Frequently Asked Questions

Home, EU and international students are all eligible to apply. We have funding available for up to 30% of our cohort for EU and international applicants. That is approximately 10 studentship places per year. All MRC DTP studentships are fully funded; including tuition fees, stipend and bench fee. Successful overseas candidates will need to cover their own visa and health surcharge costs. If you are unsure if you meet the eligibility criteria, contact our Admissions Team clarification.

The programme welcomes applications from a diverse range of backgrounds. Applicants will be reviewed on qualifications, experience and potential to undertake a research degree.

The minimum entrance qualification is an Upper Second Class Honours degree in a relevant subject, or an equivalent overseas qualification. Applicants who do not meet the minimum entrance requirements may be admitted if they hold an alternative qualification of an equivalent or higher level in a relevant subject, or can prove relevant professional experience which demonstrates that the applicant can follow and complete the programme.

The MRC-DTP in Biomedical Sciences is a non-clinical programme and is designed for non-clinical students to undertake their PhD, as the programme does not allow time for clinical duties.

However, if an applicant with a clinical degree is not clinically active, they can apply, and they will be assessed against our criteria as to whether they are suitable for our programme.

Note: The appropriate route for clinicians to undertake a PhD with MRC funding is through the Clinical Research Training Fellowship scheme, which aims to support clinicians (including medics, surgeons, dentists, allied health professionals and nurses) who are currently undertaking their speciality training.

The MRC DTP Studentship is fully funded for both home and overseas students, this award includes covering the full tuition fee amount per year, including any international fee rate.

Please note that if successful, the funding awarded does not cover Visa and Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) costs. Therefore, students are responsible for covering these costs upfront before starting their studentship. For more details, visit the Visas & International Student Advice page.

Effective from 9 April 2025, the cost of a student visa application is £524.00. The Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) is a fee that most UK visa applicants must pay to access the National Health Service (NHS) during their stay in the UK. It’s a mandatory fee, even if you have private health insurance, and the current reduced student rate is £776.00 per year. Therefore, the total up front cost for an overseas PhD student is £4,016.00 (inclusive of visa application fee and 4.5 years of IHS).

For further advice and information, contact the Visa & International Student Advice Team. The MRC DTP Team cannot assist with visa and IHS queries.

Before your start date at KCL, both home and overseas students will need to register with a local GP (General Practitioner). You may want to get familiar with the NHS website, where you will find useful information and advice on how to get help and medical care as a student.

Yes. Please upload your predicted grades as part of your application. If successful at interview stage you will receive a conditional offer. Your offer status will update to an unconditional offer after your certificates/transcripts have been received by the Admissions Team.

If you are unsure, please contact the Admissions Team via the messaging service on the portal.

Applying to this programme is a two-stage process.

Stage One consists of completing an online application form to inform us of your qualifications and relevant experience, your motivation for applying and your future career plans. We are using an anonymous application process, which means at Stage One shortlisting, the panels will not be able to view any personal data on the candidate.

Applications will be reviewed and successful candidates will be contacted by email and invited to progress to Stage Two.

To access the Stage One Application Form please visit the Application Process Page. Please note, you should first prepare your answers, using the Microsoft Word document provided on the Application Process Page prior to completing the online application form. Please do not submit the Microsoft Word document. Applications will only be accepted via the online application form.

Please have a look at the Application Timeline page for the main deadline as well as detailed information on the application stages. Applications submitted after the closing date will not be considered.

We advise that you do not wait to submit your application until close to the deadline, in case there are problems with uploading documents etc. Applications missing mandatory attachments may not be considered for shortlisting.

All available PhD Projects for next year’s September Entry will be advertised on our Projects Page. There are two catalogues: one for Core Projects and one for iCASE Projects. Only projects included in the upcoming year’s catalogues are eligible for funding.

The MRC Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) offers a number of fully funded postgraduate research studentships to support research and training in Biomedical and Translational Science. We offer two types of studentships:

• MRC DTP Studentships: Available as either a one-year MRes followed by a PhD (‘1+3’) or as a four-year PhD (‘0+4’).
• MRC DTP iCASE Studentships: Offered as a four-year PhD, available full-time or part-time (pro rata). iCASE studentships follow the same recruitment timeline as standard studentships, but feature individual iCASE projects and are not available as a ‘1+3’ route.

If all studentship places are not filled during our October–January recruitment round, we may run an additional recruitment process in the spring.

Yes, you may apply to both Core and iCASE projects. You must submit a separate application for each route, using the relevant online form and draft template. Please ensure you follow the instructions for each application type and submit both before the deadline.

No, only your first submission for each route will be considered. Any duplicate applications will be deleted.

Student choice and flexibility is core foundation of the KCL MRC DTP. We ask students to list three projects of interest, in order of preference, to ensure they have the flexibility to conduct further research via discussions with supervisors; we appreciate that applicants may change their preference via this process and do not hold students to the choices listed on their application as being those they select if offered a place on the programme.

