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.
Selection Process
Applications are considered on a rolling basis (as they are received) until the course deadline of 25 February 2027. The funding deadline falls earlier than the course application deadline, so applicants who wish to be considered for funding should ensure that they submit a complete application by the funding deadline of 8 December 2026.
As part of the selection process, applicants may be invited to attend an interview. Depending on the location and availability of the parties involved, interviews will be conducted either in person or online. Applicants should expect to hear whether they have been successful within 12 weeks of submitting their completed application and the required supporting documents.
Applications for part-time study will also be assessed as to whether:
The proposed research is feasible for part-time studies.
The applicant can sustain a part-time approach to study.
The applicant can fund five years (up to seven years) of study.
The applicant is able to fully fulfil attendance requirements.
Things You'll Need
You should start preparing the things that you'll need when you apply. These will be mandatory, unless specifically flagged as optional.
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Two referees willing to give you a reference
Either academic or professional – please see our References guidance for more information about which type you need. Your referees will need to have submitted their reference by the course deadline. - Transcript
- CV/resume
- Evidence of competence in English
If required - please see our Competence in English guidance for more information. - Core - Statement of Interest (1500 characters) (mandatory)
Please provide a statement of interest of no more than 1500 characters long. This should broadly outline why are you interested in public policy research (For example: What are the public policy themes or issues that attract you, and why?) and outline your reasons for wishing to study public policy topics at this level. You should mention specific academic interests you have in the field of public policy, and how you see these fitting in with your medium and long-term plans. - Core - Research Proposal (document upload) (mandatory)
The research proposal should be no more than four pages (~2,000 words) in length (not including the bibliography), and it should include: (1) suggested title of the PhD project; (2) a literature review that shows the respects in which your proposed work builds on and will augment, clarify, or qualify existing knowledge; (3) a clear statement of research questions and/or hypotheses; (4) methodology: a feasible research design including a discussion of the methods you will employ (qualitative research; quantitative research; mixed-methods approach, etc) and why they are appropriate; study participants / data sources you plan to utilize, including how you expect to obtain access to them; further details about how the fieldwork will be conducted, etc.; (5) a timeline of research: indicating a general timeline about when a literature review will be completed, when it is hoped that fieldwork will commence and be completed, writing up stages, etc.; (6) implications for policy and practice arising from the suggested research; (7) a suggested supervisor: applicants are strongly encouraged to look at the profile of our academic staff members and indicate their preference about potential supervisors (You can suggest up to three names). Applicants should keep in mind that beyond the quality of the PhD proposal, it is important that a supervisor is in place who is able to supervise the specific topic. - Core - Sample of Work (1) (document upload) (mandatory)
You will need to submit a sample of your academic writing, for which you are the sole author. This piece of work should be between 1,500 – 5,000 words long. Applicants usually submit either an essay or piece of assessed coursework from a previous degree or a chapter from a dissertation. The sample of written work is more about showing your academic abilities and style of writing, so it doesn’t need to on a public policy subject or directly related to public policy. The sample must be your original work and must not be a previously published/assessed or co-authored paper. Acknowledgements, the bibliography, the table of contents, and footnotes used solely for citation purposes are excluded from the word count; all other content is included. - Core - Proposed Supervisor (200 characters) (mandatory)
Applicants are required to nominate a potential supervisor on their application form. Please see the "How to Find a Supervisor" section of the course page for information on how to contact a potential supervisor.
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 are required to nominate a potential supervisor on their application form. When choosing who to nominate as a potential supervisor, it is important that there is some overlap with your own research interests or approach. Before applying, applicants should consult the list of academic members of staff who are currently available to supervise PhD students.
Applicants are welcome to contact the academic staff on this list to check if their proposed research topic would be a good fit with their research interests. Applicants should note that academic staff are unable to give detailed feedback on their proposal or engage in extended email correspondence. When contacting academic staff, applicants should send the following information: a copy of their CV; a brief research proposal (1-2 pages maximum); a short statement outlining their academic background (i.e. what they have studied so far, degree result or grade average, any relevant experience); and the reason why they particularly wish to work with them (i.e. demonstrate your awareness of their research and how it aligns with your research interests).
If you don't name a potential supervisor in your application, the department will try to match your application with a suitable academic member of staff, based on their academic interests and area of expertise. However, there is no guarantee that this will be possible, and applications are unlikely to be successful if there is no suitable supervisor available.