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Apply using the Applicant Portal
The Apply Now button on the right will take you to the Applicant Portal. There, you can create and submit your application and supporting documents, and you can also request your references.
An application is only complete when:
- you have submitted your application and supporting documents via the Applicant Portal
- you have paid the application fee if applicable. For further information on application fees, and which courses require an application fee, see here.
- your referees have provided their references.
If you miss the deadlines specified in this section, you will not be able to submit your application.
When applying to the Wellcome Sanger Institute's PhD programme for one of our 12 funded studentships, applicants must apply directly to the Institute by following the instructions detailed in the 'How to apply' section on the PhD Programme page on the Wellcome Sanger Institute's website. If overseas applicants who have not studied in the UK or an EU country have GRE scores, they should include them in their application.
However, if you are applying for funding from the Gates Cambridge Scholarship Programme, you will need to submit an application directly through the University's Applicant Portal and name a Sanger Institute Faculty member in your application who has agreed to supervise your proposed project.
Depending on the project, part-time study may not be viable and will be considered on a case-by-case basis. If you are considering part-time study, please contact the Sanger Institute Postgraduate Office to discuss this option before making an application for this mode of study.
Selection Process
All applicants applying to the Wellcome Sanger Institute's PhD programme for one of our 12 funded studentships must follow the instructions detailed in the 'How to apply' section on the PhD Programme page on the Wellcome Sanger Institute's website.
Applicants who submit an application directly via the online form on the Sanger Institute's website are automatically considered for one of the Institute's funded places.
Applicants with their own scholarship funding should still apply to the PhD programme via the online form on the Sanger Institute's website to be considered for a place.
Please note that applications submitted directly to the Sanger Institute are not applications to the University of Cambridge. Students who are successful in gaining a funded place through the Sanger Institute will also be subsequently required to submit an application through the University's Applicant Portal.
Applications for the PhD programme are considered part of a gathered field, and the application deadline is at the end of November/beginning of December.
Shortlisted applicants will be invited to attend our in-person PhD Interview Day on 27 January 2025.
At the PhD Interview Day, the shortlisted applicants will have two or three interviews with individual Sanger Institute Faculty members and one-panel interview with three Sanger Institute Faculty members. Any shortlisted applicants unavailable for the PhD Interview Day can be interviewed via videoconference during the two weeks prior to the Interview Day. Decisions on offers are made shortly after this.
Visit the PhD Programme page on the Wellcome Sanger Institute's website for more details.
Further information on How To Apply
Things You'll Need
In order to apply for this course you'll need to think about getting a few things ready before you apply.
- Two academic references
- Transcript
- CV/resume
- Evidence of competence in English
If required - you can check using our tool - Statement of Interest (mandatory)
- Proposed Supervisor (optional)
- Research Proposal (optional)
- School of Biological Sciences - Widening Participation Questionnaire
Applicants to this course are asked to complete an additional form to provide contextual information about their previous study. Find out more about our use of contextual information here: postgraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/applying/contextual-data.
Gates Cambridge Scholarships
If you wish to be considered for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship you will also need to provide the following:
See Gates Cambridge for more information.
How to Find a Supervisor
Applicants to our PhD programme do not need to choose a PhD Supervisor at the point of application since successful students will spend their first eight months undertaking three rotation projects in different laboratories before choosing their final PhD project and Supervisor. Therefore, applicants need to apply to the programme and not individual supervisors.
However, PhD programme applicants are asked to list three Faculty members whose research interests them and should, therefore, visit our Potential Supervisors page for information on our Faculty members and their research areas.
Please note that candidates applying for funding from the Gates Cambridge Scholarship Programme will need to submit an application directly through the University’s Applicant Portal and name a Sanger Institute Faculty member who is willing to supervise their proposed project in their application.