Thank you for your interest in applying for a funded PhD studentship at SAMS. Although we are not currently recruiting for any projects at this time, any new, funded studentship opportunities will be advertised here when they become available. You can also refer to the UHI Graduate School recruitment pages at this link.

Many PhDs come with full studentships, which cover fees and living expenses, so that students can focus on their research and be expected to complete their studies in 3 or 3.5 years. Self-funded students will require to have IRO £14,500 per year for living expenses to be in line with RCUK doctoral stipends on top of the fees. For UHI PhD projects, click here for the current fees.

Most of our PhD projects are registered through the University of the Highlands and Islands, and this page outlines the application procedure for UHI PhDs. Please note that we have several other doctoral training partnerships - most notably with the University of Edinburgh, and applications to these programmes follow procedures by other universities. Information regarding these can be found on the individual project adverts. We adhere strictly to equality and diversity policies during all phases of recruitment so that we find the most talented and motivated students to join us.



Eligibility To be eligible to study for a PhD at SAMS UHI, who need to possess - in a relevant discipline and from a reputable institution: A Master's qualification and / or

A Bachelor degree with first class or upper second class honours and / or

Another qualification or substantial experience that demonstrates your academic competence to complete doctoral training successfully (to be approved by the UHI Research Degrees Committee on the recommendation of the SAMS Director).

Additionally, international students whose first language is not English and who do not hold a prior degree obtained in English must hold an IELTS qualification with a score of 6.5 (6+ in writing), gained within two years prior to your registration date.



How to Apply Most importantly you need to have identified an approved PhD project (including a Director of Studies / supervisory team) that you are unquestionably excited by. This can be a ready made project advertised on these pages OR a proposal you have developed with a SAMS supervisor and have funding for. For a summary of what is required please refer to the application guidance notes available here: 1a - PhD-Studentships-2020-21-Application-guidance_SAMS.pdf . The documents you will need to apply for a PhD Studentship are as follows: RD1_Research Degree Student application 1.0 2020-21.docx 1iii Reference form_20-21 .docx Please ensure you submit the application form – with the following supporting documentation – as one single pdf file - to gradresearch@uhi.ac.uk Copies of all official qualification certificates and transcripts. If your official certificates/transcripts are not in English, they must be accompanied by a full certified translation provided by a professional translator/translation company.

If English is not your native language, an English language test certificate (IELTS or equivalent), gained within the past two years;

If you are not a UK national, a copy of the photo page of your passport. Also include any pages which indicate a right of abode in the UK;

2 academic references. If references are not available at the time of submission, they can be excluded from the single pdf file, however applicants are responsible for ensuring their referees submit the references to gradreserach@uhi.ac.uk by the deadline.

If you wish to apply for more than one project, please submit separate applications.