The King's Admissions Office is here to help you throughout the application process. We hope the information below will help with most queries. If you can't find the answer to your question, feel free to contact our King's Advisors, or attend a postgraduate event to find out more.

What can I study at King's? How do I find course information?

There are overviews of all of our courses in the online prospectus, where you can also browse by subject area and by Schools and Departments of study.

Research applicants can also find more detailed information by contacting a potential supervisor directly (see our Research portal for details of King's researchers).

Can I visit King's?

King’s is pleased to offer guided campus tours of four of our five campuses. Delivered by a current student, you'll explore our teaching rooms, social spaces and campus highlights, all while learning more about university life at King's. 

What is the difference between postgraduate taught courses and postgraduate research?

For guidance on course type, level of study, and duration see types of courses offered at postgraduate level at King's.

What are the entry requirements? Am I eligible to apply?

To find out more about minimum requirements for your application to be considered, see further guidance in entry requirements.

What is a research proposal, and when do I have to provide this?

In most of our science and health science related courses our research supervisors usually devise projects, attract funding for them and then advertise them. In this case, if you require further information or wish to discuss the project in more detail, you can contact the named individual advertising the project in the first instance.

For courses in the arts and social sciences applicants are usually expected to create their own research proposal which they should submit as part of their online application. A research proposal should explain the field of study that you want to contribute to, the current research gaps, what you want to do, and how you propose to do it.

It is important that you check for any specific guidance on research proposals in the online prospectus. However, in general a good research proposal typically includes the following components:

• A clear statement of the proposed research question

• An explanation of the importance and originality of the proposed topic.

• A section describing not only your proposed methodology but also an explanation of why this methodology is the most appropriate for the proposed topic.

• A prospective chapter outline of the proposed thesis

• A timetable showing a realistic plan, including critical milestones, for the completion of your research and writing within three years

You may want to conclude by showing why this research should be conducted specifically here, at King’s College London.

What is a PhD supervisor and how do I find one?

Your main supervisor will be a King's academic who has expertise in your specific field and will act as your academic mentor. For details see our postgraduate research webpages. The first stage of applying for a PhD would be to identify a PhD course which is relevant to your proposed research and then to identify a potential supervisor for your research. Staff and research group information is available:

• in our online prospectus, for each course entry, under 'Staff & Groups'

• In the King's Research portal

• On departmental webpages

When you submit your application, you should indicate your preferred supervisor in the application form.

Can I live outside of the UK while studying for my PhD?

Only under exceptional circumstances, and with the full support of your supervisor, it may be possible for you to undertake your research while living overseas. However, if this is agreed there are strict requirements that must be adhered to:

• You must attend King’s in person for a minimum of six months during your PhD and this must include a significant period of attendance at the beginning and end. In between attending in person you are also required to remain in contact with your supervisor at least every six weeks by email or telephone.

• At the start of the PhD you will plan your attendance schedule with your supervisor. Amendments can be made to this at a later date providing you still meet the minimum attendance requirement.

Which courses can I study part-time or by distance learning?

A large number of our postgraduate courses are available for part-time study. Each entry in the postgraduate prospectus will make clear if a course is available part-time, and/or by distance learning. For more details see Study Options.

Can I study at King's while I'm still studying elsewhere?

University regulations do not permit you to study a course with us while also on another course of study at King's (with the exception of the AKC), or at another university (with the exception of Study Abroad students).

If you are currently taking qualifications elsewhere - including distance learning courses - and you are successful in receiving an offer for study at King's, you will be asked to provide evidence at campus registration that you have completed any previous studies.

How do I apply for postgraduate study?

See our guides to applying for:

• Postgraduate taught courses

• Postgraduate research courses

When is the application deadline?

Application deadlines will vary by course. Find your course in our online prospectus, then see the application deadline and application guidance under ‘Entry requirements’ for any specific deadline. Remember that separate (sometimes earlier) deadlines may apply for funding and scholarships. 

Is there an application fee?

Most of our postgraduate taught courses will require a non-refundable application fee before you can submit your application to be considered. This step is built in to the online application process. Please note that payment of an application fee is not a guarantee that you will receive an offer for your chosen course as many of our courses are competitive.

If you decide to apply to more than one course which charges an application fee, you will need to pay for each application submitted.

Please ensure that you read the information about your chosen course carefully in our online prospectus before applying.

Note: If you receive an offer, most of our postgraduate taught courses will also require a deposit payment to secure your place. This is in addition to the application fee, however, the deposit is used as a partial payment of the tuition fees upon enrolling. Your offer letter will include details of any deposit you must pay, deadlines, and payment methods. You should not make a deposit payment unless instructed to as part of an offer.

Can I apply to more than one course at King's?

Yes you can apply for more than one course. You may be required to pay multiple applications fees for each programme. If you receive offers for both you will only be able to accept one of these.

