The new online application form, unveiled by the University in November 2011, is accessed from The University's Course finder. On this page, click on "Postgraduate courses", and choose "Doctoral Research" from the left panel. Then, under "Browse by Subject area", click on the link for the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences, which should take you to a set of options, from which you should choose "Physics and Astronomy". Of the various options available, choose "Physics and Astronomy PhD/MSc by research (Astrophysics and Space Research specialism)". Or you could directly jump to this link.

Under "How to apply", click on "Apply now". You will have to enter an email address as your username. Please pick an address to which you will have access at least up to June next year.

We admit two to three students (shared with the Solar and Stellar Physics group) from the UK per year, who are awarded fully-funded 3.5-year studentships funded by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC). In addition, a few fully-funded studentships are made available from time to time by the School of Physics and Astronomy for students from the UK and EU: applications are considered for these along with the STFC studentships.

We are now considering applications for October 2013. UK candidates should aim to complete their applications by 15 January, 2013. Non-UK candidates should aim to complete their applications by 16 December, 2012.

We welcome applications from students of any nationality. The only financial aid we have currently available for non-UK students are:

• The Postgraduate Elite Scholarships, for students of any nationality (there are ten available for all subjects in 2013);
• The University of Birmingham Brazil Scholarships, for applicants who are residents of Brazil at the time of the application (there are ten available for a few subjects, including Astronomy, in 2013);
• Partial support for students from China, to supplement studentships from the China Scholarship Council.

For studentships in these categories, the candidate needs to obtain an offer of admission before being considered for the studentship, so you are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. Other general advice for overseas students is available for external sites: e.g. FindaPhD .

During the first year at the University of Birmingham, PhD students are required to undertake a training programme which includes taught courses given as part of the Midlands Physics Alliance, involving lecturers and students from the Universities of Birmingham, Warwick and Nottingham. In addition to taught courses, this training programme involves assessed reading assigments under the guidance of experts at all three Universities, as well as courses on essential skills such as presentation skills, proposal writing skills, and an introduction to peer review.

The normal minimum requirement for financial support for non-UK students is a first class MSc degree. For Elite studentships, you require to be in the top 5% of your graduating class.

For UK students, to obtain an STFC studentship, an upper second class (II:i) M.Sci. (four-year) degree or its equivalent is required. Interviews for STFC studentships are expected to take place in late February. For full consideration, potential UK candidates are advised to complete their applications (including letters of reference) as soon as possible (certainly by 15 January 2013).

You are advised to browse through the research pages of the Astrophysics and Space Research group and the School of Physics and Astronomy  to ensure that you are interested in our research activities.

For further queries please contact the Graduate Admissions Tutor, Dr Ilya Mandel, or Ms Michelle Hunkins (via E-mail at m.hunkins [at] bham.ac.uk or via phone at 0121 414 4556).