Postgraduate Training and PhD Studentships
Step-by-step guide for applications
I. Finding a supervisor
- Browse our Principal Investigators (PIs) and visit their personal/group page to check details of their research. Further information can be found here: http://www.plantsci.cam.ac.uk/grads/selecting.html.
Check if they have any vacancies this year by looking them up in the Graduate School's searchable database . - If there is a possible vacancy, you can explore the possibility that your plans are of interest to them.
- If you are interested in more than one supervisor within THIS department, you can name them as first and second choice in your application, but if you want to apply to supervisors in different departments, you will have to make separate applications (one to each department). We strongly encourage applicants making an application to the Department of Plant Sciences to nominate a first and second choice supervisor and associated project.
- We encourage prospective students to contact a potential supervisor before applying to discuss ideas for research projects and, if desired, arrange a visit.
II. How to apply
Admission to the University requires completion of the University's online GRADSAF (Graduate Admission and Scholarship Application form, please note that each online application will incur a fee of £50.00)
If you intend to apply for a specific studentship/programme advertised by this department, you should proceed to Section A.
If you intend to apply for University wide funding (e.g. Gates, Cambridge Overseas & Commonwealth Trusts, Cambridge Home and EU Scholarships) you should proceed directly to Section B.
A) Applying for specific studentships/programmes advertised by this department
If you wish to apply for a specific studentship/programme advertised by the Department of Plant Sciences, for example: a PhD 3 or 4 year doctoral training programme, a BBSRC, EPSRC or NERC studentship with a named supervisor.
- Refer to our 'Getting Funding' page for details of the studentship, eligibility criteria, deadlines and how to apply.
- If you meet the eligibility criteria and are able to submit your application online prior to the funding deadline (with associated supporting documentation), you will then be required to apply for admission to the University (see section B below).
- You will not be able to take up the award unless you are also successful in securing admission to the University and you will not be able to apply for a visa (if required) until you hold an unconditional offer from the University.
B) Admission to the University
You should apply for admission to the University using the University's online GRADSAF (Graduate Admission and Scholarship Application Form) if you:
- Wish to apply for a specific studentship/programme advertised by the Department of Plant Sciences for example: a PhD 3 or 4 year doctoral training programme, a BBSRC, EPSRC, or NERC studentship with a named supervisor
- wish to apply for University-wide funding competitions (eg Gates, Cambridge Overseas & Commonwealth Trusts, Cambridge Home and EU Scholarships etc - NB these funding competitions all have very early deadlines).
- wish to be considered for an award from the Department's doctoral training grant;
- wish to apply for a College studentship
- have an external scholarship; or
- have your own funding.
BEFORE YOU COMPLETE A GRADSAF, READ THE FOLLOWING: NB each application made using a GRADSAF will cost you £50 (if you cannot apply online, you may apply on paper, but the fee is £100).
B1) Are you eligible to apply for admission to our programmes?
Competition for admission to the University of Cambridge graduate programme is intense. Like all departments in the Graduate School of Life Sciences, we require all our graduate entrants to have:
- at least a 2.1 in an Honours degree from a UK University or equivalent standard from an EU or Overseas University (e.g. CGPA 3.5/4.0) in a relevant subject.
- two outstanding references from senior University staff at your most recent University
- fluency in the English language - recent IELTS test with an overall band score of at least 7.0 with not less than 7.0 in speaking, listening and writing, and 6.5 in reading.
For more details of the University's academic requirements see the University's Graduate Prospectus.
B2) Which qualification do you want to apply for?
- MPhil in Biological Sciences - please include course code: BLPSM1 when completing your GRADSAF or
- PhD - minimum 3 years, maximum 4 full-time - please include course code: BLPS22 when completing your GRADSAF
B4) How to apply to the University
Go to http://www.biomed.cam.ac.uk/gradschool/apply/student/online.html for full instructions on how to apply online.