The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering is pleased to offer a number of scholarships to support PhD study in any of its areas of research. Detailed information is provided below as to our scholarships process, scholarship schemes and deadlines.

Please note that submitting a PhD application via the College does not mean you will be automatically considered for scholarship funding. 

PhD Awards Panel:

Our aim is to select the most outstanding PhD students and offer them financial support. In the interest of fairness, the Department has one selection process for all the scholarships that are administered by the College, including the Imperial President's Scholarships, Imperial CSC Scholarships, and the Departments own scholarships.

The PhD Awards Panel is co-chaired by the Directors of Research and Postgraduate Research. Four additional members of academic staff join the panel each year on rotation. The Awards Panel considers several factors to assess a student’s academic achievements (grades, cohort ranking, awards for achievement) and research potential (publications, research experience e.g UROP). The panel also take into account references and experience after graduating.

 Application process:

  1. Find a PhD supervisor. Visit the research and academic staff pages of our website to help identify topics of interest and potential supervisors. Contact your preferred supervisor(s) directly, to discuss potential projects and funding options.
  2. Submit your PhD application for admission through the Registry online admissions systems by the deadlines listed below for each scholarship round. More information on the application process can be found here. Online applications should only be submitted after a potential academic supervisor has expressed sufficient interest in your application.  
  3. Applicants must also be nominated for funding by their potential PhD supervisors by the same deadlines listed below, and funding decisions are made by the PhD Awards Panel. The Awards panel will only consider applicants, not current students.

Deadlines:

You will need to submit your PhD application by the following deadlines in order to be considered for our schemes. Information on which schemes are open during each round are detailed in the next section. As per the above application process, applicants must also be nominated for funding by their potential PhD supervisors by the deadlines below.

  • Round 1- 04/11/2024
  • Round 2- 09/01/2025
  • Round 3- 10/03/2025
  • Round 4- 23/05/2025

Depending on the scheme, the earliest start date for the next rounds of scholarships will be August-October 2025.

Where there is a later deadline advertised for college scholarships, the departmental deadline before the College deadline will apply, as you will need to go through the departmental selection process, before we can put you forward for a College Scholarship.

Scholarship schemes:

  • Imperial College President's Scholarships (Rounds 1-3)
  • Imperial China Scholarship Council Scholarships (Round 2)
  • Imperial College Lee Family Scholarships (Round 2)- This award is open to students who ordinarily reside in mainland China or Hong Kong (excluding Taiwan). Two scholarships are available across the College, covering overseas tuition fees, a living costs stipend and consumables budget.
  • Faculty of Engineering Kentfield PhD Scholarships (Round 2)- This award is open to students who are female; and/or of an underrepresented minority ethnicity; and/or have a disability as defined at section 6 UK Equality Act 2010. There are two scholarships available across the Faculty of Engineering. Awards cover home/overseas tuition fees and a living costs stipend.  The scholarships specifically aim to support projects which align with the following areas: sustainability, advances in AI and its applications, and Space related research areas.
  • Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Scholarship for Women (Rounds 2-4)-  The Department has launched a new scholarship for female PhD students. One scholarship is available each year and will cover home tuition fees for up to 3 years, and maintenance at the UKRI London rate (£21,237 for 24_25) for 3.5 years. This scholarship could provide partial funding for overseas students. The scholarship can be offered on a part-time basis, and includes provision for sickness and maternity pay.
  • Department Skempton Scholarships (Rounds 2-4)- We have a number of Skempton Scholarships which cover home tuition fees for up to 3 years, and maintenance at the UKRI London rate (£21,237 for 24_25) for 3.5 years. These scholarships are open to all applicants and could provide partial funding for overseas students. Skempton scholarships can be offered on a part-time basis, and include provision for sickness, maternity and paternity pay.
  • Department EPSRC Scholarship (Rounds 2-4)- We have one scholarship funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). These scholarships are open to Home students only and cover Home tuition fees and maintenance at the UKRI London rate (£21,237 for 24_25) for 3.5 years.  To be eligible as a Home student, candidates must meet the UKRI criteria
  • Department Dixon Scholarships (Rounds 2-4)- We have a number of Dixon Scholarships which cover home tuition fees for 3 years. These scholarships are open to all applicants and could provide partial funding for overseas students.  Dixon scholarships can be offered on a part-time basis.
  • Shawki Saad PhD Scholarship (Round 3)- The Shawki Saad PhD Scholarship is a fully funded programme to support students ordinarily resident in Sub-Saharan Africa. The programme is funded by a generous endowed gift from the late Professor Shawki Saad, with one scholarship awarded each year between 2023-2026. The programme will fully cover the cost of overseas tuition fees for 3 years, maintenance at the UKRI London rate (£21,237 for 24_25) for 3.5 years and travel costs (flight and visa) for the successful applicant.  Projects must have a direct relevance to challenges in Sub–Saharan Africa. Imperial launches new scholarship for sub-Saharan Africa PhD students | Imperial News | Imperial College London

Please note, unless specified in the scheme details, funding does not cover Student visa or Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) fees.

If you have any questions about any of our scholarship schemes or the application process, please contact Sarah Willis s.willis@imperial.ac.uk