Bonn-St Andrews Joint PhD Program

We are delighted to announce a call for applications for St Andrews-Bonn Global doctoral scholarships for 2027–2028 entry in a range of subjects. The Global doctoral scholarships are supported by funding from St Leonard’s Postgraduate College at St Andrews and the University of Bonn.

These Global PhDs are for specific doctoral research projects to be defined by co-supervisors working at St Andrews and Bonn.

Overview

• Up to 4 fully funded (fees and stipend) scholarships provided by the University of St Andrews Graduate School at St Leonard’s College and the University of Bonn for Global PhD projects.
• Available for students of all nationalities starting their degree in the 2027–2028 academic year who meet the entry requirements of both institutions.
• Supervisor-led competition open to the Faculties of Arts, Mathematics and Natural Sciences, and Medicine at the University of Bonn and the Faculties of Arts, Science, and Medicine at St Andrews. Members of other Schools/ faculties should contact the Global Office/ International Office prior to application so that they can advise on eligibility.

Description

St Andrews-Bonn Global Doctoral scholarships are intended to contribute to the development of world-leading research, education and impact supported by the University Strategy at St Andrews, and the Internationalization Strategy of the University of Bonn. The scholarships are intended to help to increase collaborative research between the institutions and to aid their internationalisation agenda.

Scholarships will support research jointly supervised and delivered through a Global PhD degree programme. Applications for a project within an area of strategic importance to both institutions will be prioritised. Students are expected to be integrated into a Bonn International Graduate School or other structured PhD programme at the University of Bonn.

Scholarships will support research jointly supervised and delivered through a Global PhD degree programme.

Supervisor-Led Competition

Applications should be submitted by University of St Andrews staff on behalf of those involved from the University of Bonn and can be sent to globalphds@st-andrews.ac.uk. The applications will be jointly prepared by supervisors from both Universities. 

Applications may propose either a pre-defined research project in a specific area of research under a specified lead supervisor at each institution or two closely defined topics in which student-led projects would be recruited. This flexibility is intended to support schools/ faculties which would not normally offer pre-defined doctoral projects while still ensuring that funding is directed toward research that supports strategic priorities.

At St Andrews, Heads of School or School Directors of Postgraduate Research may wish to establish a school-level selection process to prioritise applications to submit to the competition. 

Announcement of awards: mid-November 2026. 

Call for expressions of interests from students opens: December 2026. Only projects for recruitment of new students may be submitted—a student must not have been identified in advance of the application outcomes being announced.

Call for expressions of interests from students closes: end of February 2027. The school will be expected to complete its selection process, and to offer the scholarship to the selected applicant by the beginning of April 2027. 

The School at St Andrews will be required to provide the Provost with a brief report on the selection process and to provide details to the Global Office.

Please note that application to the scholarship is separate to formal application for admission, which must take place after a scholarship decision has been communicated.

The Global Office at St Andrews will work with the International Office at Bonn to arrange official notification of scholarship awards, invite scholarship awardees to formally apply for admission to both universities, and conclude contractual arrangements which must be in place prior to the start of the degree.

The student may, with the agreement of both universities, start their degree at any of the valid entry points in the 2027–2028 academic year. For Bonn, students may begin the degree at any time. For St Andrews eligible dates are September 27, October 27, January 27, or May 27. 

Scholarships cannot be deferred. Awards will be withdrawn if the student is unable to start their doctoral degree in the 2027–2028 academic year (latest entry date May 27, 2028).

Please note that the student must:

• Matriculate for a joint doctoral degree to be awarded by the University of St Andrews and the University of Bonn. Students are not eligible if they are matriculating for research Master’s degree (MPhil, MRes, etc.)
• Not already hold a doctoral degree or be matriculated for a doctoral degree.
• Matriculate as a full-time student as part-time study is not available under this scheme.
• Apply to each institution and meet the entry requirements (including any relevant language requirements) set by both the University of St Andrews and the University of Bonn.

The scholarships comprise the equivalent of a full-fees award and stipend for the normal full-fee paying period up to 3.5 years. Scholarship holders will be expected to have submitted their thesis for examination by the end of that period.

