Imperial College London President's PhD Scholarships 2027

The President’s PhD Scholarships are Imperial College London’s own flagship doctoral awards. There are 50 of them for students starting in 2027-28, and they are open to applicants from Imperial, the rest of the UK and anywhere else in the world. Each one pays full tuition fees, a living stipend and a research budget for three and a half years.

You do not apply for the scholarship separately. You apply for a PhD place, select the scholarship in the funding section of the form, and your department nominates the strongest candidates. For 2027-28 entry there are three rounds, and the first closes at 23:59 UK time on 2 November 2026 (checked 9 October 2026 on the official Imperial page).

What it pays

Item	Amount (2027-28, checked 9 October 2026)
Tuition fees	Paid in full, at the home or overseas rate
Stipend	£27,036 a year for living costs
Research consumables	£2,000 a year for the first three years
Length	3.5 years
Development	Events and training run by Imperial’s Early Career Researcher Institute

Because the fees are paid in full whatever your fee status, an international scholar receives the same package as a home student. Part-time PhDs are eligible too.

Three rounds for 2027-28

1. 2 November 2026Round 1 closes at 23:59 UK time. Applicants who win an award hear by 31 January 2027.
2. 11 January 2027Round 2 closes. Awards are announced by 15 April 2027.
3. 1 March 2027Round 3 closes. Awards are announced by 31 May 2027.
4. 1 August to 1 November 2027The window in which funded scholars must start.

Imperial gives these dates for telling successful applicants; it does not promise a date for other outcomes. Candidates who are not selected are still considered for a standard PhD place.

There is no published rule that one round is easier than another, but an earlier round gives international applicants more time for visas and housing before an August to November start. If your department runs its own internal deadline, it will fall before Imperial’s date.

Who is eligible

The academic threshold is set out plainly. You need a first-class undergraduate degree or integrated Master’s, or to be on course for one. If your undergraduate degree is below a first, a distinction in a standalone Master’s, or clear evidence that you are heading for one, can take its place. A candidate with only one degree must have a first.

International applicants should ask the admissions team whether their grades translate to that standard. Candidates with non-traditional academic or career paths who show strong research potential are encouraged to apply, and the selection panel holds back a ring-fenced share of awards for them. If something outside your control has affected your results, contact the department before applying; it can ask for you to be considered.

Current Imperial PhD students cannot apply. The award is for new PhD applicants only.

Building the application

1. Find a supervisor first. Contact academics in the department and agree a project. A supervisor can hold only one President’s scholar at a time, and Imperial keeps a list of supervisors who are unavailable, so check it before you write. Our guide to emailing a potential PhD supervisor covers the first approach.
2. Apply for the PhD through Imperial’s online admissions system. There is no separate scholarship form.
3. Write a two-page personal statement. Page one covers why you are applying to Imperial and for this scholarship. Page two is your research proposal. Imperial encourages writing in the first person, and you can revise the proposal later if you are shortlisted. Some departments also ask for a longer proposal.
4. Name two academic referees, such as a personal tutor or a thesis supervisor. Your proposed supervisor cannot be one of them.
5. Tick the President’s PhD Scholarship option in the funding section of the additional questions tab, before you submit.

How the winners are chosen

Selection runs in two stages. First, departments review their eligible applicants and shortlist candidates for the College Selection Panel. Some departments limit how many they put forward each round. Second, at faculty level, shortlisted candidates are ranked and initial offers made, and the College Selection Panel takes the final decisions. The panel includes the Vice-Provost for Research, the Director of the Graduate School and the faculties’ Vice-Deans for Research.

Two criteria count:

• Academic excellence: your results and transcripts, class position, awards and distinctions.
• Research potential: your research experience, curiosity about discovery, your research plan, and a statement from the department that reflects how you did at interview.

That last point matters. The department’s interview feeds directly into the panel’s view of you, so prepare for it as seriously as for the written application.

Next steps

Offers of a PhD place made alongside the scholarship are conditional on achieving the qualifications you predicted. Questions about the scholarship go to Imperial’s Student Financial Support team, and questions about the form go to admissions or the department.

If you are weighing Imperial against other UK options, compare the Clarendon Scholarships at Oxford and Gates Cambridge. The study cost calculator shows how far a London stipend goes. Confirm every date on the official Imperial page before you apply.