Application Process for Sanger Institute 4-year PhD Programme
How to apply
You have to apply to the Programme rather than to specific Faculty members.
If you have any questions about the application process, please look at the guidance and FAQs below. If you need further assistance, contact the Postgraduate Programme Office. Please note that the Postgraduate Programme Office is unable to comment on whether you are a suitable candidate for our 4-year PhD Programme.
Academic requirements
Candidates are expected to hold, or be about to achieve, a 1st or a good 2:1 class degree or an equivalent overseas qualification.
Competence in English
If your first language is not English you will need to meet the University of Cambridge’s English language requirements, although you do not have to fulfil this requirement before submitting your online application to the Wellcome Sanger Institute. However, if you are offered a place on our programme, you will need to fulfil this requirement before you can be admitted to the University of Cambridge.
Application procedure
You need to complete the Wellcome Sanger Institute on-line application form.
The closing date is Tuesday 24 November 2026 (09:00 am GMT).
When completing the on-line application form, you will need to:
- Complete the personal details section. Please note: If your name or nationality includes any non-English or accented letters, then please substitute these with standard English letters where possible, to prevent any issues with submission of your completed application form
- Provide details of your academic qualifications (Post-16 school education and Higher education) and language skills
- (optional) List any academic awards, prizes, scholarships or other relevant academic accomplishments, and provide some context to the nature of these, for example what the award or prize was awarded for (max 100 words)
- Explain your motivation for undertaking a PhD, and how this aligns with your long-term ambitions. Share what excites you about pursuing advanced research and why the Sanger Institute’s 4-year PhD programme is the best place to pursue your goals (max 150 words)
- Select three Faculty members/senior scientists whose research interests you, from the dropdown list of potential supervisors
- Tell us which research fields interest you most and why, and explain why you are interested in the work of your chosen potential Sanger supervisors (max 200 words)
- Tell us how your academic studies and scientific experience relate to your research interests? Outline any relevant key technical skills you have already developed over the course of your studies (max 150 words)
- Give details of up to 3 periods of relevant research or work experience (max 120 words each). This can include research experience gained from projects undertaken during your degree(s). Outline your role, contributions, outcomes and impact, skills learnt and where applicable, how these are relevant to your application. Please include any examples where you generated a new idea, found an innovative solution, approached a problem creatively or handled a challenging situation
- (optional) List any publications, preprints, oral presentations or poster presentations
- Share some information about any experiences beyond your academic studies that have helped shape your personal or professional development, and how you think these experiences will support your success during a PhD (max 150 words)
- Provide details of two academic referees (one of these can be the supervisor of an industrial or research placement)
- Upload your university transcript(s) as a PDF file
- Complete the Equal Opportunities Monitoring form
- Confirm that the information you have provided in your application form is complete and accurate, and you have permission from your referees to pass their contact details on to us
You should request and receive your transcript(s) from your institution (in a form that can be embedded in a document) before you begin your application so that you have them ready to upload. If you are currently studying, you should upload a transcript with the marks you have obtained so far.
If you have a technical issue uploading your transcript(s), please contact the Postgraduate Programme Office and include your URL/unique identifier in the email.
Please note: Restrictions on using AI tools in your application
Your application should authentically represent your own motivations, interests, experience and achievements. You are responsible for ensuring that all information you submit is accurate and genuinely reflects your own experience and views. Applicants should not submit AI-generated content as their own work or use AI to misrepresent their experience or achievements. Applicants are encouraged to read the University of Cambridge guidance on the use of AI in postgraduate applications, see https://www.postgraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/apply/how/ai-postgraduate-applications
Saving your form
Once you have completed the first page of the application form, a URL with a unique identifier will be generated, which you should bookmark. If you want to continue the application process at a later time you can use this URL to return to your incomplete form.
After submission, and your references
Once you have submitted your completed application form:
- You will receive a confirmation email
- Your chosen referees will receive an email asking them to submit an online reference for you
Please ensure that you have provided the correct institutional email address for your referees and that they have agreed to provide a reference for you. Once a referee has submitted their reference:
- Your referee will receive a confirmation email
- You will receive a confirmation email
It is your responsibility to ensure your referees have submitted their reference by Tuesday 1 December 2026 (09:00 am GMT) at the latest.
The final deadline for the receipt of references is only one week after the application deadline. Therefore, please do not leave your application until the last minute as this does not leave much time for your referees to respond.
Please note that without both of your references your application will not be processed.
Should you have any difficulties in submitting your online application, or you do not receive an email confirming that your submission has been successful, please contact the Postgraduate Programme Office and include your URL/unique identifier in the email.
