Are you ready to develop yourself personally and professionally by becoming a doctoral researcher at ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø?
When you've decided which PhD programme is right for you, this guide tells you everything you need to know about the application process.
You should plan to join us at the start of an academic semester. Most of our doctoral students join us in September for the start of the first semester; a smaller number start in the second semester.
In order to give us sufficient time to process your application, we recommend submitting your application by the following deadlines:
| Type of applicant | Application deadline |
| UK applicant | At least two months before the programme start date |
| International applicant | At least four months before the programme start date |
You will need to have received a formal offer of a place from us before you apply for some scholarships. Therefore, make sure you allow enough time for us to process your programme application so that you can still meet the scholarship application deadline.
Once you have a suitable research topic in mind, you will need to find the most appropriate academic school or department that could support your area of research. The best place to start is to visit the dedicated webpages for our schools and departments. Here you will find information about:
You can find our school and department webpages via our list of doctoral research areas.
We recommend that you get in touch with us before you make a formal application. This will give you the opportunity to:
If you have qualified in the arts, humanities, social sciences or in business, you will most likely identify your own research topic and will therefore need to submit a research proposal. You may be asked to write an outline of your research proposal and submit this with your application, although this is not required in every case.
With a background in science or life science, you may be applying for a project that has already been devised by a supervisor. Therefore, you will not need to submit a research proposal. If you are bringing a research proposal you have developed, you will need to submit a research proposal with your application.
If you are applying for an advertised project/studentship, then a research proposal is not required as the research topic is already set.
If a research proposal is required, in general, this should include:
To maximise the likelihood of a successful application, we strongly recommend that all applicants read the following guidance before finalising their research proposal and submitting their online PhD application.
How to write a research proposal for an MPhil/PhD (PDF, 1.02 MB)
Please check the 'How to apply' section of the relevant department's website for any department-specific requirements for the research proposal.
If you have specific questions, then you can contact the school or department that you are applying to. Please visit our directors of postgraduate research studies page to find contact details.
To be accepted to study for a PhD, applicants will normally need to have an undergraduate degree of at least a 2:1 (or equivalent) or a master's degree, in a subject related to the proposed PhD topic.
In some areas of the University (particularly in the arts, humanities, social sciences and business) applicants are normally only accepted if they have a master's-level qualification.
The majority of PhD programmes require a minimum IELTS score of 6.5. However some areas require a score of 7.0. These are:
The specific English requirements relating to your PhD programme will be specified on your offer of admission.
Once you are ready to make a formal application, you can apply through our online application service. This allows you to include electronic copies of your academic transcripts, certificates and other supporting information. It also enables us to contact your referees directly.
We will confirm that we have received your application and let you know when you are likely to hear whether it has been successful.
If your application is successful, the Admissions Office will send you a letter offering you a place on your chosen doctoral research programme. The offer may be conditional, for example, on:
To make an enquiry about your application, please contact pgadmissions@reading.ac.uk.
Further information is also available in our Postgraduate Research Programmes Admissions Policy (PDF, 3.15 MB).
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