How to Apply
- Apply online
Submit your on-line University Application for Research Degree Study
Your application cannot receive consideration until you provide all supporting documents, as follows:
Curriculum vitae (CV)/resumé: which shows high levels of academic achievement, including high school results, and appropriate non-academic experience.
Transcripts and certificates of ALL degrees to date (if you have not yet completed your current degree, you will need to send an official transcript of your results so far).
Statement of Motivation (for UK/EU applicants only). Identify up to 3 advertised projects and explain why they interest you and how your skills map onto the requirements for your choice of projects.
Research Proposal (for International applicants and any other candidates who have secured their own sponsorship or who are self-funding their research degree). This should be no longer than 6 pages, plus references. It should include an introduction to the topic, the aims of the research and the specific research questions, full methodology, and referencing. Research proposals will be checked for originality. Potential supervisors will check that you have a good grasp of the literature and understand the major issues, and that your methodology is sound. A well-written proposal will demonstrate your competence, as well as helping us to make sure that we have staff with the expertise needed for successful completion of your research.
Advertised Projects: If you are applying for a project which is being advertised, such as a project which has guaranteed funding, or a project in competition for the NERC Doctoral Training Awards, you do not need to write a research proposal (unless this is specifically requested). In such cases, when you fill in the on-line study application form, in Section L, which asks for a research proposal, you simply need to type the full project title and the names of the supervisors.
English Language: If English is not your first language, you will need to provide evidence that you meet our requirements for English language (eg, IELTS/TOEFL).
Funding: If you have already secured sponsorship, or plan to self-fund, we would like to see evidence that you are able to meet the costs of your research degree study (eg, copy of your sponsorship letter).
Academic References: Before we can give full consideration to your application, we will need a minimum of two strong academic references. These can be submitted with your application if they are signed, or alternatively, they can be sent to us by email, directly by the referee.
Please note that, if successful, the application for research degree study will result in the offer of a place only.
If you do not have your own sponsorship/funding in place AND you have an outstanding academic track record and would like to be considered for one of the University’s scholarships competitions, you need to submit a separate application for the scholarship and should visit http://scholarships.leeds.ac.uk for further information.
If you are a UK/EU student who has applied for one of the projects in the competition for a UK Research Council Doctoral Training Award, you need do nothing further at this stage.