University of Reading PhD Scholarship 2027

The University is pleased to announce a range of International PhD studentships available to start in October 2027. We award these to highly qualified applicants for research within the areas of science, life sciences, social sciences, arts and humanities, and within the Henley Business School.

Table of Content

• Summary
• Benefits
• Requirements
• Interview Process
• Application Deadline
• How To Apply

Summary

• Application DeadlineJanuary 15, 2027
• Study LevelPhD
• SponsorUniversity of Reading
• City to studyReading
• School to studyUniversity of Reading
• Eligible CountryAll Countries

Benefits

• tuition fees at the International rate
• a £1,000 per annum training and development allowance
• for applicants intending to study based at Reading only, a subsistence grant (stipend) broadly in line with the UKRI minimum stipend. The 2026/27 stipend rate is £21,805.

All awards are for up to four years in duration for full-time study and up to six years in duration for part-time study.

There is no funding to support immigration costs to the UK for applicants or their families.

Requirements

Applicants must:

• be eligible for International fees
• apply for a place on a PhD  programme at the University of Reading to study based at Reading or off campus/by distance by 15th January 2027.

 

Applicants wishing to study off-campus/by distance are only eligible for awards covering tuition fees and the training and development allowance; awards to off campus/by-distance applicants do not include a stipend.

Selection Process

Once the deadline for applications has passed, the next stage of the competition takes place within Schools, where an internal selection process is carried out and Schools nominate one candidate for the main studentship competition in the Doctoral and Researcher College.

If you have been nominated by your School, the School will inform you and ask you to prepare a summary research proposal: 

- The international studentship competition requires a research proposal with a maximum length of 700 words, excluding title and references. (If you uploaded a longer research proposal for your admissions application, this can be shortened for the funding competition.)

- The research proposal is an important element of the funding decision; it is advisable to consult the Doctoral and Researcher College's guidance online and your proposed supervisor.

- The research proposal must be your work, but your supervisor may guide and advise you on developing and improving the proposal.

The last stage of the competition is where nominated candidates are put forward for the final selection panel which decides on who will be awarded the studentships. This will take place around the end of March 2027.

Successful candidates will be notified via a formal studentship award letter around the end of April 2027. Please note that this is provided separately from any offer of admission and will be subject to standard checks for eligibility and other criteria. 

Application Deadline

January 15, 2027

How To Apply

 1. Contact your School or Department

As a first step, you should check with the postgraduate research administrator in your School or Department that your proposed research can be supervised by the School/Department.

2. Apply for a place of admission

You will need to submit an application for admission to a PhD programme in your chosen subject via our online admissions portal. If you are not sure to which programme to apply, consult with your postgraduate research administrator or with the School's director of postgraduate research studies.

In the "scholarships applied for" box which appears within the funding section of your online application, please quote "International Research Studentship Competition".

If you have already applied and did not quote the competition, do not worry. Please proceed to step three -- completion of the studentship application form. Completing this form will make your School aware of your interest in applying for the studentship.

3. Complete the studentship application form

 

You will need to complete the short application form for the “International PhD Studentship Competition” which is available here:

 

International PhD Studentship Application Form

 

When you submit this form, you will move to a new screen which says, 'your response was submitted'. 

For more information, visit University of Reading scholarship webpage.