Application process
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Applications for September 2025 entry are now open.
The deadline to apply for most of our on-campus postgraduate (taught and research) programmes is 30 June 2025. There are some exceptions, so please check each programme page carefully. The deadline for our Online Learning programmes is 14 July 2025.
Applications for our programmes are made via the University's online system.
To find out more about the postgraduate programmes of study available in the School of Social and Political Science, see our programmes page. The apply button at the top of each programme page which will take you to the University's degree finder page for your preferred programme.
Postgraduate taught programmes
After you've applied you will be able to track the progress of your application then accept or decline any offers through the Applicant Hub.
Access the Applicant Hub (Log-in required)
Please note: It is important to log in regularly to the Applicant Hub to ensure that important messages regarding your application’s progress and supporting document requests are not missed.
- Additional Requirements
All minimum entry requirements are listed in the Degree Finder against each programme.
Additional information on requirements such as references and research proposals for our postgraduate programmes are listed below:
MSc/PGCert (Taught Masters/Postgraduate Certificate)
No references required apart from the MSc International Relations of the Middle East with Arabic & Advanced Arabic programmes.
MSc by Research (Masters by Research)
Applicants will also need to provide a research proposal, and one academic reference at the point of application.
PhD (Doctoral research)
Applicants will also need to provide a research proposal, and two academic references at the point of application.
- Supporting documents
Please note: We do not accept hard copies or emailed supporting documents unless specifically requested. All supporting documents should be uploaded directly to your Applicant Hub.
An application is not 'complete' until all supporting documents are present. The following documents must be uploaded:
All applications:
- Degree certificate(s) – for all previous degrees. Please note that this can be provided after assessment in most cases.
- Final/interim transcript(s) – for all previous and current degrees. Interim transcripts with current cumulative averages are acceptable for those still studying, though the final average is required if the degree has been completed.
- Grading scale(s) – for each university transcript is submitted.
Where work experience is taken into consideration, an up–to–date CV and work reference is required.
Evidence of English may also be required. Please see English language requirements
Research programmes (additional documents):
- Research proposal – Proposals should be no more than two to three A4 pages for MScR and three to four A4 pages for PhD applications in 12pt Times New Roman font (this does not include references). See the University's Research Proposal information page for help with this.
- Academic references – Referee email address must be institutional (i.e not a public email account). Uploaded references must be dated within one year of submission, on institutional letterhead, signed in pen (not a signature image) and in a non–editable format. Further information about what should be included in a reference can be found on the references page.
Please note: Personal statements not entered in the appropriate section of the application may not be considered.
Important: If your original documents, which must be submitted, are not in English you must also submit certified, official translations.
If you are having problems uploading your documents please see Document Upload Issues, noting that there is a 2MB limit on uploads. If there is still a problem, please contact the EUCLID support team (studentsystems@ed.ac.uk).
It is your responsibility to ensure all the required documents are uploaded. Please check your EUCLID portal regularly to determine if there is further action you must take to make your application complete.
- After submitting
After you submit your application, it joins a queue to be screened by the Admissions Team who check your documentation. If they have any questions or require any additional document, They will contact you directly (via the Applicant Hub). Once screening is complete, a decision will then be made. You will be informed of all decisions via the Applicant Hub.
If you are concerned about meeting funding deadlines, please contact us at futurestudents@ed.ac.uk as soon as possible, and we will do our best to speed up the process for you.