At stage one, you may contact supervisors via email to ask detailed questions about a project to determine whether it aligns with your research interests and/or future career plans. This can be particularly important for applicants considering a 0+4 PhD studentship. Based on their response, we recommend arranging an online meeting with supervisors following an invitation to interview. You will find the contact details of all supervisors who have projects available on the Projects page.

You do not need to take an English Language Test before making submitting the application. However, should you be successful in gaining a place of the programme, this will become a condition of your offer and an IELTS test must be taken before we can make an unconditional offer.

Further information is available on English Language requirements.

We are aware that applicants may experience circumstances outside of their control that disrupt their education or ability to gain research experience. As part of your application, you will be able to inform the selection committee of such mitigating circumstances. Examples of which could include but are not exclusive to: 

• Disruptions to your education due to an illness, injury or mental health.
• You have been required to work to financially support yourself or your family.
• Unforeseen caring responsibilities for an immediate family member.
• Bereavement of a close relative.
• Relocation due to terrorism/political conflict.
• Disruption due to housing issues including, council temporary rehoming, loss of accommodation.
• Lack of academic support due to delays in diagnosis for specific learning difficulties (SpLDs) such as dyslexia, dyspraxia DCD, dyscalculia and AD(H)D or other neurodevelopmental disorder such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
• Caring responsibilities for young children including parental leave.
• Periods where you were unable to work/study because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The committee strongly encourages applicants to inform them of any mitigating circumstances, even those that may fall outside of these examples. 

You may wish to use Chat GPT or other AI tools as prompts for ideas or to assist in writing when preparing your application. However, although these tools make drafting documents easier you should be aware that an over-reliance on AI has some pitfalls:

• AI-generated content can lack personal authenticity and read as generic – any insights into your character, aspirations and personal motivations may be lost. This will not give you an edge over other applicants, weakening your chance of success.
• The text might appear similar to dozens of other applications received, failing to grab the interest of the shortlisting panel.
• These tools should not be used to translate large amounts of text into English as it may produce a poor quality output.

In summary, we recommend that generative AI is only used as a supplement rather than as a substitute for your own words and ideas.

King’s College London does not ban the use of any type of AI and it is a signatory of the Russell Group statement on the use of AI in higher education. For more information see the student’s guidance here: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/about/strategy/learning-and-teaching/ai-guidance/student-guidance

If you do not complete and submit your application within 48 hours of starting the online form, your session will expire and any unsaved responses will be lost. You will need to start a new application if this happens.

No, you cannot edit your responses once your application has been submitted. Please review your answers carefully before submitting.

Please have a look at the Application Timeline page.

Please have a look at the Application Timeline page for detailed information on shortlisting as well as each of the application stages.

If you have not been informed of the outcome by the dates provided in the Application Timeline page, please contact the MRC DTP Team.

Once the maximum number of overseas applications is reached (300 for core projects or 40 per iCASE project), the online form will automatically close for overseas candidates. Home candidates will still be able to apply.

No. Once the limit is reached, no further overseas applications can be accepted for that project or category. We strongly encourage overseas candidates to prepare their applications in advance and submit as soon as the online form opens.

Your application will only be considered if it is fully submitted before the limit is reached. Partially completed or saved applications will not be accepted once the limit is met.

The limit only applies to overseas candidates due to the high volume of applications and the limited number of studentships available for overseas applicants. Home candidates may apply at any time during the application window.

We strongly recommend using the two-week preparation window to complete the Word version of the application form. This allows you to copy and paste your answers into the online form as soon as it opens, minimizing the risk of missing the limit or submitting an incomplete application.

We expect two academic referees for current or recent students. If you have relevant work experience (including a year in industry), one referee may be a line manager from a research institution or company. All referees should use an official institutional or company email address (not Gmail, Hotmail, etc.). In exceptional cases (e.g., your referee has moved or is redundant and no longer has an academic/institutional email), an alternative email address will be accepted. Please explain any such circumstances in the application form.

Potential supervisors should only be listed as referees in exceptional circumstances, such as when your dissertation supervisor is also your potential supervisor and no other suitable referee is available. Please explain your situation in the relevant section of the application form.

A PhD student is not an appropriate referee. If you worked directly under a postdoctoral researcher, they may be acceptable as a referee, but we recommend including at least one academic staff member where possible.

If you are selected to progress to Stage Two, we will contact your referees directly using the details you provide. You will not be able to track the status of your references through us. We recommend you communicate with your referees in advance so they are aware of the request and can respond promptly. Your referees should not contact us unless we reach out to them.

If you are unable to provide two academic referees (for example, if you have been out of academia for some time), you may use a relevant employer as a referee. Please explain your circumstances in the relevant section of the application form.

