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UCL EPSRC Landscape Award (UELA) studentships

The UCL EPSRC Doctoral Landscape Award (UELA) 2027/28 aims at funding approximately 50 fully-funded studentships with a start date of 01-Oct-2027.

 

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Important note:

UELA is the new name for the UCL EPSRC Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) studentships. You may still see references to the DTP on these webpages, however DTP and UELA studentships can be considered the same.

  • The project catalogue and application portal for UELA 2027-28 is expected to open towards the end of October 2026.

  • Additional information for UCL staff on the recruitment process - UCL staff login required

Summary

The UCL EPSRC Landcape Award (UELA) will have approximately 50 fully-funded, 4-year studentships available for the 2027/28 academic year. Studentships are open to both Home and International fee status students, however EPSRC caps the number of International students at 30% so a maximum of 15 International students can be recruited and competition for these places will be particularly strong.

Studentships are expected to start on 01-Oct-2027 unless exceptional circumstances require an alternate start date. Exceptional circumstances include, but are not limited to, disability and caring responsibilities. 

Some of the projects are "collaborative" - these are jointly funded by an external partner organisation, and involve time spent on placement at the partner’s premises.

Note: Where unavoidable, UELA reserves the right to withdraw projects from the catalogue before or after the application deadline. Candidates who have applied to a project that has been withdrawn will be informed as soon as possible.

Key Facts

  • Value: Fees, Stipend (estimated as £24,522 per year for 2027/28, increases each year) and Research Training Support Grant (RTSG) to cover additional costs of the project such as attendance to conferences. 
  • Duration: Up to 4 years (thesis to be submitted within funded period)
  • Eligible fee status: Home and overseas
  • Study mode: Full or part-time (at least 50% FTE) [Note: Part time is not available to International students]
  • Primary selection criteria: Academic merit
  • Available to: Prospective students only
  • Application deadline: Expected to be early January 2027 (exact date TBC)

Funding available

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

  • 4 years fees (Home rate) (Note: International students will receive a UCL award to cover the home/international fee difference)
  • Maintenance stipend at UELA enhanced rate (ie £1,500 above the UKRI London-weighted rate; this is expected to be £24,522 in 2027/28, and rises each year)
  • Research Training Support Grant (RTSG). This is to cover additional costs of training e.g. courses, project costs, conferences, travel

Students will be 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. We particularly welcome applications from Home students.

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, or refugee or humanitarian protection status 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 with International fee status which can be recruited is capped according to the EPSRC terms and conditions.

Projects Available

A project catalogue will be available towards the end of October 2026.

Note: Where unavoidable, UELA reserves the right to withdraw projects from the catalogue before or after the application deadline. Candidates who have applied to a project that has been withdrawn will be informed as soon as possible. In each section of the catalogue (to be published soon), projects where an offer has already been made to a candidate are indicated. 

Application process - UPDATE IN PROGRESS

 

Diversity monitoring data

UELA is committed to equality of opportunity in our studentship selection processes.

Your application will collect 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.

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.

Stage 1: Shortlisting

UNDER REVIEW.

Stage 2: Interview

UNDER REVIEW

Stage 3: Nomination to central panel and final selection

UNDER REVIEW

Successful candidates

UCL Admissions portal

If you have been selected for an informal offer of a UELA studentship, you will need to complete an application to study at UCL via the UCL admissions portal. You will need to receive an offer of study at UCL via the formal admissions process to be given a formal UCL UELA funding offer letter. Guidance on completing an application in the UCL admissions portal will be provided to candidates when they need to complete it.

Grade transcripts

You will be asked to submit your official grade transcripts as part of your UCL application to study via the UCL admissions portal. We advise you to prepare these well in advance. Transcripts need to meet the requirements of the UCL admissions office.

Successful international candidates

Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS)

Depending on nationality, successful international candidates, might need to apply for the Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS). You are able to apply for the ATAS certificate with a UCL conditional offer of study. The certificate is valid for 6 months, so all international candidates are expected to apply as soon as they receive their conditional offer of study from UCL.

English Language Requirements

International candidates might need to provide evidence of their English language proficiency as part of their application via the UCL admissions portal. Please check the UCL English language requirements webpage for more information.

