What is a UKRI CDT, and how is it different from a project studentship?
A Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) is a multi-year, cohort PhD programme, usually funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). You join a group of students, often with shared training in the first year, rather than applying only to a single supervisor. Open examples include the UKRI AI CDT in Decision Making for Complex Systems (PhD, 2027 entry), the UKRI AI CDT in Designing Responsible NLP (PhD, 2027 entry), the UKRI AI CDT in Biomedical Innovation (PhD, 2027 entry), the UKRI CDT in Citizen-Centred AI (PhD, 2027 entry), the UKRI CDT in Practice-Oriented AI (PhD, 2027 entry, round 2) and the Oxford AIMS CDT: Autonomous Intelligent Machines and Systems (2027-28 entry).
Some funded PhDs sit outside a CDT. The Sheffield PhD: Neurosymbolic World Models for Robotic Manipulation is a project studentship at the University of Sheffield. The Leverhulme Centre for Algorithmic Life: funded PhD studentships (Autumn 2027) offers seven funded studentships at Durham, supported by the Leverhulme Trust and AHRC. The Oxford Martin AI Governance Initiative also funds DPhils: Oxford AIGI DPhil Studentships in AI Governance (Track I) and a second, AIMS-integrated track, Oxford AIGI DPhil Studentships (Track II, AIMS-integrated).
Our fellowships guide explains how funded PhDs sit alongside fellowships and residencies.
What do funded AI PhDs pay?
UKRI publishes a minimum doctoral stipend. From 1 October 2026 it is £21,805 a year, or £23,805 with London weighting [source]. Some centres pay more than the minimum, and the figure can depend on your fee status.
The UKRI AI CDT in Decision Making for Complex Systems (PhD, 2027 entry) is part of the TechExpert / TechFirst stipend pilot. Its apply page offers a tax-free stipend of £30,000 in 2027–28 for students with home fee status, with tuition fees covered. Applicants with international fee status are encouraged to apply, but receive the standard UKRI minimum stipend, which the centre says will be around £22,000 in 2027–28. The UKRI CDT in Citizen-Centred AI (PhD, 2027 entry) also offers an enhanced stipend of £30,000 a year for eligible full-time researchers with home fee status for September 2027 entry. The UKRI AI CDT in Biomedical Innovation (PhD, 2027 entry) lists At least 12 fully funded 4-year studentships; stipend £21,805 in 2026/27. The Sheffield PhD: Neurosymbolic World Models for Robotic Manipulation covers full tuition, the UKRI stipend (currently £21,805 a year) and a research grant for 3.5 years.
Several open calls, including the Oxford AIMS and AIGI studentships and the Responsible NLP CDT, do not publish a stipend figure on the pages we checked. Treat "funded" as a starting point and read the organiser's funding page before you budget around a number.
Who can apply? Home and international fee status
Eligibility is set by each centre, but fee status comes up again and again. "Home" and "international" are official fee-status categories, not shorthand for where you live today. They affect both the fees the studentship can cover and, in some centres, the stipend.
- The UKRI AI CDT in Biomedical Innovation (PhD, 2027 entry) is open regardless of nationality and domicile.
- The UKRI CDT in Citizen-Centred AI (PhD, 2027 entry) welcomes home and international applicants, with funding at the applicable UKRI rates. You do not need to arrive as an AI specialist: the centre also welcomes technical, social-science, design, humanities, legal and professional backgrounds.
- The UKRI AI CDT in Decision Making for Complex Systems (PhD, 2027 entry) encourages international applicants, but notes that EPSRC rules typically limit international places to a maximum of 30% of the cohort, and that the funding available to cover fees is set at the UK fee level.
Academic requirements vary. The Decision Making CDT's standard entry requirement is an upper second-class (2:1) honours degree in a relevant discipline, or a 2:1 plus a master's at merit, or international equivalents. Always use the centre's own page, not a general rule of thumb.
When are the 2027-entry deadlines?
Most UK AI studentships for autumn 2027 close between late November and February, and some run more than one round. Times are in the organiser's zone, usually UK time.
Where a page does not state a time zone, submit a day early.
Data: 28 of 111 dated AI funding deadlines fall on a weekend. Read the weekend deadline report.
How to apply
- Shortlist from a list sorted by deadline. Our fellowships list has a filter for students and for the UK.
- Read the centre's apply page in full, including fee status, whether you must pick a project first, and how many rounds there are.
- Contact a supervisor where the centre asks you to. The Decision Making CDT, for example, requires you to select a project and get in touch with the relevant supervisor before you submit.
- Use the right programme code on the university portal. The same CDT page warns applicants not to apply for a generic Computer Science PhD, and to choose Research Council funding when asked.
- Apply to more than one centre if you are eligible. Deadlines are close together, but the programmes are not interchangeable.
