How to apply

Our Entry Requirements

If your first language is not English then you'll need to meet our English Language requirements which are currently: 

• IELTS score of 6.5, with at least a 6.0 in all components;
• TOEFL score of 88 with a 19 in listening, 20 in reading, 21 in writing and 22 in speaking. 

Please note that our English Language Requirements are above the University minimum. Find out more about English Language requirements and pre-sessional courses on our admissions pages.

The application process

We would strongly encourage you to contact our admissions team, who will be able to direct you to a relevant member of our academic staff for an informal discussion about your application and your proposed area of research before you apply. This is a key part of the application process as we can ensure a PhD in Medieval Studies at Leeds is the right option for you and we can guide you through the application process.

We particularly encourage interdisciplinary proposals which bring together multiple humanities subject areas or multiple humanities methodologies. 

Once you have spoken to us, you can apply online, at the point of application you will need to provide the following documentation:

• two academic references (if you are intending to apply for scholarships, please be aware, and make your referees aware, that these references may also be used for your scholarships application).
• a copy of your undergraduate degree transcript, listing all courses and marks achieved with a final classification and, if necessary, an explanation of the marking scheme.
• a copy of your masters certificate or transcript (or if you haven't yet finished your MA, please send details of your courses and marks so far).
• a detailed research proposal on your intended topic (maximum of 1,000 words).

You'll also need to provide us with the names of potential supervisors you would be interested in working with.

Please note that you may be invited to take part in an interview, either via Skype or in the School, as part of the application process.

Deadline and timescales

We have two main start dates for our postgraduate research degree programmes: 1st October and 1st February.

We would recommend starting at these times whenever possible so that you have the benefit of a full induction programme. Deadlines to apply for these start dates are below. Applications submitted after these dates will be automatically considered for the next available start date unless otherwise stated. We may be able to consider other start dates throughout the year at the discretion of the School. If you would like to be considered for a different start date, you should apply at least 3 months (for UK applicants) or 4 months (for international applicants) before your proposed start date.

If you are applying for funding you should ensure you apply for the academic place of study well in advance of any scholarship deadlines. The majority of scholarship deadlines are in January and will stipulate an October start date. 

Scholarships deadlines

If you intend to apply for scholarships these usually have deadlines early in the year and most require you to have already secured your place on a course. We advise you to apply for a place on the PhD at least 6 weeks before a scholarship deadline.