The Chancellor's Scholarships

From 1 August 2011, the scholarships formerly known as WPRS have been re-titled 'Chancellor's Scholarships.' A single competition is now open for Chancellor's Scholarships, Chancellor's International Scholarships, and AHRC Doctoral Awards.

The competition for Chancellor's Scholarships (formerly WPRS) has now CLOSED for entry in October 2012.

The Chancellor's Scholarships competition will re open in August 2012 for entry in October 2013.

Please read this page in full for details of how to apply. Why not also read some interviews with previous successful applicants for tips on the process?

The Scholarship

For 2012-13 entry the Warwick Graduate School expects to award around 45 Chancellor's Scholarships. Awards made for entry in October 2012 may include either or both of the following, depending on the ranking of the application:

• The payment of academic fees at the Home/EU rate (£3,900 for full-time students in 2011-12)
• A maintenance grant in line with the UK Research Council stipend (£13,590 for full-time award holders in 2011-12)

Full details of the funding included in awards for 2012-13 entry will be posted here in due course.

Students and applicants who are eligible to apply for an AHRC doctoral award should apply to the Chancellor's Scholarships competition and will automatically be considered for both competitions. More details on AHRC doctoral awards are available here.

This competition, unlike most postgraduate funding, is open to Home, EU, and Overseas students from all disciplines at Warwick.

Overseas Applicants

The Chancellor's Scholarship (formerly WPRS) pays academic fees at the Home/EU rate, so overseas students awarded a Chancellor's Scholarship will need to fund the difference between the Home/EU fee rate and the Overseas fee they will be required to pay. Occasionally, academic departments may be able to assist in funding the difference, entirely at their discretion and as their budget allows.

However, all eligible overseas students applying for a Chancellor's Scholarship will also be considered for a Chancellor's International Scholarship, which pays the full overseas fee, by using a single application for both competitions. Details of how to apply are given below; details on eligibility for a Chancellor's International Scholarship are given here.

Applications welcomed from:

• Applicants for a full-time PhD (or MPhil/PhD) course at the University of Warwick, expecting to begin in Autumn 2012;
• Students currently enrolled on a PhD or MPhil/PhD at the University of Warwick may apply in the first year of their registration only (eligible for Chancellor's Scholarships only);
• University of Warwick students currently registered on a "1+3" course at a Doctoral Training Centre, who are in their Master's year and expecting to start doctoral study in 2011-12. These students will be eligible for a three-year Chancellor's Scholarship or (if paying overseas fees) a Chancellor's International Scholarship;
• University of Warwick students currently registered on the “2+2” MPhil > PhD course in the Department of Philosophy may apply for a scholarship in either (or both) the first and second years of their MPhil. See further information for the 2+2 in Philosophy;
• Applicants must have obtained or be expected to obtain at least an upper second class honours degree (or equivalent) from a recognised institution of higher education before 31 July 2012. Many disciplines (particularly in the Arts and Social Science Faculties) may also expect you to hold or expect to obtain a Master's degree as preparation for a PhD.

Applications are open to students from all disciplines currently represented at the University of Warwick.

Only one application per applicant per round is permitted, i.e. it is not possible to apply for a PhD in more than one department and seek a Chancellor's (or Chancellor's International Scholarship or AHRC doctoral award) for both.

Application deadline:

The competition for Chancellor's Scholarships has now CLOSED for entry in October 2012.

No late applications will be accepted.

How to apply:

*Links to these pages will be provided during the application process.

**Please note all new applicants for PhD admission are asked to make their scholarship application at the same time via the Postgraduate Admissions application form during the open period (1 August 2011-31 January 2012.) Please note you can work on this application form over time and consult with your prospective department for advice. Applicants who have the opportunity to use the Postgraduate Admissions form but use the separate scholarship form instead may be challenged.

