Skip to main content

Diversity100 PhD Studentships

In 2023, we celebrated our bicentenary, marking 200 years of changing lives and helping people to access higher education. Birkbeck is a research-excellent institution profoundly committed to equity and inclusion.

Diversity100 studentships actively address issues of under-representation of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic students at the doctoral level.

Please note, all prospective Diversity100 applicants are also encouraged to find out more about the full range of studentship opportunities available at Birkbeck. 

Guidance for applicants

Successful candidates will be identified through an assessment process that recognises diverse paths to research excellence. We welcome applications from candidates with strong academic backgrounds and/or those who can demonstrate exceptional research potential through other routes - such as professional experience, community engagement, or practice-based knowledge. Applications will be considered on the basis of:

  • a completed PhD programme application (including a research proposal)
  • a Diversity100 application form

OPPORTUNITIES TO FIND OUT MORE

  • If you would like to find out more about the Diversity100 studentships, about the PhD application process and about what it is like to be a doctoral researcher at Birkbeck, you can sign up to attend one of our online Diversity100 briefing sessions during the Spring Term 2025. 
  • An academic, a current Diversity 100 award holder and the Graduate Research School Manager and will speak and answer any questions you may have concerning the award. 
  • These events are designed to provide information for those who are considering whether to apply for a doctorate in the future, and those who are actively applying for a place on a doctoral programme.
  • If you would like to be contacted about any other future briefings, please fill in this brief form.

Number of studentships available 

  • For entry in 2025/26, Birkbeck will award up to five Diversity 100 studentships.

Value of award

  • These studentships will offer financial support to Home fees Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic PhD students.
  • The studentships cover all tuition fees (£4,786 a year for 2024/25) and provide a tax-free stipend for living expenses at the same rate as UK Research Council funded studentships (£21,237 a year for 2024/25) for up to three years full time or five years part time.

Essential Eligibility criteria

  • The awards are for:
    • new students beginning their PhD studies in Autumn 2025
    • or current Birkbeck PhD students providing they will have at least 50% of their doctoral research remaining at the start of the Autumn term 2025.
  • All candidates must qualify for Home fees.
  • Applicants must be from one of the following Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic groups:
    • Arab
    • Asian - Bangladeshi
    • Asian - Chinese
    • Asian - Indian
    • Asian - Other 
    • Asian - Pakistani
    • Black - African
    • Black - Caribbean
    • Black - Other 
    • Gypsy or Traveller
    • Mixed - White/Black Caribbean
    • Mixed - White/Black African
    • Mixed - White and Asian
    • Mixed - Other 
    • Other - Any other Black or Minority Ethnic Group. Please note: Applicants who select this category will be asked to provide further information about why none of the categories above are appropriate for them.

Supporting Access to Doctoral Study 

  • Award holders will be expected to contribute to promoting the Diversity 100 initiative by: 
    • Taking part in promotional events at least once during the period of funding e.g. aimed at potential future applicants for doctoral study
    • Contributing to external facing profiles of their research and their doctoral study e.g. via contribution to occasional news or blog posts.
    • Participation and engagement with underrepresented groups in doctoral study e.g. presenting and sharing your doctoral research work among the Diversity100 student group or more widely within under-represented doctoral researchers at Birkbeck. 

Support and Guidance about the application process

  • To find out more about what you should expect to do in order to apply for a PhD, please see this overview of the PhD application process.
  • Please note, depending on the PhD programme you are interested in, there may be additional requirements that you need to meet in order to submit a successful PhD programme application. This information will be available to you via the relevant PhD programme prospectus page.
  • Writing a successful PhD programme application is likely to require a period of preparation that will last several weeks or more. During this time you will need to consider your research area, identify a potential supervisor and discuss your potential research project with them. You must plan to allow sufficient time to complete this process.
  • Birkbeck has been part of developing a three-week course in collaboration with the Bloomsbury Learning Exchange, designed to provide information and advice for anyone deciding whether doctoral study is the right path for them. Swapping myths and misconceptions for useful tips and resources, the free ‘Is a PhD Right for Me?’ course will help you prepare for PhD applications and beyond.

