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Information for Applicants

Information for Applicants

Applications are now closed for Envision projects with October 2023 start.

Funding

We offer fully funded 3 year 6 month studentships (comprising stipend + university fees + research costs).  

  • A tax-free stipend is paid at the standard  UKRI rate, £18,622 per annum in 2023/24 (increasing each year with inflation).
  • All university fees will be paid.
  • All Envision students will have a Research Training Support Grant of £8,750 to fund their research, conference attendance and networking. Students can also bid for additional funds from a cohort development and mobility fund. This could support attendance at subject-specific courses, travel to partner sites for courses or research-related activities, or for students to develop and lead their own programme of community building or outreach events (e.g. student-led conferences, reading groups). Funding such as travel bursaries or existing funding within institutions (e.g. travel prizes) will also be available.
  • All Envision projects can be undertaken on either a full time or part time (minimum of 0.5FTE) basis. Please note that visa requirements for international students may preclude the part time option. 
  • Students can apply for a Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA). This is support to cover the study-related costs incurred due to a mental health problem, long term illness or any other disability. The type of support and how much is provided depends on individual needs, not household income. 
  • If required, funding for maternity/paternity/caring leave is available.

Eligibility & Entry Requirements

Envision DTP complies with UKRI and NERC guidelines. Please refer to these guidelines alongside the information provided below.

Home Students

Fully-funded studentships are available for Home students. To be classed as a Home student, candidates must meet the following criteria:

  • Be a UK National (meeting residency requirements), or
  • Have settled status, or
  • Have pre-settled status (meeting residency requirement) or,
  • Have indefinite leave to remain or enter

International Students

If you do not meet the above criteria, you will be classed as an international student. International students are eligible to apply for all Envision funded studentships.

Envision DTP is open to international applicants as per UKRI guidance, however studentships may only be available through some of our partners since there is a cap on annual intake for internationals (maximum 30% of intake). Successful international Post Graduate Research Students in Envision receive the same funding as home students and are not expected to contribute to the fee themselves.

Entry requirements

Candidates shall be good honours graduates in appropriate subject areas, of a recognised University or comparable University, or persons holding equivalent qualifications who show evidence of exceptional ability, or who have demonstrated their ability in graduate studies. Individual projects may specify particular requirements.   

We welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates. Our graduates will come from a diverse range of backgrounds and ethnicities, and Envision strives to ensure that no applicant/student shall experience prejudice at admissions or during their studies, related to their sexuality, disability or any other protected characteristic.

Please note that any applicant who has previously completed an Envision Research Experience Placement (REP) will be guaranteed an interview for the Envision project that they apply to. 

Application Process

Alt text for Envision recruitment timeline graphic: 1) Project Proposal, mid-July to mid-September: Research staff at all institutions are given the opportunity to propose an Envision project 2) Project Shortlisting, mid-September to mic-October: Each institution locally decides on their best projects, and nominates a set number to be advertised 3) Advertising, mid-October to mid-January: Envision projects are advertised in October until applications close in January 4) Supervisor shortlisting, mid-January to early-February: Final candidates CV, application questions, and a statement about interview performance are submitted to Envision, with info from independent panel member 5) Ranking, mid-February: Management board members are each given some of the final 36 candidates to rank 6) Final ranking, end of February: Management board meet to discuss the applications and agree on a final ranking 7) Studentship offers made, early March: Highest ranked applicants given offers, and some of the next highest ranked eligible candidates are placed on a waiting list in case any offers are not accepted. 8) Studentships accepted, mid-March: Students confirm that they would like to accept the offer of a studentship by the Universal acceptance date, register with their host university, and will start their PhD in Oct of the same year

Please note that these dates may change from year to year, please check the Envision website regularly for updates if you would like to apply.

Note: in 2023 the universal acceptance deadline has been extended to the 31st March. 

Applicant Support

Are you the first in your family to do a PhD? Are you from an under-represented group or do you have a disability? Do you need information about PhD studentships in general? Do you simply need someone to ask some questions of? If you need help with the application process, please get in touch with Olivia Lawrenson, Envision DTP Manager, and we can provide support. Please note that Olivia is not on the recruitment panels. Therefore, any questions can be asked in confidence that it will have no effect on your application.

Upfront costs for International Applicants

If you are an international applicant, there are some upfront costs you will face if you are awarded an Envision studentship. These costs are not covered by Envision, and may vary depending on which University you are registered at.

All international students will be required to hold a student visa, information about these costs can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/student-visa

You will also be required to pay a health surcharge, information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/healthcare-immigration-application/how-much-pay

You may also be required to take an English language test, information about the requirements for this at each University can be found here –

Lancaster: Lancaster Postgraduate English Language Requirements

Bangor: Bangor Postgraduate English Language Requirements

Nottingham: Nottingham Postgraduate English Language Requirements

You should also inquire with your accrediting University about whether any of your degree certificate or transcript will need to be translated, as Universities cannot cover the cost of this.

If you have any further questions, please direct them to the postgraduate admissions team at the University you’ll be applying to, contact details are as follows –

Lancaster: pgadmissions@lancaster.ac.uk

Bangor: internationaladmissions@bangor.ac.uk

Nottingham: Make an enquiry – The University of Nottingham

Envision Applicant Support Webinar

A recording of our applicant support Webinar, which explains the Envision application process, and gives advice on how to produce a strong application is available to view here:

Envision Applicant Support Webinar 2022

The recording also includes the Q&A session we did, and a transcript of the presentation and the Q&A is available.