Leeds Opportunity Research Scholarship

Three Leeds Opportunity Research Scholarships (LORS) are available to prospective postgraduate researchers from Black, Asian and other minoritised ethnic groups for study in any Faculty in Session 2024/25.

These scholarships are part of our wider commitment to postgraduate diversity and inclusion as outlined by the Access and Student Success Strategy (2025), including involvement with the Yorkshire Consortium for Equity in Doctoral Education (YCEDE).

Guidance for applicants

This document is a guide to the application and selection process – please read carefully to make sure you meet all the eligibility criteria. You will also find important information about how to apply and what you should include in your application.

Key dates

Applications Open: 16 November 2024
Applications Close: 3 April 2025, 17:00 (UK time)
Outcome: Beginning June 2025

1. Eligibility Criteria

You must identify as belonging to one of the minoritised ethnic groups – Black or Black British-Caribbean; Black or Black British-African; Other Black background; Asian or Asian British-Indian; Asian or Asian British-Pakistani; Asian or Asian British-Bangladeshi; Chinese; or Other Asian background; Mixed-White and Black Caribbean; Mixed-White and Black African; Mixed-White and Asian; Other Mixed background; Arab, or other minoritised ethnic background.
You must be eligible to pay fees at the Home (UK) rate or have been recognised (or be the partner or child of someone who has been recognised) as a refugee or asylum seeker, or been granted humanitarian protection status by the UK Government.
You must hold a First Degree at undergraduate level equivalent to at least a UK Upper Second Class Honours degree (some Faculties may also require a Masters degree). You should either have graduated with the appropriate First Degree or be in their final year of study. If you have a lower mark in your undergraduate degree, you may be considered if you can demonstrate relevant alternative experience (eg in industry or business, or – for a practice-based PhD – in the creative arts).
You must not have already been awarded or be currently studying for a doctoral degree.
If your first language is not English, you must meet the University’s English Language requirements prior to or at registration. If the School/Faculty to which you have applied has a higher English language entry requirement, you must meet this higher requirement. You should have a valid test result, which is no more than two years old by your official start date at the University of Leeds.

If you are unsure whether you meet any of the eligibility criteria listed above, please email the PGR Diversity Team at pgrdiversity@leeds.ac.uk with the subject ‘LORS application query’.

2. Value and duration of award

The award provides full academic fees and a maintenance grant (£18,622 in Session 2023/24) for full-time study, part-time will be pro-rata at 60%. This amount increases per annum in line with the UKRI rate. Full-time awards provide full fees for 3 years and a maintenance award for 3.5 years (Part-time awards are pro-rata).

3. How to apply

Step 1:

First of all apply for a research programme of study, by completing the study application form. Supporting documents required by the relevant Admissions Team to process your study application may vary – see Applying for research degrees. Applicants who feel they may be unable to provide this documentation should email the PGR Diversity Team at pgrdiversity@leeds.ac.uk as soon as possible.

Step 2:

Once you are in receipt of your 9 digit Student Application ID, complete the online LORS scholarship application form.

No other documents are required to be submitted with your scholarship application form.

The LORS scholarship application form requires you to provide:
Your details, including contact information
Details of your higher education, qualifications and employment history
Details about your research project
Personal statement (500 to 800 words) – please see section 5 for guidance on what to include
A financial declaration – please see section 6 for guidance on what to include
Information about your personal circumstances.

4. How your application will be assessed

Once the scholarship application deadline has passed, all submitted applications that meet the LORS eligibility criteria will be considered by the PGR Diversity Team and a shortlist of applicants provided to the Admissions Teams for further consideration.

The relevant Admissions Team then selects a shortlist of applicants who they wish to nominate for the award.

Applications are then assessed by the University of Leeds LORS Scholarship Selection Panel on the basis of your personal circumstances, your personal statement and financial declaration. The LORS selection process acknowledges historic awarding gaps and barriers often faced by those from minoritised ethnic groups to accessing the extra/co-curricular or professional activities by which many other scholarship applications are assessed. Your suitability for the proposed research project is therefore evidenced by your offer to study and the supporting statement provided by your proposed supervisor(s) or Director of Postgraduate Research Studies.

Where necessary, the LORS selection panel may also use contextual information provided by your application (in particular details that may indicate you belong to one or more groups that are underrepresented in higher education) and institutional data related to current PGR cohort representation to reach a decision.

5. Personal Statement

Your personal statement is an opportunity to explain how you intend to make the most of your time at Leeds. It’s less about your achievements to date, but rather the knowledge, skills and experience you hope to develop.

You should think about:

The experience you hope to develop or build on – this could relate to your knowledge and understanding, interpersonal skills, or technical competencies
How you intend to use this experience – this could relate to your personal development, professional development and career progression, or development as a researcher
How you intend to develop this experience – this could be directly through your research, ‘co-curricular’ opportunities (such as delivering at conferences or engaging with communities of practice), or ‘extra-curricular’ opportunities (such as engaging with Leeds University Union activities)

You don’t have to cover everything in your personal statement – it’s better to pick 3 or 4 examples that are significant to you and make them as specific as possible. You won’t be assessed on the types of variety of examples you choose, but rather how you plan to utilise the opportunities available. You may wish to speak to your proposed supervisor if you’re unsure of the opportunities available to develop the kind of experience in which you’re interested, or contact the PGR Diversity Team (pgrdiversity@leeds.ac.uk) for advice.

6. Financial declaration

Your financial declaration relates to your own personal circumstances and should be made without regard to any partners or spouses. You are required to declare:
Your average monthly income for 2024 – this includes any earnings, benefits or pensions
Your capital – this includes any cash savings, investments, land and property (including overseas property) and business assets
You do not need to provide evidence of your income as part of the LORS application, but please note that evidence will have to be provided if awarded the scholarship.

7. Application support

The PGR Diversity Team offers an online application workshop for applicants to the Leeds Opportunity Research Scholarship. This workshop offers advice and guidance on writing your personal statement and financial declaration, as well as a question-and-answer session. The workshop will take place at some point during February/March 2024 – the exact date and time of the workshop, as well as registration details will be made available on Scholarships for under-represented groups webpage.

The PGR Diversity Team offers one-to-one advice to support the completion of your scholarship application, if required. If you have any questions about your LORS application, or the support available, please email the PGR Diversity Team at pgrdiversity@leeds.ac.uk.

8. Selection conditions

The decision of the LORS selection committee is final. If your application is unsuccessful, you may email the PGR Diversity Team pgrdiversity@leeds.ac.uk for feedback. The PGR Diversity Team may contact you at some time after the application deadline to ask for your feedback on the application process, support and any interactions you have had with relevant staff at the University of Leeds.

9. Post-selection

If your application is successful and you are selected for the Leeds Opportunity Research Scholarship, you will be provided with a scholarship award letter. You should accept or decline this offer within two weeks of the scholarship offer.

You cannot hold another scholarship providing duplication of funding.

LORS recipients are entitled to both pre-registration and on-programme support from the PGR Diversity Team. Should you accept a Leeds Opportunity Research Scholarship, you will receive an email with further information on what this entails.