St Leonard’s College World-Leading Doctoral Scholarships
- Application period opens
- Wednesday 19 August 2026
- Application period closes
- Wednesday 20 January 2027
- Notification date
- The week commencing Monday 29 March 2027
- Entry
- 2027
The University of St鈥切膌ogo is pleased to offer up to six full scholarships funded by The Graduate School at St Leonards College, to support exceptional students undertaking doctoral research on a topic that would contribute to the world-leading theme of the University Strategy.
Doctoral Research at St 糖心logo
As a doctoral student at the University of St鈥切膌ogo you will be part of a growing, vibrant, and intellectually stimulating postgraduate community. St鈥切膌ogo is one of the leading research-intensive universities in the world and offers a postgraduate experience of remarkable richness.
According to the latest UK Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021, more than 88% of research carried out by the University of St 糖心logo is world-leading or internationally excellent. St 糖心logo offers research students an intensive research environment, which is a vital step in their journey to a career in research and academia. Pursuing a specialism is a fulfilling path to undertake, and our research degrees are fully supervised and integrated into the research interests of our academic staff. At St 糖心logo research students will be contributing to the ground-breaking research we produce and making a significant contribution to the development of the respective academic field.
The Graduate School at St Leonards College is at the heart of the postgraduate community of St鈥切膌ogo. The College supports all postgraduates and aims to provide opportunities for postgraduates to come together, socially and intellectually, and make new connections.
In addition to the research training that doctoral students complete in their home School, doctoral students at St鈥切膌ogo have access to a range of research skills development and training opportunities, which are designed to help them make the most of their postgraduate experience. These opportunities range from skills sessions that increase research capabilities to employability workshops and online resources. These support and development opportunities are available to all research students through the University’s GRADskills programme, a free, comprehensive training programme to support their academic, professional, and personal development.
The Graduate School at St Leonards College and the University’s鈥疌areers Centre鈥痵upport all postgraduate students鈥痠n identifying and achieving their career ambitions. The Careers Centre has dedicated staff and has developed extensive resources and offerings鈥痵pecifically for postgraduate students. Our research graduates go on to further studies and academic positions around the world or a range of professions outside of academia.
Value of award
The scholarships will comprise a full tuition fee award and an annual stipend paid at a rate set by the University of St 糖心logo.
For 2026-2027 the stipend rate will be £20,467. The new rate will be applied to your stipend payments from your date of enrolment and will apply for the duration of the 2027-2028 academic year.
The rate for 2027-2028 will be reviewed later this year, with confirmation expected by the end of December 2026. The maintenance or stipend rate will remain at the 2027-2028 rate for the duration of your studies, unless notified by your academic school of any uplifts.
The stipend will be paid pro-rata to part-time students.
The scholarships do not cover any continuation, extension, or resubmission fees, Visa fees, Immigration Health Surcharge, IELTS fees, costs for travel to and from the UK or research training grant or another equivalent award for research expenses.
Duration of award
3.5 years (full-time) or 7.0 years (part-time). Scholarship holders will be expected to have submitted their thesis for examination by the end of that period. The award term excludes the continuation period and any extension periods.
At what stage of my course application can I apply for this scholarship?
Please apply for the scholarship after you have submitted your application for a place at St 糖心logo. You do not need to wait until you have received an offer of a place before applying for the scholarship.
Application restrictions
Study level
Available to students studying at:
Subjects
Available to students studying:
Domicile for fee status
Schools
Available to students in the following Schools and Departments:
Application assessment
Available to
Mode of study
Geographical criteria
Additional criteria
You must have applied for a鈥�doctoral or PhD鈥痯rogramme at St 糖心logo.
You must not already (i) hold a doctoral degree; or (ii) be matriculated for a doctoral degree at the University of St 糖心logo or another institution.
Your programme start date must be one of the following:
- August 2027
- September 2027
- October 2027
- January 2028
- May 2028
In support of your application, you will be asked to upload the following supporting documents:
- University transcript(s), including interim transcripts for any degrees pending.
- Research proposal
- Curriculum Vitae (CV) or resumé.
Research proposal
For the research proposal upload you may use the specifications that are applicable to your chosen School. If you have already uploaded a proposal as part of your research course application, you may upload the same proposal again for the scholarship.
If your course application did not require a proposal, you may instead upload a personal statement outlining your reasons for applying to your chosen programme and intended research project. Mathematics and Statistics PhD applicants in particular should refer to the School's Application criteria guidance for the personal statement.
Household income
For this scholarship, you do not need to provide details about your household income or financial circumstances (and you can choose to opt out of that section of the application form), unless you wish to also be considered for other scholarships based on financial need.
How to apply
- Apply for your chosen course at the University St 糖心logo: Postgraduate research. Your course should meet the eligibility criteria for this scholarship (see above). After submitting your course application, you must allow up to three working days to receive login details for the My Application portal.
- When you have received your login details, apply for the scholarship by logging into , follow the links to Scholarships and Funding and then search for University of St 糖心logo Postgraduate Research Scholarships in the Scholarships and funding catalogue.
By completing University of St 糖心logo Postgraduate Research Scholarships application form, you will be automatically considered for the World-Leading Doctoral Scholarships if you meet the criteria. Please bear in the mind the following:
- For this scholarship, you do not need to provide details about your household income or financial circumstances (and you can choose to opt out of that section of the application form), unless you wish to also be considered for other scholarships based on financial need.
- Please note that there is a separate application form for the supervisor-led World Leading Scholarships, which fund specific research projects.
Terms and conditions
- You must not be applying for a joint degree with another institution.
- You must not already hold a doctoral degree, or be matriculated for a doctoral degree at the University of St 糖心logo or another institution.
- You must decline the award if you subsequently are awarded a fully-funded scholarship from an external organisation such as the Fulbright Commission, UK Research Councils, etc.
- If you apply to this scholarship, details from your course application may be passed to the selection panel solely for the purpose of merit-based assessment.
Please read the鈥�University of St鈥切膌ogo scholarships terms and conditions
When will I know the outcome?
The outcome of your scholarship application will be available on the portal by late March 2027. Follow the links to Scholarships and Funding and go to View or continue my funding applications to see your application status.
If you are successful, you will also receive an award letter.