We support the doctoral candidates of today to become the researchers, innovators and leaders of the future.
Choose to study on a research programme with us and from day one, you'll benefit from high-quality facilities, and support from our experienced, research-active supervisors.
Join our vibrant, ambitious and growing research community with our fully funded Vice Chancellor’s PhD Scholarships.
You should have (or expect to achieve) a 2:1 or above Bachelor's degree in a cognate discipline. A Master's degree in a relevant subject is desirable. Specific information for each project can be found in the project description.
You’ll need to be prepared to study on a full-time basis at our Cambridge or Chelmsford campus, starting in September 2026. The location will be listed on your chosen project. You would be expected to live a reasonable travel distance from the campus during your PhD.
Our Vice Chancellor’s PhD Scholarship awards are open to Home fee paying applicants only. If you are unsure of your fee status, please check the UKCISA website or contact [email protected]
The deadline for applications is 8 February 2026.
Applications must be submitted through our online application portal. You will find a link to the form on each project page.
You will also need the following documents available electronically to upload them to the application portal (we can accept files in .pdf, .jpeg or .docx format):
Please check the individual project description for details on whether you also need to include a research proposal.
We will review all applications after the submission deadline of 8 February, unless otherwise stated.
We will contact shortlisted applicants in the week commencing 2 March. Interviews will be held between 16 and 27 May.
If you have any queries relating to the application process or the terms and conditions of the scholarships, please email [email protected]
We strongly recommend discussing the research project with the supervisors prior to applying. You will find their contact details in the project description.
ARU is part of the Doctoral Training Alliance (DTA) in Future Societies, a nationwide postgraduate research training initiative from University Alliance – the voice of professional and technical universities. Projects that are aligned to these themes will become part of the DTA.
The Doctoral Training Alliance, developed by a group of Alliance universities, builds on our research strengths and industry-focused ethos and provides a structured-doctoral training environment to produce independent, highly-employable researchers with knowledge, expertise and skills in strategically-important research areas.
The successful applicant for this project will receive a Vice Chancellor’s PhD Scholarship which covers the tuition fees and provides a UKRI equivalent minimum annual stipend for 3.5 years. For 2025/6 this was £20,780 per year. The award is subject to the successful candidate meeting the scholarship terms and conditions. Please note that the University asserts the right to claim any intellectual property generated by research it funds.
Please check the project description – some, but not all, projects require a proposal.
References need to be received by the application deadline to be included with your application. However, we understand you do not have control over how quickly your referee will respond, so we ask our reviewers not to mark down applicants who do not have references included.
No, unfortunately the VC’s PhD Scholarship is for home fee status students only, and we do not offer the option to self-fund the difference.
Please contact us to discuss if you would like to apply for part-time study.
Applications must be submitted by 8 February 2026.
You will find their contact details on the relevant project page.
No, the VC’s PhD Scholarships are only for the projects advertised.
Yes you can. You will need to submit separate applications for each project.
If you are applying for two projects in the same school, please contact [email protected] to discuss, as the system may prevent duplicate applications.
Interviews will be held between 16 and 27 March.
We aim to contact all applicants in the week commencing 2 March.