Important Information about the EPSRC DTP Studentship

Finding a PhD Research Project

There are a number of projects available for the EPSRC DTP studentships starting January 2025.  A list of projects and information including details of the supervisory team, location for studying the PhD aims and objectives can be found in the Finding a PhD Research Project section. 

Funding Eligibility

Please refer to the UKRI EPSRC residency criteria web page alongside the information provided below.

Home students

Fully-funded studentships are available for Home students.  To be classed as a Home student, you must meet the following criteria:

• Be a UK National (meeting residency requirements), or
• Have settled status, or
• Have pre-settled status (meeting residency requirement) or,
• Have indefinite leave to remain or enter

International students

Unfortunately, we are not able to accept international students during this round of recruitment as the allocation from the EPSRC DTP for International students has been fully committed. 

You should have obtained, or be about to obtain, a First or Upper Second Class UK Honours degree, or the equivalent qualifications gained outside the UK, in an appropriate area of science, engineering or technology.  Applicants with a Lower Second Class degree will be considered if they also have Masters degree or have significant relevant non-academic experience.

If English is not your first language you will need to meet the English language requirements and provide proof of proficiency prior to starting your programme of study. Click here for more information and a list of acceptable alternative tests

You must apply for these EPSRC DTP studentships via the following link Apply Here

Any applications submitted via other routes will not be considered for the studentship funding. 

You will need to upload the following documents as part of your application. Incomplete applications, or applications with documents that are missing required information, will normally be rejected without further communication to the applicant.  Please note our preferred format is PDF, each file named with your surname and the name of the document, e.g. “Smith – CV.pdf”, “Smith – Cover Letter.pdf”, “Smith – Transcript.pdf”:

• CV
• A cover letter outlining your academic interests, prior research experience and reasons for wishing to undertake your chosen project.  Important you must add the name of the project for which you are applying at the top of your cover letter. 
      If you do not name a project your application will not be considered. 
• Transcript(s) giving full details of subjects studied and grades/marks obtained. This should be an interim transcript if you are still studying.
• Two references (see Reference information section below)
• If you are not a national of a majority English-speaking country, you will need to submit evidence of your current proficiency in English.  For further details on the University’s English language requirements please see http://www.exeter.ac.uk/postgraduate/apply/english/.

All application documents must be submitted in English. Certified translated copies of academic qualifications must also be provided.

The closing date for applications is midday (BST) on Friday 4th October 2024.  Shorlisting and interviews for the Studentships will take place during the week commencing 4th November. We intend to communicate the outcome of the interviews by w/c 18th November 2024.  Details regarding the format of the interview will be communicated to applicants invited to interview, but applicants should be prepared to discuss the research proposal in detail.  

Reference information

It is your responsibility to ensure that your referees email their references to PGRApplicants@exeter.ac.uk, by no later than 21 October 2024.  Please note that applications with missing documentation will not progress to shortlisting.

References should be in the form of a letter. Referees must email their references to us from their institutional email accounts. We cannot accept references from a personal/private email account, unless it is a scanned document on institutional headed paper and signed by the referee.

Submitting an Application

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) supports research and talent across engineering and the physical sciences.  To ensure your application for the studentship goes to the correct panel for review, please submit your application via the following link APPLY NOW

Please note applications that are not received via the correct route will not be considered for the funding. 

If you experience any technical difficulties please contact the PGR Admissions Team via pgrapplicants@exeter.ac.uk

The University of Exeter is committed to promoting and supporting equality, diversity, and inclusion within our working environments and is at the heart of all our activities.  With over 27,000 students and 6,400 staff from 180 different countries we offer a diverse and engaging environment where our diversity is celebrated and valued as a major strength. 

We actively encourage applicants with varied experiences and backgrounds and from all sections of the community regardless of age, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, religion, or disability status.  We are committed to creating an inclusive culture where all members of our community are supported to thrive.

Whilst all applicants will be judged on merit alone, we particularly welcome applications from groups currently underrepresented within our postgraduate research student community.  Reasonable adjustments can be made available for interviews and workspaces.

During the application process, the University may need to make certain disclosures of your personal data to third parties to be able to administer your application, carry out interviews and select candidates.  These are not limited to, but may include disclosures to:

• the selection panel and/or management board or equivalent of the relevant programme, which is likely to include staff from one or more other HEIs;
• administrative staff at one or more other HEIs participating in the relevant programme.

Such disclosures will always be kept to the minimum amount of personal data required for the specific purpose. Your sensitive personal data (relating to disability and race/ethnicity) will not be disclosed without your explicit consent.