Applications

The admissions portal for the September 2025 intake to our 4-year PhD programme will open on the 30 November 2024. Please check this page for an announcement of the date the admissions portal will open.

Guidelines Please read through the application guidelines below carefully before submitting your application. Please note that due to a technical error that is currently being fixed, the instructions on the application form regarding the length of your personal statement document are incorrect. This should be no more than one side of A4. Please follow the guidelines listed on this page instead and ignore those listed on the application form.

EDI Form

Please make sure you fill in the EDI form as well as your LSGNT application. Both are required for your application. This link is listed again at the bottom of this page.

Application Fees

Please note that there are no application fees to apply to this programme.

Admissions Schedule (subject to change)

30 November 2024: Admissions portal opens

31 December 2024: Deadline for application submissions 23:59 London time

05 January 2025: Deadline for submission of references

Mid-January - February 2025: Applications reviewed by selection committee

February - March 2025: Applicants invited to interview

March - April 2025: Offers made

Application Guidelines

Please note the following before you start your application:

• Please read carefully the 'Qualifications and Eligibility' section of this website before you apply.
• Please note the English language requirements at each university you are interested in. The English language level for this programme at UCL is: Standard and you can find more information about our accepted English language qualifications at this webpage before you apply. The requirements for King's College London can be found here, and the requirements for Imperial College London can be found here. You must pass the English language requirements at the university listed in your offer in order to be accepted onto this programme. Please note that we do not offer English language waivers.

To apply you must do the following:

1. Fill out the online application form through the LSGNT application portal that is listed at the bottom of this page when the applications portal is open. Please fill in the application form fully.
2. Upload your official transcripts to date. Please do not upload any additional documents such as your Master's degree thesis, as they will not be reviewed by the selection committee.
3. Upload one PDF LSGNT Applicant Profile document containing information as outlined on the application profile guidelines below.

Institution Preference

You will be asked to select two institutions on the application form (unranked) where you would prefer to undertake your PhD research from years 2 to 4. Please note you will be based at University College London for the first year of this programme with the rest of your cohort but may be formally registered at another of the three institutions. Feel free to provide more information about your preferences in your personal statement as part of your Applicant Profile Document, for example if you are interested in any particular staff members as potential supervisors, or if you have no strong preferences among the three institutions.

Primary Area of Interest

Please note that there are three options listed on the application form: Geometry, Number Theory or Both. Please ignore the 'Both' tick box and instead chose from either Geometry or Number Theory. If you are interested in arithmetic geometry, please tick the Number Theory box.

LSGNT Applicant Profile

This profile document must be supplied as a single PDF file labelled with your name in the following format, surname followed by your first name (e.g. DoeJane.pdf). It should contain the following elements:

1. Your name listed at the top of your document
2. Next, the names of the two referees who will provide a reference for you. (You will also provide this information in the references section of your application form)
3. If you are an overseas student resident in the UK, please state in your applicant profile if you have pre-settled or settled status or neither
4. Your CV (no more than 2 sides of A4)
5. A list of topics you have studied in the last two years (no more than one side of A4). Please include a brief description of courses that are most relevant to your application
6. A brief description of any project work undertaken (a paragraph per project is sufficient and no more than one side of A4 in total)
7. A personal statement of no more than one side of A4, providing information about your mathematical development and interests. E.g. outline what you like about a particular topic or theorem and why it has caught your imagination. This will give us an idea of the topic area of Geometry and Number Theory you are particularly interested in. Please note that we do not require applicants to select an academic advisor at this stage of your application, however, if you already have an academic and or institution in mind please mention this in your personal statement.

Official Transcripts

Please upload transcripts of your undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. We do not necessarily expect you to have completed your master's degree or 4 year degree equivalent before you apply for this course, however we will require you to upload the grades you've acquired on your course so far for your master's degree or equivalent degree.

References

As part of the application form you will be asked to submit two academic references to support your application. Your referees will be sent an automatic email request for a reference as soon as you submit your application, so please check carefully the email address you are supplying for your referees. We advise that you also contact your referees before you apply to ensure they are available to supply a reference for you. The deadline for letters of reference is 06 January 2025. Due to the volume of applications we will not be able to confirm individually that references have been received. If you are in any doubt, please check with your referees. Please note we will only chase referees for your reference if it is outstanding after the reference deadline of 07 January. We will notify you at this time if a reference is outstanding.

Please do not upload any additional documents outside of those listed above or directly requested by the LSGNT Centre Manager. They will not be considered with your application.

Qualifications and Eligibility

All applicants

• Applicants will normally have a very good four-year degree or an undergraduate and a master's degree in mathematics or in a related discipline.

• Applications from individuals with non-standard backgrounds (e.g. a period away from academia) are welcomed, but you will have to demonstrate your enthusiasm and potential aptitude for the training we offer.

To be admitted to the LSGNT, you must:

• have completed at least a 4-year degree in mathematics or a closely related subject by September 2024; in Europe this implies a masters degree for most applicants. We also welcome applications from outstanding US bachelor students, for example. Please note we do not expect you to have completed your four-year degree before you apply for our programme, but you must expect to complete this before your entry to our programme in September.

• fulfil the UCL English language requirements as outlined under Application Guidelines. Please note that you do not need to supply your test certification at this stage of your application, however if you are successful through the selection and interview process, you will need to supply this transcript before taking up your place at the LSGNT in September.

International Students

Visas

• Please note, international applicants from outside of the UK will need to apply for a student visa, once they have met our offer conditions, in order to study in the UK. You will be provided with more information on how to apply for a visa if you are made an offer by the LSGNT.

Visa and NHS Surcharge Funding:

• Please note, that the LSGNT does not provide funding for visa fees and NHS surcharges.

Funding

A number of fully funded studentships (UK and Overseas - the latter now including EU students) on offer for our September 2025 intake.

This funding includes for the 4 years of the PhD Research Degree:

• Full fees
• Full tax free stipend (including London weighting):

Year 1: £21,870 Year 2: £22,523 Year 3: £23,194 Year 4: £23,885

These amounts are set by UK Research and Innovation Council for the universities and each year’s stipend is confirmed at the end of the last. The amounts listed above for years 2-4 are estimates only. The total stipend for a year is split across the year in 12 monthly instalments.

• Access to a £4,800 Research Training Support Grant to cover expenses for research trips/conferences or workshops, plus an additional fund you can apply to
• Student laptop

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Form

Please note that you are now required to fill in the following Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) form, with your application. Please click here to access this form.

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