World Leading Scholarships 2026-2027
St Leonard’s Postgraduate College will provide up to 12 fully-funded (tuition and stipend) scholarships to new UK, EU, or international doctoral students who will be starting their degree in the 2026-2027 academic year. Up to 6 scholarships will be allocated to supervisor-led projects, and up to 6 scholarships to student-led ones.
The World-Leading Doctoral Scholarships are intended to contribute to the world-leading theme of the University Strategy. In particular, the scholarships are intended to attract students of exceptional ability and to help develop capacity that strategically strengthens Academic Schools.
The supervisor-led competition is open to all Schools.
Applications may propose either a pre-defined research project in a specific area of research under a specified lead supervisor or two closely defined topics. In the latter case, students would be able to apply for a project within either topic. This flexibility is intended to support Schools that would not normally offer pre-defined doctoral projects while still ensuring that funding is directed toward research that supports strategic priorities.
No School may submit more than one application for these scholarships. Heads of School or School Directors of Postgraduate Research should therefore establish a School-level selection process to identify an application to submit to the competition. However, Schools may submit additional applications where they relate to research that would be jointly supervised across two Schools. This should be on the basis that the supervisory load and student FTE allocation would be shared equally.
Schools must not apply for scholarships having already identified a student to whom it would be given. Exceptions to this requirement will not be permitted.
Applications should comprise:
- an outline project description, or an outline description of up to two closely defined topics in which student-led projects would be recruited. The outline should indicate any innovative or distinctive features of the project/topic. It is suggested that this should not be more than 600 words. Keep in mind that, as the selection panel will comprise academic colleagues from across the University, the description should be written for a multi-disciplinary audience
- a statement of the way(s) in which the scholarship would contribute to developing capacity that strategically strengthens the School. It is suggested that this should not be more than 300 words
- a statement describing the anticipated supervision arrangements and indicating how the supervision arrangements contribute to the strength of the application. It is suggested that this should not be more than 200 words
- confirmation that the application has the support of the authorised member of staff, normally the Head of School or the School Director of Postgraduate Research
Applications must be submitted by email to [email protected] by Friday 31 October 2025, 5.00pm.
Late applications will not be accepted.
Selection criteria (supervisor-led projects)
Applications will be considered by a multi-disciplinary selection panel chaired by the Provost.
In assessing applications, the selection panel will be guided by the following questions. Therefore, Schools are encouraged to ensure that application documents clearly address these questions:
- Is the case for the project/topic well-argued?
- How do the anticipated supervision arrangements contribute to the strength of the application?
- What progress is anticipated beyond current thinking?
- Is the project/topic innovative?
- What is the likely added value of the project/topic?
- Does the project/topic seem feasible? – i.e., is it suitable for doctoral-level research and can it be completed within the scholarship term?
- How well aligned is the project/topic to the University Strategy? – i.e., how would the scholarship contribute to developing capacity that strategically strengthens the School? the selection panel would also particularly welcome applications that clearly address one of the following themes:
- Peace, Conflict, and Security
- Cultural Understanding
- Evolution, Behaviour, and Environment
- Materials for the Modern World
- Sustainability
- Engineering
- Health, Infectious Disease, and Wellbeing
Student Recruitment for approved supervisor-led projects
The results of the supervisor-led competition will be announced in December 2025.
Schools will need to liaise with the St Leonard’s College co-ordinator swiftly after the results have been announced, to ensure a sufficient application window for potential applicants. The application process takes place through FUND.
Once the application period has closed, the School will be expected to complete its selection process, and to offer the scholarship to the selected applicant at that time. It will not be possible to offer the scholarship to a student who has not applied directly to the selected project.
The School will be required to provide the Provost with a brief report on the selection process.
The student-led competition allows PhD applicants to propose their own doctoral project that they would like to pursue at the University; the project should not be predefined by the School. Applicants will still be expected to liaise with the School to ensure that there will be appropriate supervision and resources for their proposed project.
