How to apply

Checklist of Information required for application

Full Curriculum Vitae including

Nationality and Residence in UK information
Details of Schooling including GCSE and A Level results (or other qualifications)
Details of University Education including courses taken and results of any examinations to date
Degree result (if already known)
Details of any lab based projects or laboratory placements
Details of any industrial placements
Details of any previous employment

Covering Letter giving the details of the two projects in which you are most interested and your reasons for choosing them. These projects should be chosen from different Group Leaders.

The names and contact information of the two referees you have asked to write to the Institute supporting your application for a PhD position. References letters need to be submitted by the referees directly to the Institute by the deadline.

Graduate admissions to the Babraham Institute

(A) What funding opportunities are available?

UK Nationals and EU applicants with 3 years residence in the UK

UK Nationals and EU applicants with 3 years residence in the UK are eligible to apply for fully funded studentships from our Research Council Departmental Training Grants (DTGs). These will pay a living allowance of £13,590 p.a. untaxed for the academic year 2013/14. Your University and College fees will also be paid. The studentships are funded for either 3.5 or 4 years depending upon their source. EU nationals should check their eligibility for funding for Research Council Studentships at www.bbsrc.ac.uk/web/FILES/Guidelines/studentship_eligibility.pdf

Other EU nationals

Other EU nationals who are not eligible for one of our fully funded DTA quota awards may be considered for DTA quota “fees only” awards. EU students in this category will have their University and College fees paid but will need to find their own funding for their maintenance. Possible sources of funding for maintenance grants would include industrial studentships, studentships from the student’s home country or from the Cambridge European Trusts. However, it should be noted that applications for the latter need to be submitted on University of Cambridge GRADSAF forms by the stated deadline, usually early-December each year. The University/Institute will require evidence that you have sufficient funds to support yourself over the whole three year course.

NOTE: All EU nationals should check their eligibility for funding for Research Council Studentships at:
www.bbsrc.ac.uk/web/FILES/Guidelines/studentship_eligibility.pdf

Overseas Students

The Babraham Institute also welcomes Overseas Graduate applicants but has no direct funds to support them. Overseas students will need to provide their own funding for University and College fees and for their maintenance stipend. The University/Institute will require evidence that you have sufficient funds to support yourself over the whole three year course.

It is essential that such applicants should initially contact one of our Babraham Institute Group Leaders, in whose laboratory they wish to carry out their PhD studies, as early as possible, and BEFORE applying for funding. This will allow the Group Leader to determine if they have any PhD positions available in their research group at the appropriate time and to determine if they are prepared to make a case to the Babraham Institute Graduate Committee to sponsor funding applications for them to University of Cambridge funds (e.g. Gates, Cambridge Overseas and Commonwealth Trusts, Cambridge International Studentship Scheme etc) or to national funding schemes from their own country.

Such applications are considered on a case by case basis. These awards are highly competitive, with many more applicants than there are awards available. You should, therefore investigate all other potential sources of funding.

For specific funding sources for overseas graduate students at Cambridge see:
http://webservices.admin.cam.ac.uk/gradfunds/gfinder.jsp?status=new&reset=reset

B) Applying for specific PhD projects advertised by the Babraham Institute

Applications are made initially to the Babraham Institute, typically between October and December each year. Most of the potential PhD projects eligible for funding by our annual quota studentships from our Departmental Training Grants from the BBSRC and MRC are advertised on our website, on FindAPhD.com and in the autumn Graduate Issue of New Scientist. Applicants are encouraged to contact possible supervisors to discuss research projects informally.

Formal applications should consist of a full Curriculum Vitae with a covering letter indicating the two projects in which they are most interested, in order of preference. Applicants should also ask two referees to write to the Institute on their behalf before the deadline. Short-listed applicants will be invited to attend an interview and travel expenses will also be paid to those invited. Our website also provides a checklist of the information required to be provided in your application before it can be considered. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Please send your applications to:
Ms Caroline Coursol, Graduate Studies Programme, The Babraham Institute, Babraham, Cambridge CB22 3AT
Tel: 01223 496324, Fax: 01223 496046 or email babraham.graduate@babraham.ac.uk

We frequently have additional PhD positions which are advertised separately in the press, and on our website, between January and June each year.

All Babraham PhD students are members of Cambridge Colleges and participate fully in University social and academic life. Thus, once awarded a PhD position at The Babraham Institute, successful applicants will then be required to apply for admission to the University of Cambridge (see section C below). Students will not be able to take up the award unless they meet all University eligibility criteria and are successful in securing admission to the University. In addition, they will not be able to apply for a visa (if needed) until they hold an unconditional offer from the University.

C) Admission to the University of Cambridge

Students should apply for admission to the University using the University’s online GRADSAF (Graduate Admission and Scholarship Application Form) if they:

- have been awarded funding from one of our Departmental Training Grants (see B above)
- or have secured Institute sponsorship to apply to University-wide funding competitions (e.g. Gates, Cambridge Overseas & Commonwealth trusts, Cambridge Home and EU Scholarships etc - NB these funding competitions have very early deadlines http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/offices/gradstud/
- or have secured Institute sponsorship to apply for a College studentship
- or have an agreed research place at the Institute funded by an external scholarship or private funding

BEFORE YOU COMPLETE A GRADSAF, READ THE FOLLOWING:

NB each application made using a GRADSAF will cost you £50

C1) Are you eligible to apply for admission to our programme?

Competition for admission to the Babraham Institute and University of Cambridge graduate programmes is intense. Like all departments in the Graduate School, we require all our graduate entrants to have:

At least a 2.1 in an Honours degree or equivalent (e.g CGPA 3.5/4.0) in a relevant subject
Two outstanding references from Senior University staff at your most recent University
Fluency in the English language - recent IELTS test with an overall band score of at least 7.0 with not less than 7.0 in speaking, listening and writing, and 6.5 in reading.

For more details of the University’s academic requirements see the University’s Graduate Prospectus:
http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/offfices/gradstud/

C2) Which qualification do you want to apply for?

The Babraham Institute only runs a PhD programme (NUAN22). We do not run a specific Masters programme.

D3) How to apply to the University

For full instructions on how to apply online go to:
http://www.biomed.cam.ac.uk/gradschool/apply/student/online.html

D) General postgraduate admissions enquiries

The Babraham Institute Graduate Programme welcomes enquiries which should be sent to:
babraham.graduate@babraham.ac.uk