UCL Research Excellence Scholarship in UK (Fully Funded)

Those who seek research scholarships abroad, and in particular if their search lies in the UK, then there are numerous opportunities available there, one of them is the UCL Research Excellence Scholarship offered none other than by the University College London (UCL). As far as the research scholarships are concerned, they are a kind of financial assistance offered to support the individual’s involvement in research, often through a fee offset, stipend, and are typically conferred to graduate students and postdoctoral researchers based on their research potential and academic merit. Returning to the scholarship in question, UCL’s notable Research Excellence Scholarship (UCL-RES) is offered to attract exceptional scholars to pursue doctoral research at the University College London. If you are interested in these research grants, let’s find out the details ahead.

Information Regarding the UCL Research Excellence Scholarship

This could be really beneficial for researchers or research students. These are fully funded research scholarships offered at UCL. For 2026-27, UCL offers 40 fully funded UCL Research Excellence Scholarships (UCL-RES) to outstanding candidates from any country. Only prospective UCL MPhil/PhD and EngD students are eligible to apply. This means that applicants/students who begin on or after the academic year 2026-2027 will be permitted MPhil/PhD commencement date of 1^st October 2026. Those who have begun at the University College London before this date are not entitled (not eligible) to apply.

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Brief Description of the Research Excellence Scholarship in the UK

The following brief details are available for your quick understanding of the funding at UCL.

Host Country: United Kingdom

Host Institution: University College London (UCL)

Available to: Prospective Students

Eligibility: UK and Overseas Students

Selection Criteria: Research Potential, Academic Merit, Disciplinary Need, and Suitability of Project Proposal for the Supervisors Available

Additional Eligibility: At Least a 2:1 Undergraduate (Or Equivalent)

Eligible Programs: Full-Time or Part-Time MPhil/PhD and EngD (Excluding Professional Doctorates and Distance Learning)

Value: Tuition Fees (Home/International), Maintenance Stipend for the Standard Length/Duration of the Research Portion of the Program of Study, or Remainder Thereof, Research Costs

Closing Date for Applications: 9^th January 2026

Visit: Excellence Scholarships in the UK for International Students

Eligibility Criteria for the UCL Research Excellence Scholarship

To be considered for this scholarship opportunity and to apply, the applicants must:

Have submitted their complete admission applications to the eligible full-time or part-time degree programs at UCL by the deadline for the scholarship
Possess or expect to obtain a minimum of an upper second-class honors UK undergraduate degree program or its equivalent qualification

To be awarded the scholarship if chosen, the recipients of the scholarship must:

Receive an admission offer to a full-time or part-time research degree program at the University College London

Note: It is worth noting that distance learning, non-resident PhD, and professional doctorates (DOrth and DPsychotherapy), DClinPsy, DDent, DEdPsy Brain Sciences) are not eligible for this opportunity. EngD is not taken into consideration as professional doctorate and is eligible to apply.

Value of the Scholarship, Benefits, and Duration

Full tuition fees (either home or international) plus a maintenance stipend will be offered during the research portion of the program, which increases with inflation every year.
For the 2025-26 academic year, the stipend rate is 22,780 GBP for full-time study (remember, the rates are calculated pro rata for part-time candidates). For the academic year 2026-27, the stipend rate is yet to be confirmed and finalized.
This scholarship also consists of extra research costs of up to GBP 1200 per year for the standard duration of the research portion of the study program.
Scholarships are offered for the standard duration of the research portion of the study program, such as 3 years usually for a full-time MPhil/PhD/EngD degree program or 5 years for part-time study programs.
In case the students are pursuing an integrated doctoral program with a normal duration of 4 years, the scholarship will be extended to the 4^th year of research.
Those who are offered this Research Excellence Scholarship, the funding will start at the beginning of the next academic year. For the academic year 2026-27, this will be 1^st October 2026.

Also Check: Fully Funded Commonwealth Scholarships in the UK

Closing Date for the Research Excellence Scholarships in the UK at UCL

The last date for application submission is 9^th January 2026. Interested and eligible candidates need to submit both a completed admission application and a completed UCL-RES application to their academic department by the deadline.

Note: A Few academic departments have set their own deadlines that could be earlier than the actual deadline, so the applicants are required to make sure to check with them directly.