FAQs - Eligibility

I am a final year PhD student who will submit in 2026 - does my submission date make me eligible to apply for the Schmidt Fellowship?

To be eligible, you must complete all requirements for the conferral of your PhD between 01 May 2026, and 30 June 2027. This could include:

• all steps from submission to approval between 01 May 2026 and 30 June 2027
• or, submission before 01 May 2026, with defence and approval taking place between 01 May 2026 and 30 June 2027.

Candidates whose thesis has been unconditionally approved before 01 May 2026 and who only have the hardbound copy to submit after 01 May are not eligible. The cut-off step is the written confirmation that the thesis has been unconditionally approved.

I have already completed my PhD - can I apply?

If your thesis was unconditionally approved or awarded before 01 May 2026, you are not eligible to apply.

I am not expecting to complete my PhD before June 2027, but I want to apply. What should I do?

You must complete your PhD before 30 June 2027. If you complete after this date, you are not eligible. In this case, you should consider whether you will complete your PhD within the eligibility period of the next Fellowship round (May 2027 – June 2028) if Cambridge is invited to nominate again.

I am a PhD student at a University Partner Institute, e.g. the Sanger Institute - am I eligible?

As long as your PhD will be conferred by the University of Cambridge, you are eligible to apply.

I am a visiting PhD from another University, based in Cambridge - am I eligible?

As a visiting scholar, your PhD will be awarded by your “home” university, not the University of Cambridge, so unfortunately you are not eligible.

I am a medical / veterinary student who is conducting research - am I eligible?

If you are on the clinical track, i.e. if you will qualify as a medical doctor / veterinarian, you are not eligible to apply, even if you are conducting research alongside this.

If you are working on a purely research PhD, you may be eligible to apply, depending on your research area.

You will need to show that your work is truly interdisciplinary and includes categories covered by Schmidt, but if this is the case, you are welcome to self-nominate.

If you are unsure, please contact fellowships.pda@admin.cam.ac.uk.

I have already secured a postdoc. Can I still self-nominate, and will I be able to pursue the postdoc I had planned?

Yes, you are still eligible to apply for the Schmidt Fellowship.

However, your submission should meet all the requirements of the Fellowship, including the research pivot. Please see the Call for Submissions if you are not sure whether your intended postdoc meets this requirement.

If you are successful, you may be able to take up your planned postdoctoral position as part of the Fellowship, but there is no guarantee of this. The placement process is focused on ensuring that Fellows take up positions where they are best placed to achieve the Fellowship goals. Placements are developed and agreed after the selection process is complete.