Q. If I get offered a place on the programme will I need to apply for funding separately?
No. This is a fully funded programme, so an offer of a place will include full funding of your stipend as well as university fees.
Q. Do I need to apply for other funding in the ‘Funding Section’?
No, you don’t need to complete this section. The DTP programme is fully funded.
Q. If I am applying for a standard studentship, do I need to contact a potential supervisor before applying?
No, you don’t have to. But you should feel free to contact supervisors who are listed on our Research Areas about potential projects in their lab. You can also contact supervisors on the websites of our affiliated departments and institutes to ask whether they will be likely to offer any BBSRC DTP rotation/PhD projects. Some students do apply for standard DTP studentship with a preferred supervisor in mind, who they have already spoken to. Other students apply to the programme with an open mind and only decide on their preferred PhD project after their rotations. However, an offer of a standard studentship has no guarantee about the eventual PhD project & supervisor.
Q. If I am applying for targeted or iCase projects, do I need to contact the relevant supervisor
Yes, you must contact the supervisor in advance of submitting your application to discuss the project.
Q. Can I apply for different type of DTP studentships in the same application?
Yes. You can apply for different types of DTP studentships (standard, targeted and iCase) in the same application. In the 'Project title', you will need to put 'Standard' if you would like to be considered for Standard studentship only. If you would like to be considered for a Targeted and/or iCase project, please insert the project codes in order of preference. You can choose up to 2 projects from the lists available at: Targeted Projects and iCase Projects
If you are applying for Standard and iCase/Targeted, please insert 'Standard' and the project codes (up to 2) in order of preference.
Q. I’m applying for different type of studentships/projects do I need to provide a statement of interest for each studentship/project?
Yes. You will need to write a statement for each project/studentship in the Statement of Interest section (max 2500 characters).
Q. On the postgraduate study page for the programme, it asks for 2 academic references. Would it be appropriate to give an internship lab project supervisor as my second reference?
You can choose your references, but at least one of them should be from your current tutor at the Institution you are studying in. If you have done an internship outside the academia (i.e. industrial placement) and you’ve spent substantial time in an Industrial setting, then we would expect to see this reference too.
Q. Can I use professional references for my application?
It depends on your current status (i.e. current student, you left higher education more than three years ago, etc.). Please see the information available here.
Q. I have put my reference details in the application and they've been notified to submit their references, do I need to wait until they have submitted their references to submit the application?
No, you can submit your application before references have been submitted.
Q. I can’t upload my transcript on the Applicant Portal as it says it is encrypted. What I need to do?
We will need applicants to upload any academic transcripts for their completed/current degrees to the Academic History section of the Applicant Portal. Occasionally applicants have difficulty uploading their transcripts to the Applicant Portal due to encryption of the file – particularly if it has been accessed via an electronic transcript system. To solve this issue, we always recommend that applicants print their transcript and scan this back into their computer so that the scanned version can be uploaded instead. We are unable to accept any transcripts sent by post or by an electronic transcript via email during the pre-offer stage of the application process. Any that we receive before an offer has been made will be destroyed or deleted.
Q. The 'academic transcripts/certificates' upload link has a maximum file size of 2MB, what should I do if my file is larger than 2 MB?
You should save the document you have as low quality, save it as PDF and upload the document.
Q. Would it be ok to take digital screenshots of each page of the transcript into a PDF and submit that?
Although this approach is not recommended, if it is the only way to upload your transcripts, that’s fine.
Q. I am an international student. If am offered a DTP PhD place, will I need to apply for additional funding to cover the overseas student fees?
No. The award will cover the student’s stipend and all applicable university fees.
Q. Can I apply for a part-time DTP programme?
Yes, you can apply for a part time mode. However, the project choice may be limited. Also, the stipend will be pro-rata. If you are interested in part-time study, please contact our Training and Inclusive Support Manager, Dr Sam Byers (sb2251@cam.ac.uk) to discuss this further.