How to apply

  • 1.) Apply for a place on an MPhil/PhD programme
    • Applicants must submit a PhD programme application - you may apply for a place on any of our doctoral programmes.
    • The requirements to apply for a doctoral programme may vary depending on the field of study. You should refer to the College prospectus for further information including entry requirements.
    • You will need to identify a potential supervisor and write an agreed research proposal.
    • When you complete your online Birkbeck PhD programme application form, please use the Finance section to state that you intend to apply for a ‘Diversity100 PhD studentship’.
    • Please note that it may take between 4-6 weeks for you to receive an outcome for your PhD programme application so you should begin applying as soon as possible. 
  • 2.) Submit an online Diversity100 studentship form
    • Applicant details
      • Including your name and Birkbeck student number
    • Details of your research proposal
      • Up to 1500 words including a title, and an abstract up to 200 words. The research proposal should include:
      • An introduction and a brief background to the proposed research area
      • The purpose of the proposed research; what would the research propose to examine or discover?
      • The principal question or argument you would be researching
      • The relevance of the proposed research; why would this research be important to complete? E.g. are you aiming to address a gap in knowledge or solve a problem? What are your motivations for undertaking this research? Are there any social or practical benefits to research in this area?
      • The scope of your project and the type of research you would carry out including key methodology or approaches you have identified.
    • A brief summary schedule of work
      • Up to three lines for each of three years of funded doctoral study (or five years if you plan to study part time).
      • Current student applicants should include a summary of work already completed and remaining work for the remainders of their doctoral programme.
    • A statement about your preparedness for research (up to 500 words)
      • Use examples drawn from your academic experience and/or other experience. The following are provided as examples to illustrate this:
      • e.g. You have developed valuable knowledge built up from your professional practice which has led you to ask specific research questions that you wish to answer through your doctoral research proposal.
      • e.g. You are an experienced teacher and are proposing research into an aspect of education where you have specific knowledge that would be relevant to the research.
      • e.g. You work within a specific community where you have a detailed understanding of potential subjects for a study and access to networks and communities of relevance.
      • e.g. You work within a government department and you are proposing research where you would be able to organise access to resources that would be otherwise difficult to source.
    • Details of your proposed supervisors at Birkbeck

Closing date for applications

  • The closing date for applications is midday on Monday 19 May 2025.
  • All those wishing to be considered must have submitted a Birkbeck programme application and a Diversity100 abstract by this date.
  • You are strongly encouraged to apply in advance of the deadline wherever possible.

Selection process

  • A key assessment principle is that excellence can be demonstrated through diverse routes to doctoral study.
  • The following grading components will be used to assess Diversity 100 applications. Scores in each section will be weighted on the following basis. A scoring matrix is provided.
    • Research Proposal (40%)
    • Applicant Preparedness for Research (30%)
    • Research Environment (30%)
  • There is a supplementary criterion which provides the opportunity for applicants to describe any contribution to equity and diversity and inclusion work, belonging to or experience of supporting persons currently underrepresented in doctoral study in the disciplinary field. This supplementary criteria would be considered in case of tied scores.
  • Within each faculty a panel will be asked to use the criteria below to assess D100 applications. The faculty panel will be chaired by the Head of Research or equivalent. Faculties should arrange interviews for applicants who are in the top 20% of scores.
  • Once the interviews are complete each faculty will provide a ranked and banded list of all D100 applications, indicating any which are not considered to be competitive and why.
  • The ranked applications from each faculty will then be considered by a central College panel, Chaired by the DVC Research (or their nominee), comprised of the Chairs from each of the faculty panels.
  • No candidate can take up the award unless they meet all eligibility requirements and are also offered a place on the relevant doctoral programme.

Scoring Matrix

Notification of outcomes

  • Successful candidates will be informed in the week commencing Monday 30 June 2025.