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UCL offers a range of research scholarships for outstanding scholars to undertake doctoral research at UCL.
- Research Excellence Scholarship
- Research Opportunity Scholarship
- Research Excellence Scholarships for Cross-disciplinary Training (One-Year)
- China Scholarship Council-UCL Joint Research Scholarship
Research Excellence Scholarship
UCL is offering 40 fully funded UCL Research Excellence Scholarships (RES) to exceptional applicants from any country. Both prospective and current UCL doctoral students can apply.
- Eligibility
In order to apply, you must:
- have submitted an admission application to, or currently be registered on, an eligible full- or part-time eligible degree programme at UCL by the scholarship deadline;
- be holding or expected to achieve at least an upper second-class Honours UK undergraduate degree or equivalent qualification.
You must submit a complete application for admission onto an eligible degree programme by the specified deadline. You do not need to have secured an offer of a place at UCL in order to apply for the scholarship, but you must have submitted your admission application.
- How to Apply
Research Excellence Scholarship applications to the Department of Mechanical Engineering should be submitted by email to mecheng.phd@ucl.ac.uk. Full application instructions can be found on the RES webpage:
Research Opportunity Scholarship
UCL's Research Opportunity Scholarship (UCL-ROS) supports BAME postgraduate research degree students. Both prospective and current UCL doctoral students can apply.
- About
UCL is running this scholarship with the Windsor Fellowship. The UCL scheme offers full financial support and a skills development programme, both designed to promote academia as a more attractive career option. Please see our ROS scholars testimonials to see how this scholarship has helped our community of ROS scholars.
There are 7 scholarships available in total:
- 5 scholarships for any UCL faculty
- 1 scholarship for Social and Historical Sciences
- 1 scholarship for the Department of Chemical Engineering
- Value, benefits, and duration
The scholarships consist of fees equivalent to the standard postgraduate UK/home rate (2024/25: £6035) plus a maintenance stipend (2024/25: £21181) for full-time study (benefits are calculated 'pro rata' for part-time students). The scholarship also includes additional research costs of up to £1,200 per year for the stated duration of the programme plus a one off conference cost of £1000.
Awards are normally tenable for years 1, 2, and 3 of a full-time MPhil/PhD/EngD degree programme (or years 1-5 of a part-time programme), subject to annual review and renewal.
Where students are undertaking integrated four-year doctoral programmes the award will be extended to the final year of study.
If granted, funding begins at the start of the next academic year.
The UCL-ROS scholarships also offer a comprehensive personal and professional development support package:
- Coaching, mentoring support and advocacy;
- Training and skills development through UCL’s Doctoral Skills Development Programme (including the “Brilliant Club” scholars programme) and the Windsor Fellowship.
- Eligibility
In order to apply, you must:
- have submitted a completed admission application to, or currently be registered on, an eligible** full- or part-time eligible degree programme at UCL by the scholarship deadline;
- you must be a UK-permanent resident from one of the following BAME ethnic groups:
- Black or Black British - Caribbean
- Black or Black British - African
- Other Black background
- Asian or Asian British - Bangladeshi
- Asian or Asian British - Pakistani
In order to be awarded a scholarship if selected, you must be in receipt of an offer of admission to, or currently be registered on, a full-time or part-time research degree programme at UCL.
- How to Apply
Full eligibility criteria and application instructions can be found on the Research Opportunity Scholarship webpage:
Research Excellence Scholarships for Cross-disciplinary Training (One-Year)
UCL's Research Excellence Scholarship for Cross-disciplinary Training (RXD) is our new award for research students to spend a year in another academic department acquiring new research skills.
- Eligibility
Eligible candidates must:
- be in receipt of an offer of admission to or currently registered at UCL on a full-time MPhil/PhD or EngD research programme*, and;
- provide proof of 3 years of guaranteed funding for their normal MPhil/PhD or EngD programme.
* Please note, students must be in the research phase of their degree and still paying fees. Students who have entered or are scheduled to enter CRS before Sept 2024 are not eligible to apply.
Where the student is in receipt of a scholarship or funding (e.g. from UKRI) written permission for the arrangement must be sought from the relevant body. Please note: if you are in receipt of UKRI funding, permission should be granted by the training grant holder (i.e. your UCL department/training centre). If RXD funding is deemed not to be compatible with the terms of funding from current sponsors, then unfortunately you are ineligible to apply to the RXD.
Self-funding students need to provide evidence that they have full funding for the remaining years of their PhD.
- How to Apply
Applications must be made by the Head of the student's home department in conjunction with the Graduate Tutor. Full application instructions can be found on the RXD webpage:
Research Excellence Scholarships for Cross-disciplinary Training
China Scholarship Council-UCL Joint Research Scholarship
Funding offered by UCL and the China Scholarships Council (CSC) aims to expand the educational, cultural and technological co-operation between the UK and China.
5 awards are available for students intending to pursue research in any subject area in accordance with the CSC’s priorities. In order to be considered for one of these 5 CSC-UCL Joint Research Scholarships candidates must first submit an application for the UCL Research Excellence Scholarship (RES) before submitting an application to the CSC. UCL will then select its five CSC-UCL Joint Research Scholars from the pool of students that applied to the RES.
Successful tuition fee funding recipients under the above three priority areas will be notified of their provisional funding in early March. Recipients must then submit a separate application to the China Scholarship Council (CSC) for co-funding.
Full eligibility criteria and application instructions can be found on the CSC-UCL Joint Research Scholarship webpage:
China Scholarship Council-UCL Joint Research Scholarship