Referees will only be contacted if applicants have successfully been invited to interview.

It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure references are submitted to mrc-dtp@kcl.ac.uk by the application deadline. We advise to submit your application before the deadline and contact your referees to let them know we will be requesting a reference from them.

Please ensure that you include your MSc as part of the Education section of the application. Documents can be uploaded at a later date once you have them. Please upload the certificate/transcripts from your Undergraduate Degree as part of your application. If you are unsure, please contact the Admissions Team via the messaging service on the portal.

The Admissions Team can add any attachments to your application if you send it as an attachment to a message via the King’s Apply portal. If you have any problems, please get in touch with mrc-dtp@kcl.ac.uk for support.

After submitting a Stage Two application, please use the King’s Apply messaging service to contact the admissions team wherever possible. This will help the Admissions Team to keep all your information and correspondence together. Your questions will go directly to the admissions staff who are best placed to assist you.

The Core and iCASE shortlisting processes are handled separately. If you are successful at Stage 1 in both routes, you will be invited to attend two separate interviews. For interview dates and further details, please refer to the Application Timeline.

Interviews will take place via Microsoft Teams. Candidates may be required to deliver a presentation via sharing their screen. We advise all applicants to familiarise themselves with Microsoft Teams prior to interview. 

Each Theme of the MRC DTP host their own interview days and so the exact format in which the days are run will differ slightly across the themes.

• Applicants will be asked to prepare a 5-minute presentation and to present this to the panel.
• Applicants will be asked to critically evaluate a research paper in a discussion scenario with the panel; applicants invited to interview will receive the paper when they are invited to interview.
• Applicants will be asked to address interview questions relating to their application to the programme.

Yes, you can.

Reasonable Adjustments are modifications the interview panel can put in place at the request of a candidate who faces a disadvantage due to a disability or a physical or mental health condition.

As stated in the Equality Act 2010 “You’re disabled under the Equality Act 2010 if you have a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities.” Definition of disability under the Equality Act 2010 – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

To find out more information, or to request reasonable adjustments, please contact mrc-dtp@kcl.ac.uk

When invited to interview, candidates are permitted to arrange their own online meetings with supervisors they are interested in working with. These meetings must be conducted online and not in-person. You will find the contact details of all supervisors who have projects available on the Projects page.

Please have a look at the Application Timeline page for the date by which you will be informed about the outcome of your interview as well as detailed information on each application stage.

You may request individual feedback from your interview panel.

If offered a place on the MRC DTP, the pathway that you choose (1+3 or 0+4) will be made following a discussion between the student and the theme lead to decide which training route is most suitable for the student’s training needs.

Following acceptance of the offer of a place, King’s Apply will be updated to initiate the formal acceptance process. All applicants will receive an offer letter from the KCL Admissions Department. For students joining the straight PhD pathway, the official offer will be conditional on submitting a complete Project Approval Form (PAF). The MRC DTP Team will guide you and your co-supervisors through completing this document and the deadlines to meet for submission.

All international students (including EU/EEA/Swiss students who do not qualify for Home Fees Status) need to apply for a “Student Visa” to study in the UK. The Student Visa has replaced the Tier 4 visa, as of the 5th October 2020.

When to apply

King’s Admissions Office will contact you via King’s Apply from June onwards, and once your offer is unconditional to start the visa process.

Applying from outside the UK

You’ll usually get a decision on your visa within 3 weeks.

Applying from inside the UK

You must apply before your current visa expires. Your new course must begin within 28 days of your current visa expiring. You’ll usually get a decision within 8 weeks.

Please note that visa costs are not covered by the MRC DTP and you need to be able to meet those costs through your own funds.

This guide managed by the Student Visa and International Advice team at King’s College London can help you choose the correct visa for your studies.

Information about costs associated to a Student Visa applications can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/student-visa

Specific information about extending your Visa from inside the UK can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/student-visa/extend-your-visa

Specific information about switching to a Student Visa from another Visa if you are already in the UK can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/student-visa/switch-to-this-visa

Additional related costs for the Immigration Health Surcharge can be found at: https://www.immigration-health-surcharge.service.gov.uk/checker/type

Please note that these figures and the information are subject to frequent changes.

If you have any additional query you are invited to contact the King’s Admissions Office via King’s Apply, or the International Student Advice team at King’s College London (advice@kcl.ac.uk).

Yes! All new students will be assigned a buddy before you arrive. Your buddy will be a current MRC DTP student; they will send you regular updates about what’s going on in the programme and you can keep in touch with any questions you have. In the early Summer, you will receive an invitation to select the training workshops you would like to attend in your first year on the programme (via email invitation) and our MRC DTP Coordinator will be in touch over the Summer to complete paperwork etc. You can also follow our social media channels and get in touch with the team with any enquiries; visit our ‘Contact us’ page.