President’s PhD Scholarship Program 2017/18

The President's PhD Scholarships offer an outstanding opportunity for potential PhD students.

The scholarship aims to provide up to 50 research students the opportunity to work within their chosen research field with the support of an excellent supervisor. They are provided with tuition fee and a stipend of £20,800 per annum to assist with living costs.

2017-18 academic year

If you are a high performing undergraduate or Master's student and have a strong desire to undertake a PhD programme at a world class research institution, you could be selected to receive full tuition fees and a generous stipend for a PhD place at Imperial College London. The President’s PhD Scholarships aims to provide up to 50 research students with great potential the opportunity to work within their chosen research field with the support of an excellent supervisor.

Opportunities for PhD funding via this scheme are extremely competitive, with higher than usual eligibility requirements. Applicants should be confident that they are able to demonstrate outstanding academic performance before applying for this scholarship scheme. Previous successful recipients of the scholarship have ranked highly in their class, often achieving grades of 85% or higher in their degree(s).

The earliest start date for funded places is 1 August 2017, the latest start date is 1 November 2017.

Funding

Successful candidates will receive the following financial support for up to 3.5 years:

• Full funding for tuition fees 
• A stipend of £20,800 per annum to assist with living costs 
• A consumables fund of £2,000 per annum for the first 3 years of study
• A programme of bespoke opportunities and events delivered by the Graduate School

Important

Applications for the 2017 scheme are now open

2016-17 application stats

3,487 PhD applicants

479 scholarship self-nominations

50 Scholars awarded

Eligibility

1. Applications are accepted from talented candidates from Imperial College London, the UK and worldwide. There are no restrictions on nationality. 
2. Candidates must be among the highest achievers in their undergraduate cohort, and in receipt of, or due to receive a first class UK degree or equivalent. 
3. Candidates with a standalone Master’s qualification must have achieved a distinction or, where this has yet to have been achieved, be able to provide evidence of high performance that will lead to a distinction. They must also hold a first class UK undergraduate degree or equivalent (integrated Masters that form part of an undergraduate degree, e.g. MEng, MSci, M.Math, are assessed by Admissions as an undergraduate qualification when determining eligibility). Candidates with multiple standalone Master’s qualifications must have achieved a distinction in the one most relevant to their PhD study.
4. Candidates with degrees from overseas institutions are strongly urged to determine if their scores/grades are equivalent to the relevant eligibility criteria. 
5. Prior to applying candidates must have made contact with a supervisor in an academic department at Imperial College London who has agreed to supervise their research project. Please note that supervisors are limited to supervise one scholar at any time. Please review the President's PhD Scholarships - Unavailable Supervisors page for more information. Please note: current registered Imperial PhD students are not eligible to be considered for a President's PhD Scholarship. The scheme is only open to new PhD applications.

Review and selection

Applications will be reviewed by a two-stage process:

1. Candidates meeting or predicted to meet the eligibility requirements will be reviewed by the Department to which they have applied. Departments will select a shortlist of the very best candidates to present to the Imperial College Selection Panel for consideration. 
2. The final decision will be made by the Imperial College Selection Panel. The members of the panel are the Vice-Provost (Research) and the Faculty Vice-Deans for Research. The Panel will consider shortlisted candidates from all Faculties. Scholarships will be awarded to the candidates who show the most potential. 

Successful candidates will receive written confirmation of their scholarship. Any offer of a PhD place will be conditional on final interview by the Department and (if applicable) on the candidate receiving the predicted qualifications.

Applicants not selected for the scholarship will automatically be considered for the PhD.

When should I expect a decision on my scholarship application?

Applications put forward for this scholarship scheme will be considered throughout the academic year.

• Applicants who apply before 11 November 2016 and are awarded a scholarship will be notified by 31 January 2017. 
• Applicants who apply before 24 January 2017 and are awarded a scholarship will be notified by 31 March 2017. 
• Applicants who apply before 28 March 2017 and are awarded a scholarship will be notified by 31 May 2017. 

How to apply

The scheme will open for applications from early October 2016.

There is not a specific scholarship application form.  You should submit your application for admission to study at Imperial through our online admissions system and your department will put you forward for the scholarship based on academic merit and potential.

1. When prompted for a personal statement you must ensure that it consists of approx. 1000 words (maximum 2 pages) and outlines your academic and research achievements to date, explaining in brief your planned research project. The selection panel will not consider statements exceeding the 2 page limit. You may submit updated versions of this statement if required following application submission.
2. To be considered for the President's PhD Scholarship scheme, applicants must select this option in the funding section of the additional questions tab within the online application form.
3. You must also meet any additional application requirements stated by your department of choice.

Eligible candidates will be advanced to the next review and selection process; please see the deadlines below.

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