Admissions and transfer reference
Background reference for existing students checking their original arrangements or considering a new application. Detailed staff recruitment procedures remain in the source PDF rather than dominating student navigation.
Standard admission
Standard starts are October/March except Prof. Doc (October only, currently closed to new applications per §9.2). Normal application deadlines: 31 May for October; 30 November for the following March. Advertised funded-position deadlines are strict.
Applicants normally need at least a UK second-class honours degree/equivalent; exceptional qualifications require advice. Typical documents: qualifications, English-language evidence where appropriate, two references and a referenced proposal of no more than five pages. References must be current, in English, independent of interviewers/supervisors and sent by the official route. DBA/Prof. Doc normally require one academic and one professional reference; others normally two academic, with an option for those over three years out of education.
DBA adds senior management/leadership experience, normally MBA/relevant Masters and IELTS 7.0 overall/no component below 6.5 or equivalent. GTA has the same stated English threshold. Use current admissions pages for individual language/equivalence advice.
All applicants, including transfers, require interview. Informal supervisor interest is not an offer. The SRDL/representative chairs with proposed supervisors; the panel checks qualifications/references, suitability and financial awareness and keeps a record. Formal offers come only from Admissions after authorised RD2, with separate academic and resource approvals; supervisors cannot approve their own appointment/admission decision. Conditional offers can cover missing requirements.
§2.5 describes staff advertising on FindAPhD, explicit shortlisting criteria, equality/diversity monitoring and notification/feedback responsibilities. Students proposing their own projects still follow the full process. Read §§2.5–2.6 for those details.
Offer and start timing
The framework describes offers within five working days of a complete authorised RD2 and documents; UK RD2 lead time is at least 15 working days before start, and immigration-controlled applicants at least 45 working days. ATAS/CAS and visas require additional checks; the old Appendix 3 ATAS cross-reference is broken. These are planning descriptions, not processing-time guarantees.
Exceptional entry uses RD2-B; main-text and appendix approval names differ, so confirm current routing. Backdated starts are not permitted. After acceptance, Operations handles welcome/registration. Start date remains the first of the offer month: First month checklist.
Transfer from another institution
Currently registered doctoral students may apply if no more than 24 months full-time equivalent into study. The former institution must approve in writing. Include reasons for transfer and evidence of completed stages. Former-but-not-currently registered students need a fresh standard application, not transfer.
Remaining registration is the relevant standard period minus actual prior registered time, excluding any gap between institutions. SRDL calculates and documents it for the offer. Interview and normal admission procedures still apply.
Published Works admission
RD3 goes to the School with CV, references, model, publication/contribution evidence, coherence/contribution summary and potential DoS details. A prospective DoS and independent reviewer assess the portfolio, followed by interview and RDEB decision. Independent reviewers cannot be co-authors/collaborators. A successful decision then leads to RD2/Admissions formal offer. See PhD by Published Works and source §§9.4, pp. 93–94 for detailed requirements.
Sources: Framework §§2.1–2.11, 9.4, pp. 12–21, 93–94. Admission chapter · Transfer rules.
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