How to apply

Disciplinary PhD programmes that are offered by the School for Sociology, Politics and International Studies (SPAIS):

Interdisciplinary PhD programmes that are managed by SPAIS and are linked to SWDTP studentships are:

Before applying to undertake PhD studies in SPAIS, prospective students should explore whether their proposed field of research is a 'good fit' with the SPAIS research areas and individual staff interests. Applicants can contact potential supervisors prior to applying but supervision is only confirmed following full review of the online application.

Please read the relevant prospectus entry and admissions statement carefully before making your application.

Application procedure

Your completed online application should contain:

Two academic references. References should comply with our standard requirements outlined on our guidance pages
University degree certificates and transcripts to date (transcripts are documents showing your grades for individual units/essays/exams throughout your degree). Please provide documents from all previous undergraduate and postgraduate study.
Your IELTS certificate or equivalent documentation to show that you meet the minimum language requirements detailed in Profile B.
A 3,000 word research proposal (stating the aims and objectives of the research, detailing the research design and methods, and including a bibliography). This is the proposal required by the School for admission to the programme, once an offer is made you may be required to provide a shorter proposal for any funding applications.
A personal statement highlighting the motivation for applying for the course, and any relevant experience and/or skills (1-2 pages only).
A Curriculum Vitae (CV) which might include details of other relevant work experience and qualifications to support your application (1-2 pages only).

Please note that your application is not considered complete until all of the above has been received. Please ensure your referees are aware that they will receive an online reference request and inform them of any relevant funding deadlines.

Once all documents have been checked the complete application will be sent to potential supervisors for review. It can take a number of weeks to review an application and make a decision. Decisions will be published to you via the online application portal.

If you wish to commence a PhD starting in September 2025 you would generally need to have submitted your complete application before 1st July 2025. Earlier deadlines will apply for scholarship applications.

Please note that if you are wishing to commence your study at any time after September (such as January) this is only possible at the discretion of your supervisors.

Applications for PhD programmes commencing in September 2026 will not open until Autumn 2025. Scholarships for 2026 will be advertised once applications open.

Scholarships

If you are interested in being considered for any scholarships, we strongly advise that you submit your complete online application form for the relevant PhD programme well in advance of the advertised deadline.

Please read through the eligibility criteria and application instructions carefully for each scholarship. You may be asked to complete the application form in a certain way, or be required to submit separate documents to be eligible for consideration, such as shorter version of your research proposal.

Please specify the scholarship(s) that you wish to apply for by selecting the corresponding funding source drop-down list in your application form, if the funding is not listed please select 'other' and specify the award in the free text box. This will highlight to our admissions tutors which funding you wish to be considered for should you be made an offer of study on the programme.

SWDTP studentships

Applicants wishing to apply for SWDTP ESRC-funding should apply to the relevant PhD programme directly.

**Note: You must hold an offer from the University of Bristol before submitting the application documents for a SWDTP ESRC studentship.**

The SWDTP ESRC scholarship application is a three step process;

Submission of complete University of Bristol PhD postgraduate application form. (including all references)
Submission of completed SWDTP application documents (PhD offer holders only) to spais-pgr@bristol.ac.uk
Offer holders and their supervisors must meet for an online "research conversation" as part of the SWDTP application process

The deadlines for 2025/26 applications have now passed. Scholarship opportunities for 2026/27 will likely be advertised from Autumn 2025 onwards.

China Scholarship Council

To be eligible for consideration for China Scholarship Council studentships you must submit your PhD postgraduate application form with a valid English language certificate.

The deadline for 2025 applications has now passed. Scholarship opportunities for 2026/27 will likely be advertised from Autumn 2025 onwards.

If nominated by the University of Bristol, you must apply directly to the China Scholarship Council (CSC) for a scholarship by Monday 31 March 2025.

UoB scholarships

Bristol Postgraduate Research Scholarship
Bristol Postgraduate Research Scholarship ring-fenced for candidates of Black and mixed Black heritage, who are UK domiciled with Home fee status applicants must also complete this online form by the above deadline to be eligible for consideration.
Cotutelle scholarship with Macquarie University Please read the eligibility requirements carefully if you wish to apply for this funding. Candidates for this Cotutelle must have also applied directly to Macquarie for a PhD enrolment here.

The deadline for 2025 applications has now passed. Scholarship opportunities for 2026/27 will likely be advertised from Autumn 2025 onwards.

Please note that it can take several weeks to review PhD applications. We strongly recommend that applications are submitted well in advance of the deadline to ensure all documents (such as references) are received and that offers can be made before the school scholarship committee meets.

Offer holders will be sent a scholarship nomination form which will include the submission of a 1000 word research proposal. The deadline for nomination forms to be completed and returned to spais-pgr@bristol.ac.uk is 12 noon, February 6^th 2025.

EUFOG MSCA Doctoral Fellowships

Applicants wishing to apply for EUFOG MSCA Doctoral Fellowships should apply to the Politics PhD programme.

The deadline for submitting your application is 5pm, 31st March 2025.

There are three doctoral positions/Fellowships available at the University of Bristol. You may only apply for one position.

Clashing self-understandings of EU Strategic Autonomy in a context of geopolitical competition (supervised by Ana E. Juncos and Prof. Roberta Guerrina)
Domestic contestation over the EU's new geoeconomic instruments (supervised by And E. Juncos and Prof. Gabriel Siles-Brügge)
A new geoeconomic power? Assessing the impact of the EU's unilateral trade and investment policy instruments (supervised by Gabriel Siles-Brügge and Prof. Roberta Guerrina)

Please see our EUFOG MSCA Doctoral Fellowship application information for more details.

Applicants should normally hold a Masters degree with a grade of merit or above from a UK university (or the equivalent) and a minimum of a 2.1 Undergraduate Honours degree (or the equivalent).

Language requirements

International applicants whose first language is not English are required to meet the minimum language requirements outlined in Profile B. (equivalent to a score of at least 7.0 overall, with a minimum of 6.5 in other bands).

There is currently no formal interview process for applicants, however, you may be invited to interview if you are applying for funding.

Prior to commencing study, we strongly recommend that you visit the School and meet with your proposed supervisors.

If you have any questions, please contact: spais-pgr@bristol.ac.uk