MRC DTA Studentships: Eligibility Criteria

General Eligibility

MRC Studentships are currently only available for studies which have not yet commenced. Those applying for a 3.5 year studentship must not have already started their PhD.

Please ensure you read these eligibility criteria before making an application. Exceptions cannot be made to these criteria so please check them carefully.

Also, please note that Imperial MRC DTA awards cannot be held in the MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, which is an MRC unit within Imperial College London, and runs their own PhD program (http://www.csc.mrc.ac.uk/Jobs/PhDStudentship/CSCPhD/)

Academic Eligibility

Applicants should hold, or expect to receive, a first class or a good upper second class Honours degree (or equivalent) in an area relevant to their proposed field of research.
Where an applicant does not meet this requirement (e.g. they hold a lower second class undergraduate degree), they are eligible to apply for a 3.5 year studentship if they hold, or expect to receive a Masters degree (in an area relevant to their proposed PhD) before starting their studentship.
Studentships awarded based on predicted grades will be conditional upon final results.

Residence Eligibility

To be eligible for a full MRC studentship (stipend and university fees), candidates must be able to demonstrate a relevant connection to the United Kingdom at the date of application:

UK /EU Nationals

UK nationals who have lived most of their lives in the UK will have demonstrated a relevant connection and therefore be eligible to apply for a full studentship.

Individuals who were not born in the UK but have been granted UK citizenship or have come to settle in the UK (e.g. immigrant status, refugee or an individual granted humanitarian protection) need to demonstrate that they have a relevant connection:

European Economic Area citizens who are migrant workers (or their spouse or children) and can demonstrate ordinary residence in the EEA are eligible
EU nationals who have spent the three years prior to application resident in the UK (this can include residence while undertaking undergraduate study)

EU fees-only studentships

Please be aware that EU nationals who have not lived in the UK for a minimum of 3 years immediately prior to application will not be eligible for a full studentship, but are eligible to apply for a fees-only studentship award. This covers the cost of the main course fees but does not include the monthly stipend or travel and conference fund.

If you are applying for a fees-only studentship, please state this clearly in your application.

For more detailed information regarding residence eligibility, please refer to the MRC's Student Eligibility Requirements.

International (non-UK/EU) Students

Please note that International students (those from countries outside the UK or the EU) are not eligible to apply for Imperial MRC Studentships. In exceptional circumstances, applications from International students may be considered if their research utilises the following 'scarce skills' as defined by the MRC:

Advanced mathematics, statistics and computational skills
Physical and engineering sciences

The skills must be critical to executing your PhD and well-integrated with your biomedical training and research.

If you believe that the criteria is relevant to your intended area of research, you must have spoken to potential supervisors within your area of interest before making your application to confirm that there is research available which utilises the scarce skills. You will also need to include with your application a brief summary of how your research will meet the scarce skills criteria.

Applicants with Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK

For this programme, the MRC retains the right to judge such applications on a case by case basis.

Related advice and guidance on this area is available on the MRC website http://www.mrc.ac.uk/Fundingopportunities/Applicanthandbook/Studentships/Eligibility/index.htm#P17_968

Other funding sources

If you are not eligible for an MRC Studentship, you may find an alternative funding opportunity listed under the College-wide Scholarships for Postgraduates. Each opportunity has different eligibility criteria so please check them carefully before applying.

Studentships are also offered at department level. Further details are available through the Graduate School Studentships webpage.

For queries regarding the MRC DTA Studentships, please check the Frequently Asked Questions.
For any remaining queries please contact Mrs Nousheen Tariq at mrc.dta@imperial.ac.uk