Applications for the St Leonard’s College World Leading scholarships (student-led projects) is now open.
Applicants should apply for the scholarship by completing the University of St Andrews Postgraduate Research Scholarships application in the Scholarships and Funding catalogue, in the Scholarships and Funding section of My Application.
The application for this scholarship is separate to the application to study at St Andrews.
Students should apply for the scholarship after having submitted their application to study at St Andrews. They do not need to wait until they have received an offer of a place before applying for the scholarship.
In support of their application, applicants are asked to upload the following supporting documents:
- Research proposal
- University transcript(s), including interim transcripts for any degrees pending.
- Curriculum Vitae (CV) or resumé.
The deadline will be in Wednesday 21 January 2026 .
Schools will be provided with a list of applicants who have applied for a scholarship in an area within their School, and will be invited to nominate one PhD applicant. The deadline for a School decision is expected to be late February 2026.
Applications will then be considered by a multi-disciplinary selection panel chaired by the Provost, based on the selection criteria below, with a decision expected in late March 2026. Only applicants with an offer to study in St Andrews in 2026-2027 will be considered by the panel.
Selection criteria (student-led)
Academic Excellence (as presented in the applicant’s previous academic record, including grades, awards, reference letters, etc.)
Relevant experience (such as the applicant’s previous study and research experience, publications, and any relevant work or volunteer experience. This would include how these experiences have prepared the applicants for the PhD research topic they are proposing)
Research proposal/project: (the assessors will review the significance, originality and feasibility of the proposed project. Also, how it presents suitability to the University’s resources (including supervision) and facilities.
Alignment with St Andrews World-Leading strategy: how would the project contribute to strategically strengthening the School and the University.
As Schools may only be awarded one World Leading Scholarship per year, Schools which have already been awarded a scholarship for the supervisor-led competition cannot be allocated a student-led scholarship, unless the student-led project is interdisciplinary and will be supervised across multiple Schools.
The student may, with the agreement of the School, start their degree at any of the approved entry points during the 2026-2027 academic year.
Scholarships cannot be deferred. Awards will be withdrawn if the student is unable to start their doctoral degree in the 2026-2027 academic year.
The student must matriculate for a University of St Andrews doctoral degree. Students are not eligible if they are matriculating for a research Masters degree (MPhil, MSc(Res), MSt(Res), etc.), or for a joint degree awarded with another institution
The student must not already hold a doctoral degree, or be matriculated for a doctoral degree at the University of St Andrews or another institution.
The student may matriculate as a full-time or part-time student with the agreement of the School but may be subject to immigration restrictions (part-time matriculation is not normally possible for students who require a visa to study in the UK)
The student must decline the award if they subsequently are awarded a fully-funded scholarship from an external organisation such as the Fulbright Commission, UK Research Councils, etc.
The scholarships comprise a full-fees award and stipend for the normal full-fee paying period up to 3.5 years (full-time) or 7.0 years (part-time). Scholarship holders will be expected to have submitted their thesis for examination by the end of that period.
The stipend will be paid at a rate set by the University of St Andrews. For 2025-2026, the stipend is £19,775 p.a., with an annual uplift which will be confirmed by the University in advance of the next academic year.
The costs of the full-fees award and stipend are covered in full by St Leonard’s Postgraduate College. The School is not required to contribute to the costs of the scholarship. However, the scholarships do not cover any continuation, extension, or resubmission period/fees.
The Scholarship does not cover Visa fees, Immigration Health Surcharge, IELTS fees, costs for travel to and from the UK.
Similarly, the scholarships do not provide a research training grant or another equivalent award for research expenses. Schools that normally provide doctoral students with such must cover these costs if they wish to offer this type of support.
Further Enquiries
For further enquiries about the World-Leading Doctoral Scholarships, please contact St Leonard’s Postgraduate College [email protected].