 

For part and full financial awards or scholarships aimed at assisting both prospective and current students with their studies that are not project or DTE-related, use the Scholarships Finder Tool. 

Other External Funding Opportunities 

Beyond UCL, numerous organisations offer scholarships, funding and development opportunities for home and international doctoral researchers. These include governmental and charitable organisations, some of which award nation-specific scholarships to academically excellent students to foster research relationships between countries, whilst others award based on research field. Please note that eligibility criteria and application requirements vary across organisations and schemes. 

Explore (but by no means be limited to) the below examples of organisations which offer funding and development opportunities: 

Examples of US/UK specific schemes: