President's Doctoral Scholar award

Fully funded studentships to support the most outstanding PhD candidates

The President's Doctoral Scholar (PDS) Award is the University's flagship funding initiative and gives outstanding students a foundation to support research training.

The programme draws together research strength and ambition from the University's three faculties to create an interdisciplinary cohort of exceptional PhD candidates.

For 2027/28 entry, five fully-funded scholarships were available within the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health across the theme of 'Sensing the World' .

Applications for 2027/28 entry will open during week commencing 2 November 2026.

On this page:

Related pages:

• Opportunities
• Criteria
• Funding
• Projects
• How to apply
• Key dates
• Keep up-to-date
• Contact us
• Funding and fees
• Understanding funding
• Funded programmes
• Fees and costs
• Other funding support

President's Doctoral Scholar Award at Manchester

Learn more about the University's flagship funding scheme for postgraduate research studentships .

Read more

Research leadership

Benefit from international research leadership under distinguished scholars while engaging in a bespoke suite of activities and training for Presidential Scholars in areas such as leadership, self-awareness, collaboration, public engagement, publication, sustainability and commercialisation.

Exclusive events

Receive invites to exclusive events with our President and Vice Chancellor, academic community and other PDS Awards students.

Lead University initiatives

Get the opportunity to manage University funded initiatives such ‘Anything but Research’ and Postgraduate Summer Research Showcase, and gain valuable transferable skills in planning, organisation, negotiation and collaboration.

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Fully-funded scholarship

The 4-year fully-funded scholarships will cover:

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• tuition fees at home or international rate;
• a tax-free annual stipend (at UKRI rate) plus a £1,000 stipend enhancement.

Pursue your research passion

Projects for 2027/28 entry will be advertised during week commencing 2 November 2026.

For 2027/28 entry, projects will align with the theme ‘Sensing the World’, investigating how we sense and interpret the world around us, and how this influences the way we understand and respond to societal, health, environmental, economic and industrial challenges.

To drive interdisciplinary research across the University, each project will be supervised by academics from the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health and at least one other faculty at Manchester.

Interested in more than one project? You can apply for up to two projects as part of this programme.

Please note, we are unable to provide information about projects before they are advertised.

Eligibility criteria

To be considered for this award, candidates must meet all of the following criteria:

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• hold (or are about to obtain) a first-class honours undergraduate degree (or international equivalent) from a reputable institution;
• ideally, hold a master's-level qualification at merit or distinction (or international equivalent);
• have a track record of engaging with research. This may include contributions to publications/articles, promoting their research to a wider audience, prizes for research or project work;
• be interested in attending a series of exclusive events to facilitate interactions with our academic community and network with other PDS Award holders.

Step-by-step guide to applying

Applications will open for 2027/28 entry during week commencing 2 November 2026.

Find out what you need to do before you apply and how to apply with our step-by-step guide below.

Further information on applying can be found on our How to apply page.

Check you’re eligible

Ensure you meet the entry requirements for this programme and check you have the skills and characteristics we’re looking for in our postgraduate researchers on our ‘Eligibility and entry requirements’ page.

More about eligibility and entry requirements

Find a project

Browse all of our projects and discover one you're passionate about which matches your interests, ambitions and goals.

Interested in more than one project? You can apply for up to two projects as part of this programme. If you wish to apply for two projects, you must submit a separate application for each, including a supporting statement tailored to the specific project.

Browse projects

Contact a supervisor

Found a project you're interested in? Contacting your potential supervisor and speaking to them about their project is your next step and is one of the most important things you need to do before you apply.

When speaking to your potential supervisor, you should mention you’re interested in the President’s Doctoral Scholar Award.

Learn more about contacting a supervisor

Prepare your supporting documents

When applying, you'll need to provide supporting documents including:

A research statement is not required for this programme.

All supporting documents must be uploaded as part of the formal online application. Applications submitted without the required documentation will be considered incomplete and will not be processed.

Learn more about applying

• Supporting statement
• Reference details
• Degree certificates and final/interim transcripts (If you are currently enrolled in a Master's programme and do not yet have an interim transcript, please provide alternative proof of enrolment, such as an offer letter.)
• Official English language certificates (if applicable)
• Curriculum Vitae (CV)

Complete your application

Found a project and contacted the listed supervisor?

Apply online

When completing your application ensure you use the following details :

For the funding section you should select:

Further information on completing an application can be found on our 'how to apply' page.

More about applying

• Level of study: Postgraduate Research
• Entry year: 2026/27
• Supervisor name: Specify the name of the main supervisor only, if the supervisor isn't listed you can enter it manually.
• Intake: September
• Funding: 'Yes' from the drop-down
• Type of funding: 'Uni of Manchester scheme'
• Awarding body: President’s Doctoral Scholar Award
• Status of funding: Awarded
• Funding covers: Fully Funded
• Leave the remaining boxes blank

President’s Doctoral Scholarship Award interview

We will contact you directly by email to confirm if you've been shortlisted for interview.

Interviews will take place via Teams and will consist of a panel of up to three academic staff from across the University.

You will be required to give a short presentation (not exceeding 10 minutes) on the project you are interested in. Presentations can be made in PowerPoint format or verbally.

Post-interview the recruitment committee will assess candidates based on the interview, their CV, academic record and references.

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Dates for 2026 entry

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• Projects announced: Week commencing 2 November 2026
• Applications open: Week commencing 2 November 2026
• Applications close: Monday, 18 December 2026
• Interviews take place: Week commencing 8 March 2027
• Studentships awarded: Week commencing 15 March 2027
• Studentship begins: October 2027

Sign up for updates

Be the first to hear about funded programmes and funding opportunities when they launch.

You’ll receive our monthly newsletter for prospective applicants which includes updates on featured projects, our latest events and application tips.

Register your interest

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Have any questions? Get in touch.

If you have any questions about this programme contact our Doctoral Academy admissions team.

Email: fbmh.doctoralacademy.admissions@manchester.ac.uk

See more contact information .

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Research areas