Additional information
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend interviews on Monday 25 January 2027. We are planning for these to take place in person, and they will involve two interviews with individual Sanger Institute Faculty members/senior scientists and one panel interview with three Sanger Institute Faculty members/senior scientists. If shortlisted candidates are unavailable on the 25 January, they can be interviewed via a series of videoconference interviews during the preceding two weeks.
If you have not received an invitation to attend interviews by Monday 11 January 2027, you should assume that you have not been shortlisted for interview.
The studentships will be allocated on a competitive basis after the PhD interviews. All students who are offered a funded studentship on our 4-year PhD programme will obtain full financial support, including University tuition fees, regardless of nationality. Visa and immigration health surcharge costs will be reimbursed for international students.
Any students with their own external studentship funding should still apply to our 4-year PhD Programme via the online application form, as they have to go through the same selection procedure.
Once a student has been selected for the 4-year PhD programme they have to apply for admission to the University of Cambridge using the University’s online Applicant Portal. A student cannot take up our award unless they are also successful in securing admission to the University.
Please note that if you wish to be considered for any of the University of Cambridge’s funding opportunities you will need to submit an application to the University via the Applicant Portal before the relevant funding deadline, in addition to making an application to our 4-Year PhD Programme. However, these funding opportunities usually expect you to have identified a PhD supervisor who has agreed to supervise your PhD project and therefore are not suitable for applicants to our 4-year PhD programme.
FAQs
It is hoped that the following questions and answers will help with any general queries you may have. For more specific questions that are not answered below, please contact the Postgraduate Programme Office.
Q: When is the application closing date?
A: The closing date for PhD applications is Tuesday 24 November 2026 (09:00 am GMT).
Q: How many funded PhD studentships are available?
A: There are at least 12 funded PhD studentships available.
Q: If I am accepted for the PhD programme when am I to start?
A: The next student intake will start 1 October 2027.
Q: What is the minimum academic requirement for admission to the University of Cambridge?
A: The minimum academic requirement is a good 2:1 class degree or an equivalent overseas qualification for your first degree. You can check the equivalency of your overseas qualification here.
Q: What do I need to do to apply to the Sanger Institute 4-Year PhD programme?
A: You need to:
- Complete the on-line application form and upload your University transcript(s) as a PDF file by Tuesday 24 November 2026 (09:00 am GMT)
- Ensure your two academic referees (one of these can be the supervisor of an industrial or research placement) complete their online reference by Tuesday 1 December 2026 (09:00 am GMT)
Q: What is a University transcript?
A: A University transcript is an official list of all the courses you have taken (or are currently taking) during a programme of study, with the result you obtained, and sometimes the credit value of each course. If you have completed your study, the transcript should also show your final award (usually as a class or CGPA). Transcripts must be obtained from the degree awarding institution.
Q: How do my referees submit their reference?
A: Once you have submitted your online application form, your referees will receive an email explaining how they can submit an online reference for you. They must do this by Tuesday 1 December 2026 (09:00 am GMT).
Please note that without both of your references your application will not be processed.
Q: I did not receive an email confirming that submission of my application had been successful?
A: There must have been a problem with the submission of your application, please contact the Postgraduate Programme Office and include your URL/unique identifier in the email.
Q: Should I also apply to the University of Cambridge when applying for the Sanger Institute’s 4-year PhD programme?
A: No, not at this stage, unless you want to be considered for any of the University of Cambridge’s funding opportunities. However, if you gain a place on our Programme, you will then need to apply for admission to the University of Cambridge using the online Applicant Portal.
Q: Is there an application fee for the Sanger Institute 4-year PhD programme?
A: No, applying to the Sanger Institute 4-year PhD programme by submitting an online application does not cost anything. Applying for admission to the University of Cambridge costs £20.
Q: I have my own funding. Does this guarantee a place in your PhD programme?
A: No. We look for academic excellence and all applicants have to go through the same selection procedure.
Q: When will the PhD interviews be held and what will happen on the day?
A: The PhD interviews for the 2027 intake will take place on Monday 25 January 2027 and are planned to take place in person. The shortlisted candidates will have two interviews with individual Sanger Institute Faculty members/senior scientists and one panel interview with three Sanger Institute Faculty members/senior scientists. If shortlisted candidates are unavailable on the 25 January, they can be interviewed via a series of videoconference interviews during the preceding two weeks.
Q: Is the Interview Day for everyone who has applied, or should I wait to be invited?
A: Participation in the PhD Interview Day is by invitation only, hence it is important to give a valid email address so that we can contact you, should you be shortlisted for interview. If you do not receive an invitation by Monday 11 January 2027, you must assume that you have not been shortlisted for interview.