How to Apply - E5 Doctoral Training Partnership

2. Prepare and download your application documents 

Applicants will be required to complete an application form and an Equality & Diversity Monitoring Form. 

The official forms will only be available once applications open.  All forms and supporting documents should be completed and submitted as PDFs.  

Optional Form:  

3. Contact your referees early 

All applications must be supported by two references (academic or professional). Supervisors of the project you are applying for cannot act as referees. 

It is important to contact your referees well in advance of the application deadline to let them know that they will need to complete the official E5 reference form by the closing date (usually beginning of December).  This is especially important if you haven't been in touch recently. Reference letters are not accepted - referees must use the official E5 DTP form, which must be submitted via an official institutional or company email address.  Personal emails such as Gmail or Yahoo are not accepted. 

Giving your referees plenty of notice helps ensure your references are submitted on time and avoids delays in the application process. 

4. Prepare your documents 

You can start gathering your supporting documents in preparation for submission.  These include:

• Academic CV (maximum 2 pages)
• Academic certificates and transcripts
  • Final undergraduate transcript
  • Final postgraduate transcript
  • Undergraduate degree certificates
  • Postgraduate degree certificates
  • Interim transcripts if you are still studying (request these early as they may take several weeks to obtain)
  • Official English translations for documents not in English

If your degree was taught and assessed in a language other than English, the original and the official English translation version should be combined into a single PDF and uploaded together.

Optional Documents:

5. Submit your Application - currently closed

Once applications open, you will be able to submit your application through the E5 DTP portal, which is used to manage applications and selection.  

• Supervisor led projects:  click “Apply for this project" on the project listing on our website.   

• Student led projects – once your proposed project has been approved, the Admissions team will provide you with a personal link to upload your application. 

You can create your account in advance, giving you time to prepare your application. Once your account is created, you can upload your documents at any time before the closing date.   

In the E5 portal you can: 

• Upload your documents (all documents should be in PDF format)
• Provide referee details - it is important to do this as early as possible, because adding referees in the portal triggers an automatic email to them with the official form.  This gives your references time to prepare and submit their reference before the application deadline.  - Alternatively, you can download the reference form from our website and share if with your referees in advance, so they can prepare their responses before you add them to the portal account.  Once you add them, they can submit their reference without delay.
• Update and track the status of your application.  

Important: 

Applications must be fully submitted by the closing date.  Any application not submitted by the deadline will not be considered under any circumstances, so please plan ahead. 

It is the applicants responsibility to ensure that all documents, including references, are received and included as part of a complete application.

You may submit only one application (either supervisor-led or student-led).  Multiple applications will not be considered and rejected.  

Once you have uploaded your documents and checked that your application is complete, you must click the 'Submit your application' button in the portal.  If you do not click this button, your application will not be submitted and cannot be considered, even if all documents have been uploaded. 

6. Selection and Interviews 

After you have submitted your application, your application will be reviewed and shortlisted applicants invited to interviews. 

Interview days: 

• Timing:  Interviews are normally held over three to four days in February.  Exact date for the next recruitment cycle will be confirmed closer to the time.
• In person interviews (Edinburgh, Kings Buildings Campus): Applicants resident in the UK will be invited to attend one in person.  Our recruitment days are an important opportunity for you to visit the campus and facilities, meet current students, and experience Edinburgh.  If you are unable to attend on a particular day, please indicate this during he application process so we can take this into account when scheduling interviews.  Interview times may also be scheduled according to your current residence location where appropriate.
• Online interviews: Offered to applicants not resident in the UK.  In certain circumstances, online interviews may also be offered to UK resident applicants. but only if requested in advance.  

E5 can contribute up to a maximum of £100 towards travel and subsistence costs (including accommodation where required) incurred in connection with attending an in-person interview.  Receipts must be provided.