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Applying to LISS

 The LISS DTP 2024  Open Competitions  is now closed

 

Our goal is to recruit outstanding and diverse candidates from UK and international (including EU) students. We encourage applications from UK students with a Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) background who are currently underrepresented within the LISS DTP.

All LISS DTP studentships, Open and CASE Competition, are available either full or part-time (50%) in either 1+3 (1 year-Masters degree following by a 3-year PhD) or +3 (3-year PhD) format (please note that the duration of funding is determined at the application review stage, and can be up to 1+3.5 or +3.5 years)

LISS DTP awards ESRC-funded postgraduate research studentships in the social sciences at our three partner institutions– King’s College LondonQueen Mary University of London and Imperial College.

Whilst interdisciplinarity is the hallmark of LISS DTP research, ESRC studentships are only available for projects that fall substantially (>50%) within the broad social and behavioural science remit of the ESRC.  For guidance, please see this ESRC webpage. For more information, please visit the UK Research and Innovation websites.

There are two studentship competitions:

  • the Open Competition where research proposals are generated by applicants
  • the CASE Competition where research projects must have a non-academic partner, and the research proposal is submitted by the academic supervisor. Input to the proposal from a student applicant is possible.

Applicants may only submit one application for each annual competition.  Students who are unsuccessful one year may apply again another year.

 

Studentship competitions

Open competition

Where the research proposal is originated by the student. The Open Competition enables students to propose their own research project for funding.

CASE competition

where research projects must have a non-academic  partner, and the research proposal is submitted by the academic supervisor.  Input to the proposal from a student applicant is possible.

For both competitions we offer funding for either a 1+3 studentship (1-year Masters degree followed by a 3-year PhD) or a +3 studentship (3-year PhD) .  All studentships are available full-time or part-time (50%).    Full-time students receive a stipend of £19,668 per annum, and their fees are paid.  (Fees for International students may not be paid in full.)  Additional funding for research costs of around £750 per annum is also available.

You may submit only one application for each annual competition.  Students who are unsuccessful one year may apply again another year.

Slides from the LISS DTP applicant briefings run in November can be viewed here.

Funding Eligibility for LISS DTP Studentships

LISS DTP studentships are now open to both Home and International students.  You must however be aware of the definitions of each category and their funding implications.

Nationality and residency requirements for both Home and International students can be found in UKRI-170321-InternationalEligibilityImplementationGuidance.pdf. Please read this document to determine whether you will be classed as a Home or International student.

Contact the Admissions team at the institution to which you have applied if you are uncertain of your tuition fee status. LISS DTP is unable to advise on complex cases and will abide by your institution’s assessment of your status.

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Home students

To be classed as a home student, applicants must meet the following criteria:

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

If you do not meet the above criteria you are classed as an International student, For further details please refer to UKRI-170321-InternationalEligibilityImplementationGuidance.pdf

Following a UKRI announcement in 2020, from October 2021 International students (including EU students) are eligible for ESRC studentships. However, the total number of international studentships a DTP is able to offer has been capped by UKRI at 30% of the total number of studentships awarded each year, and so studentships for international students will be limited in number and competitive.

The ESRC will only fund the Home Fee, which means that the difference between the home and international fee must be found elsewhere, such as:

  • the applicant’s department,  
  • the applicant’s host institution,  
  • or another source such as self-funding.  

LISS DTP institutions will fund the difference between the home and international fee for a limited number of international students and at this stage we cannot guarantee that every international student offered a LISS DTP studentship will receive this funding as part of their studentship.

Academic Eligibility – For LISS DTP students

Due to the limited number of studentships available, successful applicants are likely to have:

  • a very good first degree (BA or BSc Honours or equivalent) at 1st class standard or upper 2nd with average of 65% or above,
  • for +3 awards, an appropriate Masters degree (at distinction or at least high merit level) is expected,
  • other qualifications relevant to the proposed area of study, such as professional or work-related expertise, will also be considered.
The following are NOT eligible:
  • Students who will have less than 50% of their study time (usually 3 years for a full-time PhD) remaining when they start their LISS-funded studentship.  In practice, this means that students in their first year of doctoral study can apply for funding for the second and third years.
  • Distance learning programmes .
  • Applicants who have already been awarded a PhD or equivalent degree.
Find a supervisor

How to Find a supervisor

CASE collaborative studentships are awarded for projects previously developed by a supervisor, so your supervisor, and the general outline of the project, is already.

Studentships in the Open Competition are awarded for projects originated by the student applicant. Once you have an idea of the purpose and scope of your project, you should approach an academic at one of our three partner institutions to see if they will act as your supervisor and help you to refine your project idea as necessary. As you’ll see from our application forms, if you are applying for a 1+3 award you are not expected to have as fully-formed a research proposal as someone who is applying for a +3 award and already has a Masters degree.

Read more

 Staff bios on departmental websites are a good place to start to find academics who share your research interests. You can also approach academics within departments who are designated as ‘PGR or PhD tutors’ or administrative staff responsible for PGRs. It is relevant to do this even if you’re applying for a 1+3 award and will need to undertake a Masters first because a condition of a 1+3 award is that you’ll continue immediately into a PhD programme after your Masters is completed. It’s therefore strongly advised that you choose a supervisor for your Masters degree/thesis who will continue to act as a PhD supervisor for you.

If you will be undertaking a Masters programme, you can also look at the modules on the Masters programme for which you’re applying: who teaches those modules? Those academics are likely well-placed to supervise or suggest colleagues with similar interests who might be willing to supervise your project.

Please see also the text on this page about other sources of guidance on finding a supervisor.

Academic Eligibility – For LISS DTP students

Due to the limited number of studentships available, successful applicants are likely to have:

  • a very good first degree (BA or BSc Honours or equivalent) at 1st class standard or upper 2nd with average of 65% or above,
  • for +3 awards, an appropriate Masters degree (at distinction or at least high merit level) is expected,
  • other qualifications relevant to the proposed area of study, such as professional or work-related expertise, will also be considered.

The following are NOT eligible:

  • Students who will have less than 50% of their study time (usually 3 years for a full-time PhD) remaining when they start their LISS-funded studentship.  In practice, this means that students in their first year of doctoral study can apply for funding for the second and third years.
  • Distance learning programmes .
  • Applicants who have already been awarded a PhD or equivalent degree.
CASE competition

Advice on finding a supervisor

You can find some advice and guidance on the process of finding a supervisor for your research degree within the links below:

Advice on finding a supervisor
Research portals

Research portals

We also recommend you visit the research portals for the institutions within our partnership. There you will be able to search by the academic’s name or subject/discipline/field of research