Unusual Courses:

'2+2' MPhil-PhD in Philosophy

As this course has an unusual structure, extra guidance is needed on scholarship applications. This table shows which awards you can apply for and when as an applicant for or student on the '2+2' MPhil-PhD in Philosophy.

'1+2' Programme in Law

Under this 1+2 programme, students who achieve a distinction standard in the taught elements of their Master's degree may be invited by the School to transfer their registration to the PhD towards the end of their first year of postgraduate registration. This affects the scholarships eligibility for these students; please click here for further details.

Further Details of How to Apply:

i) New applicants for admission to PhD study and for a scholarship:

You will apply using the combined application form for postgraduate admission and for the scholarships (you will normally only be considered for those scholarships listed here by using this form; for other sources of funding a separate application is required unless you are advised otherwise.) When completing the form, you will be asked how you will be funding yourself at Warwick. In the 'Finance' section, you should select 'scholarship' from the options. The form will then ask whether you wish to apply for a postgraduate research scholarship at Warwick. You should select 'yes' and an additional section will then appear where you can make your scholarship application. You should fill in this section carefully, consulting the academic department for advice if appropriate to your discipline (you can save and return to the form as often as you wish before submitting.)

Once you have submitted your application, which acts as application both for admission and for a scholarship, you will be asked to submit your supporting documents via the Postgraduate Admissions upload page to which you will be directed by automated email after your application form has been submitted. Your referees will be automatically emailed with a reference request directing them to a similar upload page; this request will note that you are applying for a scholarship. All documents will be shared with the Postgraduate Admissions Office.

ii) Current Warwick PhD students in the first year of study:

You will apply using the separate scholarships application form. After accessing this form, you will also be shown a link to a page for uploading supporting documents for your scholarship application. Your referees will be automatically emailed with a reference request directing them to a similar upload page; this request will note that you are applying for a scholarship.

iii) Applicant or offer-holder who has already applied for PhD admission but not for scholarship:

You will apply using the separate scholarships application form. After accessing this form, you will also be shown a link to a page for uploading supporting documents for your scholarship application. Your referees will be automatically emailed with a reference request directing them to a similar upload page; this request will note that you are applying for a scholarship. However, any documents and references previously submitted with your initial application will remain on our database and available for scholarships scoring.

Paper Applications: Please note there are currently no paper application forms for the Chancellor's Scholarship, Chancellor's International Scholarship, Wolfson Foundation Scholarship or AHRC Doctoral Awards. The Postgraduate Admissions paper application form will not include, or be treated as, an application for these scholarships.

Supporting Documents

All applicants must provide a transcript of your current or previous degree-level study plus two academic references in support of your application. Applications which do not provide these documents will not be considered. Please read the full guidance on documents here.

We cannot accept emailed documents from any category of applicant, nor documents emailed by academic departments on your behalf. The only exception is references from Warwick academic staff.

Scoring:

Warwick operates a transparent, rigorous system of assessment. You are strongly advised to self-assess before applying using the Scoring Criteria below, noting that only those who have scored very highly on these criteria have been successful in recent years. Scholarship applications are discouraged from those who do not self-assess as scoring very highly.

Applications are scored on a 1 to 5 scale, 5 being the best possible mark.

Please see the full Chancellor's/Chancellor's International Scholarships/Wolfson Foundation Scholarships/ AHRC Doctoral Awards Scoring Criteria

NB the relative weightings given to each area of the scoring criteria will normally be:

• Academic Record: 50%
• Supporting Evidence: 30%
• Academic Achievement: 20%

Results:

We aim to communicate results by the end of March 2012. Please do not contact the Graduate School to check the result of your application before early April.

More Information:

Chancellor's Scholarships Guidance Notes (now updated for 2012-13 entry)

For questions not answered here, please email graduateschool@warwick.ac.uk. Please note we cannot give a preliminary assessment of chances of success; you are advised to consult the criteria above. Only applicants who scored very highly on these criteria have been successful in recent years.

Staff Information:

Colleagues involved in the selection process should also visit the Staff Pages.