UCL Research Opportunity Scholarship

UCL's Research Opportunity Scholarship (UCL-ROS) supports Black, Asian, and minority ethnic postgraduate research degree students at the start of their academic career. The Research Opportunity Scholarship was conceived in response to the question 'Why isn't my professor black?'. The aim of the UCL-ROS is to address under-representation and help improve equality, diversity and inclusion in UCL's post-graduate research student body. The scholarship offers full financial support and a skills development programme, both designed to promote academia as a more attractive career option. The scholarship is run jointly by the UCL Student Funding Office and the UCL Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team, in collaboration with the Windsor Fellowship. The UCL-ROS consists of tuition fees equivalent to the standard postgraduate UK/home rate plus a maintenance stipend during the research portion of the programme which increases each year with inflation. For the 2025/26 academic year, the stipend rate is £22,780 for full-time study. The scholarship includes additional research costs of up to £1,200 per year plus a single allowance of £1,000 towards conference costs. The UCL-ROS also offers a comprehensive personal and professional development support package including coaching, mentoring support, advocacy, training and skills development through UCL's Doctoral Skills Development Programme and the Windsor Fellowship.