Visiting Postgraduate Research Students
Under specific conditions, the School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies allows for a limited number of visiting Postgraduate Research (PGR) students to visit for up to 12 months.
If you wish to come to the School as a visiting research student, you must be registered as a current research student at another university.
Visiting research students should note that:
- You are required to pay a bench fee of £250 per month / £1000 per term / £3000 per year. The fee will be stated on the offer letter.
- You are responsible for all costs associated with your visit, including accommodation, subsistence and travel.
- You will receive supervision by a member of staff.
- You should bring a laptop with you.
- You will be permitted to use the communal PGR spaces in the School.
- You are expected to engage with the research community in the School.
If you wish to apply to come as a visiting student, you must first secure the agreement of a member of academic staff in the School to act as your supervisor for the duration of your visit before you submit your application. Please refer to our Staff Supervisory Interests to find members of staff whose research area matches your interests.
Application process
1. Go to Start your application and complete an online application to the relevant visiting PhD programme.
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- Sociology (Visiting) (PGR)
- Politics (Visiting) (PGR)
2. Attach the following documents to your application in the portal:
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- SPAIS visiting PhD student supervisor agreement (Office document, 130kB), to be completed by the applicant and the University of Bristol supervisor.
- Academic transcripts from first and subsequent degrees. We require colour scans of original documents and certified translations of documents issued in any language other than English;
- Degree certificate from first and subsequent degrees. We require colour scans of original documents and certified translations of documents issued in any language other than English.
- A document confirming your current registration at your home institution
- A 500 word outline of the proposed research at Bristol
- Two academic references
- In the case of students whose first language is not English, evidence is needed to demonstrate that the English language requirements for the programme have been met (IELTS score of 7.0 overall, with no sub-test score lower than 6.5) - further guidance is set out in the Profile B guidelines.
Please note that we will require up to 4 weeks to process a complete application (including all required documents). Applicants are advised to complete their application form as early as possible to ensure enough time to process the application, secure the relevant supervisory approvals and make the necessary pre-arrival arrangements.
Once your complete application (including all required documents) has been received it will be reviewed by the Postgraduate Research Director. If approved you will be issued a formal offer of study letter via the online application portal which will confirm your supervisor(s), visiting student duration and fees liable. You will be asked to formally respond to this offer of study letter.
Visa requirements
All visiting students from outside the UK require a visa, regardless of length of study. Some students will need to apply for this visa in advance, some can travel through eGates on arrival. For visits of six months or less, please read the short-term visa guidance. For longer visits, a Student visa is likely to be needed, and you must meet the eligibility requirements for this.
If you are already in the UK on a Student visa (and you are visiting from another UK institution) you need to be studying at a partner institution or agree to the visit as an agreed temporary location. You should contact Student Visa Services for advice. Please also note that most visa types will require ATAS, if the course needs ATAS. Some nationalities are exempt from the ATAS requirement.
Further queries
For any queries please get in touch with the Postgraduate Student Administrator.
Email: spais-pgr@bristol.ac.uk