Joint PhD Scholarships 2026/27 – King’s College London

Joint PhD Scholarships are offered by the King’s Doctoral College for joint PhD programmes between King’s College London and four of its international partner universities (listed below) for the 2026/27 academic year.

Summary

1. Application Deadline: 15 February 2026
2. Value: Full tuition fees + annual stipend (£22,780) + research grant £1,000–£5,000
3. Study Level: PhD (Joint PhD – Full Time)
4. Sponsor: King’s College London
5. Course to Study: Joint PhD Programmes (with HKU, NUS, Humboldt University Berlin, University of Sao Paulo)
6. Eligible Country: All Countries (Worldwide)

Eligibility Criteria for Joint PhD Scholarships 2026/27 – King’s College London

1. be due to commence a full-time joint PhD programmes run in collaboration between King’s College London and a stated partner (The University of Hong Kong, Humboldt University, Berlin, The National University of Singapore, or The University of Sao Paulo) during the 2025/26 academic year. Please refer to the 'King’s College PGR Joint PhD 2627 guidance' document for a full list of eligible programmes;
2. have applied to King’s College London as the home institution;
3. have provisional agreement from supervisors at both King’s and the partner university;
4. have submitted all the required application materials by the funding deadline, including references transcripts, confirmation from the King’s supervisor to supervise you, and the Travel Plan form, which can be found online or obtained via the King’s Admissions office.

Please note that:

1. scholarships cannot commence prior to October 2026;
2. the funding is only offered for full-time study;
3. applications for joint PhD programmes must be approved by both King’s College London and the partner university before a formal admissions offer can be made. As such, the process may take longer than for a single PhD programme. Students are able to apply for the scholarship whilst their application is being considered in order to meet the set deadline;
4. students are required to spend a set minimum amount of time at the partner university (12 months for the Humboldt, NUS and USP partnerships and 50% of the overall time for the HKU partnership). Candidates must therefore note their potential periods of candidature in the Travel Plan form mentioned above.

Benefits of Joint PhD Scholarships 2026/27 – King’s College London

The scholarship covers the following:

1. Full Tuition Fees (at home or international rate)
2. Annual Stipend: at the UKRI rate (was £22,780 for the year 2025/26)
3. Annual Research Grant: £1,000 - £5,000, depending on the research project whilst at King’s

How to Apply

Please follow the instructions below. Applicants who fail to apply as instructed are not eligible for consideration.

1. Candidates must first apply to King’s College London for one of the above joint PhD programmes using the online admissions portal (https://apply.kcl.ac.uk/). It is recommended that the programme application is submitted by the deadline of 15 February 2026 (23:59pm UK TIME).
2. As part of the above application, candidates must have been in contact with potential supervisors at both King’s and the partner university and obtained tentative agreement to work with them. Evidence of this (e.g., email correspondence) must be provided with the application materials.
3. In the funding part of the online admissions application form, candidates must tick the box at item 5 (Award Scheme Code or Name) and enter the code 2627-JOINT. If this code is not entered, or is not spelled correctly, the funding application will not be picked up and the candidate will not be put forward for consideration.
4. The candidate must have submitted all necessary information and supporting documentation (including the Travel Plan form, transcripts, references, and confirmation from your prospective supervisor that they will supervise you) to the admissions portal by the funding deadline of 15 February 2026 (23:59pm UK TIME). Candidates should refer to the relevant entry in the online prospectus for information on what is required for their programme. If any information is missing the funding application will be ineligible but the candidate can still proceed with the application for the programme itself, using alternative means of funding.

Please note that candidates who have already applied for admission, and those who previously applied but deferred entry to 2026/27, are not required to submit a new admissions application.

For full details about the scholarship, please refer to the attached 'King’s Doctoral College PGR Joint PhD 2627 guidance' document.

King's Doctoral College PGR Joint PhD 2627 guidance (0.37 MB)

Contact details:

Email: doctoralstudies@kcl.ac.uk

For more details, visit Kings College London Scholarship webpage

Application Deadline

February 15, 2026

Application Link(s)

• Apply for Joint PhD Scholarships 2026/27 – King’s College London