Information and links on how to apply. Applications for 2023 are open

To apply for this course, please follow the link on our prospectus page. 

Please note that deadlines for International Students will fall on 13 January 2023 and in 10 March 2023  and 14 June 2023 for Home Students.

We advise that home students submit for the first date but all applications will be considered on a rolling basis thereafter up to and including 14th June.

Apply Here

We offer fully funded studentships to both home and overseas students* and particularly welcome applications from under-represented and minority groups.  If you have any queries or concerns about the application process please email our CDT Manager, Sharon Betts

Overseas applications

We have limited international studentships available. Please reach out to potential supervisors to discuss potential research collaboration.

Home applications

We have a number of home studentships available and the UKRI is keen to build on home grown talent for the CDT. Please reach out to potential supervisors to dicuss potential collaborations.

What the application journey looks like

• Students prepare all necessary documents (references, research proposal, personal statement, CV etc) required for applying and use the online link above to register with the UCL application portal, Portico.
• UCL's Graduate Admissions Office will assess the application and see whether candidates meet the entry requirements for the course.
• Any additional requirements for entry, such as language test certificates etc, will be highlighted to the candidate as a condition of entry.
• The department will then review the applications and inform all named supervisors of incoming interest.
• Supervisors will assess the candidates assigned to them and invite successful applicants to interview and inform candidates not invited to interview that they will not be proceeding with them at this stage.
• The Directors of the CDT will meet to formally assess the feedback and interview forms, as well as the candidates full application and decide which applicants will be offered a studentship.
• Successful applicants will then be emailed by the CDT to inform them of their offer and be advised of any outstanding entry requirements that may need to be completed to ensure an unconditional offer.
• Successful candidates will then be asked to formally accept or reject their offer in Portico.
• The Graduate Admissions Office will then complete the admissions process for incoming students.

Entry requirements

Applicants will normally be expected to hold a first or upper second-class Bachelor's degree or a Merit for a taught Masters degree in a relevant discipline (e.g. Computer Science, Machine Learning, Mathematics, Electronic Engineering or other similar engineering, mathematics or physical sciences based discipline). Candidates with lower grades but who have relevant industrial experience will also be considered.

If English is not your first language and you are not a national of a country deemed by either the UK Home Office or UCL to be "majority English speaking", you must be able to provide recent evidence that your spoken and written command of the English language is adequate to the Standard Level under UCL’s English Language Requirements: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate/learning-and-living-ucl/international-students/english-language-requirements

Please be aware that we require that all applications must contain the following to enable us to consider your application:

• Research Proposal
• Evidence of your qualifications & transcripts of grades
• CV detailing relevant skills, experience and publications (if any)
• Potential supervisor’s name
• A personal statement outlining your motivation to join the CDT (Applicants that do not explain why the CDT mechanism is particularly appropriate for them will be at a significant disadvantage.)

Writing a proposal

Although your proposal may not be exactly what you end up researching while you are with us, we consider the Research Proposal to be an extremely important part of the application process. The Proposal is used to assess the quality and originality of your ideas, your skills in critical thinking and the feasibility of the research project. We have no minimum length or word limit, however your proposal should contain references and be relevant to Artificial Intelligence research.

You will be able to find several independent guides online for further help with how to write a Research Proposal that can be used for any institution.

Finding a supervisor

We strongly recommend that our potential applicants contact their proposed supervisor directly before making a formal application. The reason for this, is that it can help speed up the process and help identify the most suitable person to review your application during the shortlisting process and interview if your application is shortlisted. Simply email them with your CV and research proposal directly and then take it from there.

You can find a list of potential supervisors on this webpage, however, if there is a member of UCL academic staff that you want to work with who is not on that list, please do still approach them and we can go from there.

Shortlisting process

Please be aware that although you will receive a standard UCL notification after formal application that we aim to review all applications within 6 weeks, as the CDT funding is competitive, we are unable to review applications independently and will only be able to shortlist candidates after our application deadline.

We request that you ensure that your referees are aware that they should expect a reference request from us and to respond as promptly as possible; their reference will be used during the shortlisting process.

If your application is shortlisted, you will be invited for a formal interview, either in person or by Skype.