How to apply

Applications for September 2026 are now open!

Your application is made in two parts. Please fill in the pre-application form below and then apply via the respective application systems of the universities you would like to be considered. You can apply at one or both of the partner institutions depending whether you would like to be considered for one or both institutions.

Please apply by the following deadlines:
      • 9am Monday 1st December 2025 (interviews w/c 15th Dec)
      • 9am Monday 2nd February 2026 (interviews 2nd-13th March)
      • 9am Monday 4th May 2026 (interviews w/c 25th May)
The 1st December deadline has been put in place for students who are applying for PhDs with earlier deadlines and want to be considered by the QIST CDT alongside those. In this case, we aim to make offers early in 2026.
We expect to interview the majority of applicants between 2nd and 13th March, so in most cases, the 2 February deadline is the one you should aim for.
For this case, we will make offers on 16 March 2026, in line with many other quantum CDTs in the UK.
Recruitment will continue until the available studentship funding has been allocated. We encourage you to apply early in the application cycle, to maximise your chances of securing a studentship.
If you are not invited to interview immediately after a given deadline, your application will remain in the pool for the entire recruitment cycle. As such, if you apply in advance of the 1 December deadline and are not interviewed before May, this does not mean that you have been rejected.

 

We strongly encourage you to attend our open days to make sure you get all your questions answered and can make an informed decision on how (and where) you spend the next 4 years of your life! See our events page for more information.