To avoid wasting your own time and that of the academics listed on this site we recommend that you find out what funding is available to you first. Please do not apply for UK studentships on this site unless you qualify for UK Research Council funding or have access to funding from other sources.

Funding for PhD studentships from UK Research Councils is usually only available to UK citizens or those who have been ordinarily resident in the UK for a period of 3 years or more for purposes other than full time education. EU nationals usually qualify for a 'fees only' award. Check the research council’s web sites for more information.

Your first port of call should be grant-awarding bodies in your own country and your local office of the British Council (addresses for international British Council offices can be found at www.britishcouncil.org). The British Council manage a small number of international studentship grants in some countries and should be able to tell you what other awards may be available to you. The sites listed below also contain links and information on funding:

Commonwealth students may try The Association of Commonwealth Universities
EU nationals may investigate funding from the European Union
USA students may try The Fulbright Commission

PhD studentships awarded by various charities may be open to non UK citizens. In most cases the supervisor will state this in the project title or description. Other links provided on our Funding Section may also be of use in this.

Q. I've seen a project I am interested in, how do I go about applying?

Simply click on the "Send an Application Enquiry" button to be taken to our online contact form. When sending a speculative email, make sure to include your full contact details, and attach a CV if required. Please also mention FindAPhD.com when applying.

Q. I have written to supervisors, but have not received a reply.

1) You may have typed in your own email address incorrectly. FindAPhD automatically sends a copy of your application to your email address each time you apply. If you have not received this copy, then you may have mistyped your email address. In this case, please try writing again.

2) Your email address may not be active. If you have used a Hotmail email address, you need to login to check your mail at least once a month to keep your account active. If you fail to do this, all email sent to your address will bounce back.

Q. What qualifications do I need to do a PhD in the UK?

The normal prerequisite for a UK research council PhD studentship is a 2(i) degree or a 2(ii) plus an appropriate Masters degree. A small number of studentships are funded by charitable trusts or by the host university which can have less rigid qualification criteria. The other possibility is a job as a Graduate Research Assistant, where you can register for a part time PhD (it may still only take three years). Keep checking back in the New Projects section of FindAPhD for the latest opportunities.

If you decide that a Masters degree would be a good first step then you should be prepared not only to support yourself during the course, but also to pay full course fees. A very small number of grants are available for Masters degrees; you will need to check this on a course-by-course basis. In certain circumstances your Local Education Authority may provide some support. Before accepting a place on a Masters course, make sure that it would qualify you for the types of PhD you're looking for.

Q. How often is the site updated?

New projects are added daily to the site, so keep checking back for the latest opportunities. Our New Projects section lists all PhD opportunities added in the last 2 weeks.

Q. What happens at a PhD interview?

It's not really for us to say what you might be asked. PhD interviews vary tremendously depending on the supervisor concerned. It is likely however that you will be asked about your third year project or any other research experience you may have.

If you have been given details of any particular references then make sure you do your best to read them. If you've not been given this info, then use the web to find relevant papers (particularly those by your potential supervisor). You are not likely to be examined on these things, but the supervisor will be looking to see that you were at least interested enough to read them.

The other question you are likely to be asked is why you want to do a PhD in general, and this PhD in particular. You should think about the answers to these questions before you go to the interview. Many people apply for PhD's because they couldn't think of anything else to do. A good supervisor will try to avoid these people.

Finally, remember to find out as much as you can while you're there. Try to speak to PhD students working in your potential new lab/department and see if you like the atmosphere. Don't be afraid to ask the PhD students about the quality of supervision. Three years is a long time to be stuck with a bad supervisor or to work in an unfriendly environment.

Q. What is it like to do a PhD?

The million-dollar question. Past and present PhD students can fill you with tales of dread and delight. Our books section lists a number of helpful publications. We've also come across a few articles on the web which take a sideways look at the next three years of your life.

Click here to see the "PhD Life" section.

Q. The subject I am interested in is not listed.

FindAPhD is funded by the academics advertising on the site. Our coverage is constantly expanding to accommodate the growing number of departments who use our services. If you don't find your area of interest listed in the Discipline menu then try searching by keyword.