International postgraduate research studentships

The Department of Chemistry at the University of Liverpool has launched a pilot international postgraduate research studentship programme that will grant full tuition waiver to a small number of highly qualified non-EU nationals with BSc or MSc degrees from top universities worldwide admitted into its PhD programme.

The UK Government ranks the Department of Chemistry 2nd best overall in the country and 1st in its quality of scientific output (REF2014). The Department hosts several unique research centers, including the £81 million Materials Innovation Factory and Leverhulme Research Centre for Functional Material Design.

The students admitted onto this programme will:

  • Receive full waiver of tuition and student fees for up to 42 months as long as they make adequate progress
  • Not be required to demonstrate (teach).

Eligibility

To be eligible, applicants should have:

  • Either a BSc degree or be in the final year of a BSc degree programme in Chemistry (broadly defined) or a related discipline with the overall undergraduate GPA of 80% or better as determined by our admissions office. In exceptional cases, applicants with GPA below 80% will be considered IF they have GRE Quantitative, Analytical and Chemistry scores in 80 percentile or better
  • Met the minimum English proficiency requirements of the University and UK Visa requirements
  • Demonstrated aptitude for research in chemistry through, for example, the research component of their undergraduate degree
  • Successfully passed the admissions interview conducted by the staff of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Liverpool
  • Sufficient funds to cover their maintenance (living) expenses at Liverpool (students admitted through this programme may have an opportunity to earn extra money by demonstrating (teaching) and/or through small payments from their research supervisor, but such an arrangement cannot be guaranteed and will be decided on a case-by-case basis after the student is admitted. Consequently, the students should be able to prove access to funds up to £9,135 per year in order to obtain a UK student visa). 

How to apply

Interested applicants should send a single pdf file containing (in this order):

  • One-page covering letter, describing how the applicant meets the requirements of the programme and details of any prior communication with potential PhD advisors at Liverpool
  • A CV (2 page maximum)
  • A full or partial undergraduate transcript (first an official English translation followed by documents in the language of issue; MSc students should also submit their BSc certificate/diploma)
  • Results of any tests taken (e.g. IELTS, TOEFL and/or GREs).

to Professor Roman Boulatov (boulatov@liverpool.ac.uk) for initial review.

Applicants need not have taken any tests before applying (except when they don’t meet the minimum GPA criterion). Shortlisted candidates will then be requested to apply through the University postgraduate application system and pass the English proficiency test (students with BSc or MSc degrees from an English-speaking country are exempt from this test). 

Information for PRC nationals

Students admitted onto this programme will receive an offer of admission which makes them eligible to apply for the China Scholarship Council fellowship to fund their study at Liverpool. The CSC fellowship, however, is NOT a pre-requisite for admission to this programme.

Deadline

The programme has no deadline: applications are reviewed as they are received. Applications received after 1st August will be considered for admission starting the following academic year (e.g., successful applicants who applied prior to 1st August 2017 will be offered positions for the 2017/18 academic year; after this date, for the 2018/19 academic year). If all available places for the upcoming academic year are filled, successful applicants will be offered admission starting the next academic year. PRC nationals interested in applying for the CSC fellowship are strongly encouraged to submit their application materials to Roman Boulatov by 1st December, which will enable them to be considered for the Liverpool-CSC fellowship nomination, thus increasing their chances of obtaining the fellowship. Applicants who want to apply directly to the CSC (outside the Liverpool-CSC nomination process) must submit their applications for initial screening no later than 1st February to meet the mid-March CSC deadline.

Please contact Professor Roman Boulatov (boulatov@liverpool.ac.uk) with any questions about this programme.

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