How to apply

Video containing advice from the Director of Graduate Studies and two DPhil students on applying to the DPhil in Clinical Medicine (video transcript).

How to apply

The deadline for applications to be considered for internal funding for entry in 2024 is Friday 1 December 2023. We recommend that you submit your application well in advance of the deadline - two or three weeks earlier. 

There are three routes via which you can apply:

• Via an advertised DPhil theme
• By submitting your own project proposal as agreed with a supervisor
• Via an allied funded programme

Applying for an advertised DPhil theme

1. Well in advance of the application deadline, contact the supervisor for the theme/s you are interested in to discuss your application and potential projects. Full guidance on this, including a template email that can be used when contacting supervisors, can be found in the How to Apply section of the DPhil in Clinical Medicine Graduate Admissions site. It is important to contact your proposed supervisors before applying to learn more about the project theme and/or lab, and determine whether there would be a good fit between what you are looking for and what the lab can offer.
2. Select up to two advertised doctoral themes.
3. Apply online to the DPhil in Clinical Medicine.
4. Follow the application guide when completing the form noting the following:

• Course code is 'RD_CM1' and the Programme description is 'DPhil in Clinical Medicine'.
• Under Proposed supervisor name enter the supervisor(s) you are applying to, listing them in order of preference or indicating equal preference
• Under Proposed field and title of research project enter the advertised research theme numbers (maximum two) of your chosen supervisors, in order of preference or indicating equal preference
• You do not need to indicate that you are applying for an NDM Prize Studentship, as all applications received by the December deadline will automatically be considered for this award. 
• If you wish to also apply for other scholarships, you must tick the relevant boxes.
• All applicants need to provide a personal statement (maximum 500 words), following the guidance in the Statement of purpose/personal statement section of the Graduate Admissions DPhil in Clinical Medicine How to Apply page.
• If you are applying for advertised DPhil themes you do not need to provide a research proposal and should not submit one with your application.
• It is essential that you submit your CV in the standardised format provided by the online form. This form will request the same information from all applicants, and will provide this information to the assessors in an identical format. This allows us to ensure that we are comparing all applicants fairly.
• You will need to ensure, in good time, that your three referees are willing and able to write a reference for you. We must receive your references no later than the application deadline. It is your responsibility to ensure that your references are submitted on time.

Submitting your own project proposal

1. Identify potential supervisors
2. Well in advance of the application deadline, contact potential supervisors about your research interests/proposal. Full guidance on this can be found in the How to Apply section of the DPhil in Clinical Medicine Graduate Admissions site. It is important to contact your proposed supervisors before applying to learn more about the project theme and/or lab, and determine whether there would be a good fit between what you are looking for and what the lab can offer.
3. Agree on a project title and summary with the supervisor(s) who agree to support a proposed project.
4. Apply online to the DPhil in Clinical Medicine
5. Follow the application guide when completing the form noting the following:

• Course code is 'RD_CM1' and the Programme description is 'DPhil in Clinical Medicine'.
• Under Proposed supervisor name, Proposed field and title of the research project and Statement of study plans/Research Proposal enter details as agreed with the supervisor(s).
• You do not need to indicate that you are applying for an NDM Prize Studentship, as all applications received by the December deadline will automatically be considered for this award.
• All applicants need to provide a personal statement (maximum 500 words), following the guidance in the Statement of purpose/personal statement section of the Graduate Admissions DPhil in Clinical Medicine How to Apply page.
• If you decide to submit your own research proposal for your DPhil project, then this should be provided in addition to your personal statement. Your proposal should be written in English and the overall word count should include any bibliography. The research proposal should be a maximum of 500 words. You should combine your research proposal with your statement of purpose/personal statement and upload them as a single document.
• It is essential that you submit your CV in the standardised format provided by the online form. This form will request the same information from all applicants, and will provide this information to the assessors in an identical format. This allows us to ensure that we are comparing all applicants fairly.
• You will need to ensure, in good time, that your three referees are willing and able to write a reference for you. We must receive your references no later than the application deadline. It is your responsibility to ensure that your references are submitted on time.

Applying for an allied funded programme

You are encouraged to also apply for relevant funded programmes which would support working with an NDM supervisor:

• Doctoral Training Centre (DTC) programmes

Shortlisting and interviews

Applications will be assessed by the admissions panel using the criteria as described in this PDF document. In considering applicants’ achievements and their suitability for a place on the DPhil in Clinical Medicine, the Nuffield Department of Medicine takes a holistic approach and a range of contextual factors, looking at each applicant’s individual circumstances, will be taken into account.

Interviews for shortlisted candidates will take place online in January 2024. The interview will consist of a five-minute presentation by the applicant on the research they would like to do in the department, followed by 20 minutes of questioning from the panel. Applicants will among other matters be asked about their interest in their chosen DPhil project theme/s and what they see as the priorities for the project. An example interview question is: “Can you describe the key question within the research theme that you want to address?”

Disability

We are committed to making reasonable adjustments and addressing any individual support requirements for applicants with disabilities. If you are thinking about applying to Oxford, you can find information about the facilities and support available to students from the Disability Advisory Service.

Application FAQs

I don’t meet the minimum academic entry requirements. Can I still apply?

NDM students have a wide range of qualifications and while most of our students achieved an upper second-class or first-class (or equivalent) in their undergraduate degree, the department recognises that strong students come from a diverse range of academic and professional backgrounds, some of which may include a degree with a lower classification. For example, someone who has achieved a second-class in their undergraduate degree but has achieved a merit or distinction in their master’s might be a competitive candidate.

I haven’t yet taken/passed an English language test at the standard level. Can I still apply?

You are not required to provide test scores when you submit your application. If you apply without submitting test scores, you submit test scores below the required level, or your test score is out of date, the department will assess your application as normal. If you receive an offer of a place, the department will require you to submit language test scores by a specific deadline as a condition of your offer.

My degree isn’t from the UK. Where can I find guidance on international qualifications?

The University offers general guidance on the types of qualifications and grades from countries outside the UK that would usually be considered to meet its minimum entry requirements. Where the country is not listed in the University’s guidance, a statement of comparability may be sought from the UK National Information Centre for the recognition and evaluation of international qualifications and skills.

I have other questions about the application. Where can I find help?

Your question may be answered in the University’s application guide. If you have questions that are not covered in the application guide, please contact us at graduate.studies@ndm.ox.ac.uk.