PhD in Antarctic Studies

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:

1. you have submitted your application and supporting documents via the Applicant Portal
2. you have paid the application fee if applicable. For further information on application fees, and which courses require an application fee, see here.
3. your referees have provided their references.

If you miss the deadlines specified in this section, you will not be able to submit your application.

A selection of BAS projects is typically advertised each autumn on the BAS website.  Each project will have a named supervisor, university department and deadline for application clearly indicated. In most cases, applicants will be required to be eligible for UKRI-NERC funding and will only be admitted to start in the following Michaelmas term. Interviews will be held prior to an offer of admission.

If your topic does not fall within current BAS research interests you may wish to explore opportunities for PhD study in another, related, department before making an application to the University.

Selection Process

Applicants for projects offered by the NERC C-CLEAR DTP are considered together and shortlisted candidates will be invited to interview in Cambridge approximately six-to-seven weeks after the closing date.

Any other applications are considered as they are received (rolling admissions). Applicants should expect to hear whether they have been successful within twelve weeks following the submission of their completed application and required supporting documents.

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
• Proposed Supervisor (M)
  Provide the names of the project supervisors. This will help when processing your application.
• Project title (M)
  Provide the project reference code where one is given. This will help when processing your application.
• Research summary (M)
  This will usually be the brief summary description in the advertised project.
• Research experience (O)

Gates Cambridge Scholarships

If you wish to be considered for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship you will also need to provide the following:

• Gates Cambridge Reference  
• Research Proposal (PhD applicants only)

See Gates Cambridge for more information.

How to Find a Supervisor

PhD projects available at BAS are usually advertised each autumn on the BAS and C-CLEAR DTP websites.  You should identify the supervisor of the project in which you are interested and contact them to discuss your eligibility and suitability. You will be asked to give the project title, reference code and supervisor name in your application. Capacity to supervise projects not supported by a DTP or CDT partnership is very limited.

Please note: part-time study may not always be viable and will be considered on a case-by-case basis, so please discuss this option with your proposed supervisor before making an application for this mode of study.