Course summary
The School of Physics at Bristol University is one of the best Physics research environments in the UK - Bristol Physics research is ranked 5th in the UK (THE analysis of REF 2021). Our success today is built on immensely strong foundations: for more than 100 years, Bristol Physics has made major research contributions, including the discovery of the pi meson (Nobel Prize in Physics, 1950) and fundamental advances in quantum mechanics. As a research student you will be a member of the Physics Graduate School, which comprises a community of up to 250 students from a diverse global background, and with a great gender balance. We have strong interactions with industry, and are well connected to the unique Bristol start-up and SME community, with opportunities for placements during your research programme and joint training activities. Our Physics Graduate School organises social and scientific events to support you, coordinates skills training in Physics, organises induction, builds a community, and helps you navigate through the University procedures. We will also support your professional development as a teacher - many of our research students take up roles as paid Graduate Teaching Assistants for part of their working week, helping to support undergraduate programmes. The School of Physics has a world-class reputation for cohort-based research training and has over the past ten years received UK national funding for Centres of Doctoral Training in Functional Nanomaterials, Condensed Matter Physics, Quantum Engineering, Particle Physics, Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning, and Advanced Computing. Our research degree programmes are offered across six diverse research themes. For informal discussions before making an application, prospective students are encouraged to contact either the academic lead in the research theme of interest for guidance, or the potential supervisor for project discussions. For your application you will need a CV, a personal statement introducing yourself and outlining your motivation for research, and details of your qualifications. Please see our Admissions Statement for more information. Research Area: Please make sure to indicate your preferred area of research at the top of your personal statement. This will help us to process the application effectively. Choose from the research themes of the School of Physics:
- Astrophysics
- Materials and Devices
- Particle Physics
- Quantum and Soft Matter
- Quantum Engineering Technologies
- Theoretical Physics.
Assessment method
https://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/media/postgraduate/admissions-statements/2026/phd-physics.pdf
How to apply
International applicants
The University of Bristol welcomes applications from international students and accepts a wide range of qualifications for postgraduate study. If you study or have studied at a university outside the UK, please select the relevant page for further information on qualifications, scholarships and education representatives in your country/region: bristol.ac.uk/international/countries.
This course has a subject classification which requires students whose nationality is outside the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland to have an ATAS certificate, irrespective of country of residence at the point of application.
Further information can be found on the UK Government's website: www.gov.uk/academic-technology-approval-scheme
Entry requirements
A first-class or upper second-class honours degree (or international equivalent) in physics or a closely related subject. Places funded by the school may be subject to higher entry requirements. See international equivalent qualifications on the International Office website: https://www.bristol.ac.uk/international/countries/
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
| England | £5106 | Year 1 |
| Northern Ireland | £5106 | Year 1 |
| Scotland | £5106 | Year 1 |
| Wales | £5106 | Year 1 |
| Channel Islands | £5106 | Year 1 |
| EU | £27500 | Year 1 |
| International | £27500 | Year 1 |
Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .
Additional fee information
Fees are subject to an annual review. For programmes that last longer than one year, please budget for up to an 8% increase in fees each year.
For more information, please view the programme page on our website.
Sponsorship information
In each academic year, the School of Physics has a number of scholarships for PhD degrees, which are awarded competitively to candidates with the highest research potential. The type of scholarship varies according to the research theme of the PhD opportunity. Applicants are encouraged to contact the Academic Contact in the research theme of interest for more information. The School also typically receives a number of University of Bristol PGR Scholarships each year: https://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/research/funding-and-scholarships/scholarships/ The School also offers a number of MScR Research Bursaries, which provide financial support for part of the costs of the MScR research degree: https://www.bristol.ac.uk/physics/study-with-us/postgraduate/ We warmly welcome applications from candidates who are applying for funding in their home country, for example; your own Government scholarships, China Scholarship Council (CSC) scholarships, Commonwealth scholarships, charities. Please contact us as early in the scholarship application process as possible to discuss your application. Further information on funding for prospective UK and international postgraduate students: https://www.bristol.ac.uk/students/support/finances/
Provider information
University of Bristol
Beacon House
Queen’s Road
Bristol
BS8 1QU