Projects should be planned so that the student will spend half of the scholarship term at the University of St Andrews and half at the University of Bonn and final project plan outlines will be requested prior to enrolment which should provide details of how the PhD will function within the designed periods at each location:

• For the period spent at the University of St Andrews, the scholarships will comprise a full tuition fee award and an annual stipend paid at a rate set by the University of St Andrews. For 2026 to 2027, the stipend is £20,467 p.a. The 2027–2028 rate will be published as soon as possible. The stipend rate will remain at the 2026–2027 rate for the duration of a candidate’s studies unless notified of any uplifts.
• For the period spent at the University of Bonn, the scholarships will comprise a monthly maintenance grant of €1,800 per month. The University of Bonn does not charge any tuition fees, but students must pay a so-called social contribution once per semester (currently €363 per semester). 

The Graduate School at St Leonard’s College at the University of St Andrews will cover costs arising from that part of the scholarship term spent at the University of St Andrews. The University of Bonn will cover costs arising from that part of the scholarship term spent there. The school/ faculty at the University of St Andrews or the University of Bonn is not required to contribute to the costs of the scholarship, but will be liable for normal costs such as those for examiner’s fees, etc.

N.B.: Unless otherwise specified, the scholarships do not cover:

• Any continuation, extension, or resubmission period/ fees.
• A research training grant or another equivalent award for research expenses, bench fees, etc.
• Funding for fieldwork, or any other research trips including (but not limited to) conferences, visits to archives, labs, or third-party institutions.
• Support for travel, immigration, and related charges between the partner institutions.

Schools that normally provide doctoral students with a research training grant or equivalent award for research expenses, or any travel funding, must cover these costs or come to an agreement with the partner institution should they wish to offer this type of support, but please note that such an agreement will not normally be facilitated between the two universities.

Applications will be considered by a multi-disciplinary selection panel involving membership from both St Andrews and Bonn and chaired by the Provost of St Andrews and the Vice-Rector International of Bonn.

In assessing applications, the selection panel will be guided by the following questions. Therefore, schools are encouraged to ensure that application documents clearly address these questions:

• Is the case for the project/ topic well argued?
• What progress is anticipated beyond current thinking?
• Is the project/ topic innovative?
• What is the likely added value of the project/ topic?
• Does the project/topic seem feasible? — i.e., is it suitable for doctoral-level research and can it be completed within the scholarship term?
• How do the anticipated supervision arrangements contribute to the strength of the application? The supervision concept put forward by the PIs should outline the planned integration of PhD candidates into their respective research environments. At Bonn, students are expected to be integrated into a Bonn International Graduate School or other structured PhD programme.
• How well aligned is the project/topic to University strategies? — i.e., how would the scholarship contribute to developing capacity that strategically strengthens the school? The selection panel would also particularly welcome bids that clearly address a research theme common to both Universities’ research priorities.
• Applications to other areas will also be considered but should align to at least one of the strategic research themes of St Andrews or Bonn.

Applications should be submitted using the application form (Word document) and comprise:

• Project/ topic outline (max. 600 words) with an indication of any innovative or distinctive features and written for a multi-disciplinary audience.
• Statement (max. 500 words) outlining the ways in which the partnership between Bonn and St Andrews facilitates a high-quality research training environment for the student. The statement should explain what materials, resources, equipment, archive or lab, and training groups, etc., the student will benefit from accessing, and why the particular supervisorial context created by the collaborative project will be beneficial.
• Statement (max. 300 words) describing how:
  • the project will enhance existing links and strengthen research collaboration beyond the scope of the PhD project.
  • the relationship between the universities, including research synergies, research environments, and strategic links can benefit future collaboration.
• Confirmation that the application has the support of the authorised member of staff at the University of St Andrews and the University of Bonn, normally the Head of School/ Institute/ Department or the School Director of Postgraduate Research (email is sufficient).

Applications should be submitted by University of St Andrews staff on behalf of those involved from the University of Bonn and can be sent via email to globalphds@st-andrews.ac.uk.

The applications will be jointly prepared by supervisors from both Universities.