St Leonard’s College World-Leading Doctoral Scholarships
- Application period opens
- Thursday 2 October 2025
- Application period closes
- Wednesday 21 January 2026
- Notification date
- The week commencing Monday 30 March 2026
- Entry
- 2026
The University of St Andrews is pleased to offer up to six full scholarships funded by St Leonard's Postgraduate College, to support exceptional students undertaking doctoral research on a topic that would contribute to the world-leading theme of the University Strategy.
Doctoral Research at St Andrews
As a doctoral student at the University of St Andrews you will be part of a growing, vibrant, and intellectually stimulating postgraduate community. St Andrews is one of the leading research-intensive universities in the world and offers a postgraduate experience of remarkable richness.
According to the latest UK Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021, more than 88% of research carried out by the University of St Andrews is world-leading or internationally excellent. St Andrews offers research students an intensive research environment, which is a vital step in their journey to a career in research and academia. Pursuing a specialism is a fulfilling path to undertake, and our research degrees are fully supervised and integrated into the research interests of our academic staff. At St Andrews research students will be contributing to the ground-breaking research we produce and making a significant contribution to the development of the respective academic field.
St Leonard’s Postgraduate College is at the heart of the postgraduate community of St Andrews. The College supports all postgraduates and aims to provide opportunities for postgraduates to come together, socially and intellectually, and make new connections.
In addition to the research training that doctoral students complete in their home School, doctoral students at St Andrews have access to a range of research skills development and training opportunities, which are designed to help them make the most of their postgraduate experience. These opportunities range from skills sessions that increase research capabilities to employability workshops and online resources. These support and development opportunities are available to all research students through the University’s GRADskills programme, a free, comprehensive training programme to support their academic, professional, and personal development.
St Leonard’s College and the University’s Careers Centre support all postgraduate students in identifying and achieving their career ambitions. The Careers Centre has dedicated staff and has developed extensive resources and offerings specifically for postgraduate students. Our research graduates go on to further studies and academic positions around the world or a range of professions outside of academia.
Value of award (per year)
The scholarships will comprise a full tuition fee award and an annual stipend 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 published by the University each academic year.
The stipend will be paid pro-rata to part-time students.
The scholarships do not cover any continuation, extension, or resubmission fees, Visa fees, Immigration Health Surcharge, IELTS fees, costs for travel to and from the UK or research training grant or another equivalent award for research expenses.
Duration of award
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 award term excludes the continuation period and any extension periods.
At what stage of my course application can I apply for this scholarship?
Please apply for the scholarship after you have submitted your application for a place at St Andrews. You do not need to wait until you have received an offer of a place before applying for the scholarship.
Application restrictions
Study level
Available to students studying at:
Subjects
Available to students studying:
Domicile for fee status
Schools
Available to students in the following Schools and Departments:
Application assessment
Available to
Mode of study
Geographical criteria
Additional criteria
You must have applied for a doctoral/PhD programme at St Andrews.
You must not already (i) hold a doctoral degree; or (ii) be matriculated for a doctoral degree at the University of St Andrews or another institution.
Your programme start date must be one of the following:
- August 2026
- September 2026
- October 2026
- January 2027
- May 2027
In support of your application, you will be asked to upload the following supporting documents:
- University transcript(s), including interim transcripts for any degrees pending.
- Research proposal
- Curriculum Vitae (CV) or resumé.
Student financial information
For this scholarship, you do not need to provide details about your household income and financial circumstances (and you can choose to opt out of that section of the application form), unless you wish to also be considered for other scholarships based on financial need.
How to apply
- Apply for your chosen course at the University St Andrews: Postgraduate research. Your course should meet the eligibility criteria for this scholarship (see above). After submitting your course application, you must allow up to three working days to receive login details for the My Application portal.
- When you have received your login details, apply for the scholarship by logging into My Application, follow the links to Scholarships and Funding and then search for University of St Andrews Postgraduate Research Scholarships in the Scholarships and funding catalogue.
By completing University of St Andrews Postgraduate Research Scholarships application form, you will be automatically considered for the World-Leading Doctoral Scholarships if you meet the criteria. Please bear in the mind the following:
- For this scholarship, you do not need to provide details about your household income and financial circumstances (and you can choose to opt out of that section of the application form), unless you wish to also be considered for other scholarships based on financial need.
- Please note that there is a separate application form for the supervisor-led World Leading Scholarships, which fund specific research projects. Further details are available on the St Leonard's College website.
Terms and conditions
- You must not be applying for a joint degree with another institution.
- You must not already hold a doctoral degree, or be matriculated for a doctoral degree at the University of St Andrews or another institution.
- You must decline the award if you subsequently are awarded a fully-funded scholarship from an external organisation such as the Fulbright Commission, UK Research Councils, etc.
Please read the University of St Andrews scholarships terms and conditions (opens in new tab)
If you apply to this scholarship, details from your course application may be passed to the selection panel solely for the purpose of merit-based assessment.
When will I know the outcome?
The outcome of your scholarship application will be available on the My Application portal by late March 2026. Follow the links to Scholarships and Funding and go to View or continue my funding applications to see your application status.
If you are successful, you will also receive an award letter.