What Happens Next

Stage 1 - Application review

Your application will be reviewed in January by the PhD Director and faculty members from the relevant Subject Group. A shortlist is then compiled of applicants who will be invited for interview during the week 20-24 January 2013.

Please be aware that direct admission to the PhD programme is rare. In the past three years there has typically been one direct applicant admitted to the programme each year.

Stage 2 - The interview

If we decide to shortlist you for interview the PhD Admissions team will contact you via email after 6 January to let you know and advise you of your interview date. You will need to prepare for the interview and you are advised to contact the PhD Pathway Representative for advice on the interview requirements of the subject group.

Details of the interview process:

• Admissions are based on interviews with a panel of faculty members. Interviews may vary between PhD Pathways but are normally an hour long, beginning with a 20 minute presentation by you on your research topic.
• No expenses can be refunded for travel. If it's not possible for you to travel to Cambridge for the interview, please contact us to arrange a video conference or Skype call.
• There will be an opportunity to meet with other PhD students and have a tour of Cambridge Judge Business School and the town of Cambridge.

Stage 3 - Conditional offer

The decision about whether to offer you a place on the programme will be made by the second week in February. It will be based on:

• Your academic performance to date
• The quality of your research proposal
• A recommendation and agreed supervision arrangement by the PhD Pathway Representative, following good performance at the Subject Group interview
• Your ranking in relation to other applicants and hence likelihood of full scholarship funding for at least three years

The final decision is made based on an overall assessment of the likelihood of placing you in a junior faculty position in a leading business school.

Please do not contact the PhD Office directly - an internal email from the PhD Admissions Secretary will be sent to you in due course explaining the outcome of the interview, details of your offer (where relevant) and details of which Cambridge funding you were nominated for.

We pass our decision to the Graduate Admissions Office and you can view the offer letter on CAMSIS (called the 'Certificate of Offer'). Any initial offer will be a 'Conditional Offer' and will include an academic condition if you are currently completing your research Masters degree. The letter may also state any further conditions such as attendance of certain modules, funding and other conditions.

Stage 4 - Funding decisions

In the second week of February we will automatically provide information and ranked lists to the Gates and Cambridge Trusts, thereby nominating our successful applicants for scholarships and bursaries. We will also decide on any part-funding to be offered by Cambridge Judge Business School.

The Cambridge scholarships are very competitive. Whilst waiting for the Cambridge scholarship decisions listed below, you are strongly advised to be proactive and search for other scholarships and bursaries that are suitable for you. Cambridge Judge Business School will underwrite scholarship funding applications if the outcome is not known at the time of the admissions decision. The School will fund the difference between bursaries obtained and a full scholarship. The School will normally be able to secure University funding for 8-10 PhD students each year.

The School has four ESRC quota scholarships which we will allocate to UK/EU PhD applicants in the second week of February.

The Gates Trust invites shortlisted applicants to interview typically in the fourth week of March. The Gates and CISS Cambridge Trusts (which provide full scholarships) will complete their decisions by early April. Cambridge CHESS awards will make decisions from 1 April. Other Cambridge Trusts, which provide smaller bursaries, will make their decisions between 1 April and the end of July.

Stage 5 - Confirmation of admission

When you have met your academic conditions of the offer, the online 'Certificate of Offer' available via the CAMSIS self-service system (see below) will change to reflect this. You will be able to see what other conditions are outstanding. Further conditions might relate to fluency in English, funding, acceptance by a College, etc. It is up to you to satisfy the Graduate Admissions Office that you have met the conditions of the offer.

When you have satisfied the Graduate Admissions Office that you have met all the conditions of your offer, you will see a final 'Certificate of Confirmation' letter online. Once you have received this confirmation letter you may start making travel preparations.

In some cases you will need a visa in order to study in the UK; please visit the FAQs page to find out more.