Applying for postgraduate study

Applications for courses may open up to a year in advance and deadlines can vary, with some courses filling on a first come, first served basis, so applying early is ideal wherever possible to try to secure your first choice of course. Some courses may still be available a few months ahead of the course start date, however choices of course, funding options and accommodation (if required) may be more limited. To give an example, a final year student looking to undertake a Masters the September after they graduate would ideally try to apply in the Autumn term of their final year.

For most courses, you will apply directly to the institution for the course you are interested in and could apply for as many courses as you wish, taking into account the cost and time required for each application. A small number of courses may require you to apply through UCAS but this will be clear within the course details. It can take time to write and target each application so try not to spread yourself too thinly by applying to too many courses. 

Most applications will require you to write a personal statement. This is a chance for you to state how you are suitable for the course and why you are applying. It is important to target these to each course and institution that you apply to so taking time to get them right is key. 

• If you need help with writing a personal statement, look at our Writing a personal statement information page. You can also book an appointment to have a personal statement reviewed by the Career Zone.
• Prospects has some great tips on writing a personal statement.
• The Career Zone also runs a careers and employability session, 'Applying for a Masters – CV and Personal Statements', which covers how to approach an academic CV and explores what a personal statement needs to effectively demonstrate your suitability and motivation for postgraduate study. This session is bookable via Handshake. 

As well as the personal statement you will be required to provide two references. Ideally these will be from an academic who knows your work, but one reference may also be from recent work experience. Make sure you ask referees in advance and allow plenty of time. 

• To find out more, look at our References information page.   

Once you have applied, for some courses you may be invited to an interview. Details of how to prepare for this type of interview can be found here: 

• Postgraduate interview questions | Prospects.ac.uk
• Interviews for Postgraduate Study information page. 

Most research degrees will start in September so the autumn before is often the ideal time to apply however, some courses offer additional entry points in January or May so when to apply can vary. Deadlines for applying are usually one month before the course start date for UK applicants, and three months before for international applicants. 

Funding deadlines can vary depending on how you are looking to fund your PhD, so you will need to give yourself plenty of time to research the relevant funding options.

Some PhD’s are advertised by Universities as the Supervisor may already have funding for a project and so it will be advertised like a job. This can be more common in STEM subjects. 

• Find a PhD lets you browse UK PhD Research Projects here. 

Alternatively a student may decide to design their own research project and put forward a research proposal for the work they would like to do. This requires them to apply for funding, and is more common in Arts, Humanities and some Social Sciences subjects. 

• Find a PhD lets you browse UK PhD programmes to apply to. 

When making a PhD application, you will usually need to submit the following: 

• An academic CV
  • Academic CVs guide
  • Prospects' Academic CV example
  • Vitae - how to create an effective academic CV: Tips and advice from Vitae on how to create an effective academic CV
• Your academic transcripts
• Two or three academic references
  • To find out more, look at our References information page.
• A personal statement
  • If you need help with writing a personal statement, look at our Writing a personal statement information page. You can also book an appointment to have a personal statement reviewed by the Career Zone.
  • Prospects has some great tips on writing a personal statement.
• A research proposal
  • University of Exeter guide to writing a research proposal
  • Prospects how to write a successful research proposal.
  • How to write a postgraduate research proposal. 

It is a good idea before applying to undertake research to get in contact with a potential Supervisor. Depending on how you are applying, the Supervisor may already have been allocated, or you may need to seek them out. Further advice and information around how to choose and get in touch with them can be found in the following resources: 

• Choosing your PhD supervisor | Prospects.ac.uk
• Questions to Ask PhD Supervisors and How to Contact Them | FindAPhD.com
• The following resource has further information about how to apply for a PhD -  How to apply | Postgraduate Study - PhD and Research Degrees | University of Exeter