Imperial College London awards up to 50 President’s PhD Scholarships for research across its faculties and Business School. Recipients pursue a self-chosen project with an Imperial supervisor and join cohort activities.
The 2026–27 award funds 3.5 years. This cycle is closed; the final application deadline was 2 March 2026.
Benefits & funding
- Full tuition-fee funding for 3.5 years.
- An annual living-cost stipend of £26,500 at the 2026–27 rate.
- A £2,000 annual consumables fund during the first three years.
- Bespoke opportunities and events delivered by the Early Career Researcher Institute.
Eligibility
- Applicants may come from Imperial, elsewhere in the UK or anywhere worldwide; the scheme has no nationality restriction, although some departments may be unable to support international candidates.
- The scheme is for new PhD applications only; current registered Imperial PhD students are not eligible.
- Applicants must hold or expect a first-class undergraduate or integrated Master’s degree. Those without that result may qualify with a distinction, or predicted distinction, in a standalone Master’s degree.
- A department may put forward an exceptional special case where extenuating circumstances affected grades and other evidence demonstrates the required calibre.
- Both full-time and part-time PhD study are eligible.
- Before applying, the candidate must secure the agreement of an Imperial academic supervisor.
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Application process
- 1Identify a doctoral course and contact an Imperial academic who agrees to supervise the proposed research.
- 2Apply for PhD admission through My Imperial; there is no separate scholarship form.
- 3Upload a two-page statement whose first page explains motivation and whose second page presents the research proposal. Provide two academic referees, excluding the proposed PhD supervisor.
- 4Select the President’s PhD Scholarship option in the funding section of the application’s additional questions.
- 5The department reviews eligible applicants and nominates a shortlist; faculty and College panels make the final scholarship decisions.
Program timeline
Round 1 application deadline
3 November 2025
Round 2 application deadline
12 January 2026
Round 1 decisions due
31 January 2026
Round 3 and final application deadline
2 March 2026
Round 2 decisions due
31 March 2026
Round 3 decisions due
31 May 2026
Earliest permitted funded start
1 August 2026
Latest permitted funded start
1 November 2026