Student visa

All successful international candidates will be required to apply for a Student visa.  In order to apply for your visa, you will need your ATAS certificate and an unconditional offer of study from UCL. Students applying for a visa of more than 6 months in duration will be required to pay the immigration health surcharge (IHS) for access to the National Health Service (NHS).  You can find out how much will be expected to pay using the fee calculator on the UKVI website. The full amount of your IHS will need to be paid at the time you submit your visa application.

What happens if you are not selected

There is always strong competition for funded studentships. If you receive a rejection from the UCL UELA, 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 UELA RECRUITMENT APPEAL in the subject line. Your appeal and application will be reviewed by a panel in light of this new information.

Candidates questions

You must complete the online form using the link in the email you received after completing part A - it will automatically complete your applicant ID details for you. The questions are provided here only so that you can prepare your answers in advance, applications will only be accepted via the online forms.

Q1. Your motivation for Doctoral research.

(maximum 300 words)

Explain your motivation for doing doctoral research in general, and this project in particular. Think about your previous research experience and how it fits with this project.

What are your career aims? How does doctoral research, and this project specifically, fit with those aims? From the research opportunities available worldwide, what made you choose this one?

Make sure you give information or evidence to back up your statements rather than making generic statements such as “I am passionate about doing research in topic X”. Applicants for interdisciplinary projects, please also give specific details about your motivation for undertaking an interdisciplinary project.

Q2.Your suitability for Doctoral research

(maximum 300 words)

Explain how your personal attributes will help you succeed at Doctoral research. For applicants for interdisciplinary projects, please give specific evidence of your suitability for interdisciplinary doctoral research. 

Think about the skills and attributes needed to be a successful Doctoral researcher e.g. independence, curiosity, time-management, problem-solving, communication, etc. Give examples from your experience that demonstrate these qualities. Demonstrate with examples how you approach challenges to overcome them. What makes you stand out as an excellent candidate for doctoral research?

Q3. Knowledge and skills

(maximum 300 words)

Explain how your knowledge and skills will help you succeed in doctoral research, and this project specifically, including interdisciplinary research where applicable. What do you think are the important areas of knowledge and the technical skills needed for this project?

Give examples to show how you have the right background knowledge, skills and experience to be able to undertake this project. How will you go about increasing your knowledge and acquiring new skills so that you can succeed in the project? What makes you the best candidate for this specific project?

Q4 Your research experience

Choose 1 of the 3 research projects you included in section of your application to discuss in more detail in this section. You don’t have to use the most recent, chose the one that you think is most relevant and/or best demonstrates your experience and skills in relation to the project you are applying for. For applicants for interdisciplinary projects, please give specific evidence related to interdisciplinary research experience.

Q4a. About the research

(maximum 500 words)

This is your opportunity to discuss one of your research projects in more detail to demonstrate your relevant experience. Research experience could include an experimental or theoretical piece of research, a literature review, or analysis of existing data.

State whether you were working alone or as part of a team, and explain what your intellectual and practical contributions to the research were. You should include the aims and hypothesis of the project, and give some context to the purpose of it e.g. was it addressing an outstanding question, improving current knowledge, or developing a new or improved technique. Discuss the techniques you used and why. If your project was a literature review or analysis of existing data, explain how you chose the review topic or analysis to perform. Discuss challenges encountered during the research and how you approached these.

4b. Outcomes of the research

(maximum 500 words)

Research can have many types of outcomes. These can include published papers and conference presentations, but there are often wider outcomes as well. Describe the main results or conclusions of your project. How does this contribute to the field of study? If you presented your results at a conference or they will contribute to a publication provide details (making sure not to give details that would identify you such as a full publication citation). If you weren’t able to meet the project aims, what were the limitations of the approach and how would you overcome this if you continued to work on it?

If you did a literature review did you find any gaps where further research is needed and how might you conduct some of that research?

If you analysed existing data, did it have any gaps or limitations, and how would you collect new or additional data to overcome this?

Consider also your personal outcomes, for example did you gain knowledge, skills, or confidence in a particular technique or subject area; did you gain other skills that would help you succeed at Doctoral research; what did you learn about the research process and your ability to be a researcher?

Q5.Contextual information (Optional)

(maximum 200 words)

If you wish, you can use this space to provide any contextual information to support your application. Examples may include (but are not limited to): career breaks, caring responsibilities, disability, long term health condition. Make sure you don’t directly declare any protected characteristics (eg gender, ethnicity).

IMPORTANT: Remember that your application will be read by the supervisor and others that you will be working with if you are offered a studentship, so don’t mention any personal details which you would not want them to know.