Eligibility

Eligibility criteria for the programme

Applicants must meet all the criteria in Part A. We strongly encourage applications from undergraduates currently studying at higher education institutions where research experience may not be as readily available as in more research-intensive institutions. Priority will be given to those applicants who have not studied at Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College or the LSE, the most selective Russell Group universities, according to the Sutton Trust ‘Universities and Social Mobility’ report.  

We particularly encourage applications from students who meet one or more of the widening participation criteria in Part B. 

Part A

You must meet all the criteria to apply: 

1. Have a right to live and work full time in the UK, for the duration of the programme (successful applicants will be required to complete a right to work check);
2. Have graduated from OR have completed the first year of your current undergraduate course at a UK or Irish university (i.e. first year students are not eligible) by the application deadline;
3. Have achieved OR be on track to achieve, a final undergraduate degree grade of a strong 2:1 or First in a humanities or social sciences subject. If your transcript shows year on year grade progression towards the upper range of a 2:1 or above, then we would encourage you to apply.

Please note, if you have already received an offer for postgraduate study, are studying or have completed a postgraduate degree (MA or PhD), you are not eligible to apply for the programme. You will be asked to confirm this when applying and accepting your offer. 

Part B - Widening Participation

The University will be using positive action under the Equality Act 2010 to tackle the underrepresentation of, and overcome the disadvantage experienced by, certain groups. 

Primarily we are looking for evidence of academic potential within the context of your education and circumstances to date, rather than the number of widening participation criteria selected. Click on each criterion below for information. 

We will ask you to describe your circumstances in your application, and you should refer to the relevant criteria below. In some cases, we will ask for further documentation to support your application.  

Any information you share with us will be held securely and confidentially by our applications team but may be viewed by the reviewing panel which makes decisions on who should receive an offer.