Once you have completed an online application you can click on “new application” and create another application for a different course. You cannot, however, make more than one application for the same course in an admissions cycle.

If you're applying for a Research course, you will need to complete a new Research proposal for each application.

I have relevant work experience - will this help my application?

This will depend on the course you are applying to: please check the online prospectus for specific requirements. For most courses work experience is not generally required and cannot usually be taken in lieu of academic qualifications, but any relevant work experience could add weight to your application. You can provide full details of your work experience in the Employment section of the application form or in your personal statement if this is relevant to the course you are applying to.

Please note that some courses - for example some offered by the Dickson Poon School of Law and the Department of Education & Professional Studies - do have work experience as an entry requirement, and this will be listed in the online prospectus where relevant.

I haven't studied at university for a number of years. Will this affect my application?

This will not usually affect your application providing you can demonstrate a continued level of academic knowledge and interest in the research area. To help evidence this, there may be additional requirements (for example some admissions tutors may set a short essay to make sure that you would be up to the rigours of the course).

We will still require full transcripts and certificates for your studies, if for any reason you are unable to provide these please contact us.

What documents do I need to submit with my application?

You must check the online prospectus for any specific requirements, guidance or word limits for your specific course. However in most cases you would need to submit:

• Two academic references

• Official transcripts of your previous and current qualifications (detailing course, modules, subject grades and final overall grade, if completed).

• Copies of your final degree certificate if you have been awarded the qualification

• Some courses also require you to submit a personal statement.

• Some courses may require a writing sample, such as an essay.

Research students must also usually submit:

• A detailed research proposal

We are usually unable to consider applications until we have received all of the necessary documents.

I would like to attach some new information to my postgraduate application. Where should I send it?

If your application has been submitted and is under consideration, you should not send any additional documentation. The Admissions Office will contact you through King’s Apply if they need further documents to assess your application. All information relating to your application should be sent to Admissions. Please do not send documents to academic departments as applications are processed centrally.

Documents can be submitted:

• online via King’s Apply. This is the quickest and easiest way to contact the teams.

How long will it take before I receive a decision on my application?

King’s aims to make decisions on applications within 4-8 weeks, though some of our very competitive postgraduate taught programmes operate a ‘gathered field’ process for applicants who meet the advertised entry requirements and may therefore take longer. The selection procedure will be indicated on the relevant course page of the Online Prospectus.

Depending on the time of year, it may also take longer to process applications, particularly around deadline periods. Please ensure that your online application form is as complete as possible at the time of submission to avoid unnecessary delays and ask your referee(s) to be ready to submit a reference promptly.

Please also be aware there can be other factors that result in it taking longer for you to receive a final decision, for example, if you apply to a programme where an interview is required, or your application is sent to the department for review.

When a decision has been made, you will be emailed to log in to your King’s Apply account. The decision will be in the “Application Status” box on the Application Overview screen.

Who do I contact if I have any questions or need to send additional information?

After you submit your application, you should communicate with the Admissions Office through your online application portal (King's Apply).

Can I submit my English language test result after I submit my application?

Yes, you can submit your English test results after submitting your application. If you are taking an English language test at a later date, please mark this on your application. When you have received your results, please scan and upload them to the King's Apply portal.

In most cases it is possible for us to make a conditional offer to those who do not have an acceptable English language test result when they apply. If we cannot make a decision without an English test result from you, we will request this from you as part of the application process.
All English language test results must be no more than two years old. See our Postgraduate English language entry requirements for details.

My application was unsuccessful. Can I find out why?

You can find a summary of the reason your application was unsuccessful through the King's Apply portal. For further detailed feedback, please send a formal request through the King's Apply portal and the Admissions Office will be able to give you further advice.

Further details of feedback and appeal procedures can be found on our policy pages.

I hold a conditional offer. How do I change this to unconditional?

You need to send official documents that show that your condition(s) have been met. This may include a formal translation of degree documents if your degree is not in English. You can send these as a scanned document on the King's Apply portal. 

How do I accept my offer?

If you receive an offer to study at King’s, you can accept the offer via your King’s Apply account on the ‘Your offer’ tab. This tab will show your offer letter and the deadline by which you need to accept this offer.

Do I have to pay a deposit to accept my offer?

King's College London asks our offer holders to pay a deposit when accepting their offer to study for most of our postgraduate taught programmes; this is beneficial for the university in relation to student numbers and resource planning. There are limited places available on our programmes and a high number of qualified applicants. By paying the deposit, you secure your place and demonstrate your commitment to enrol at King’s provided you meet any conditions of an offer.

You can accept your offer and pay your deposit on your King's Apply account. If you experience difficulties paying, please contact the Admissions Office who can advise you. A deposit will not be required where an offer holder can provide official evidence that they will be fully funded for the programme at King's, however, this evidence must be provided to the Admissions Office before the deadline to accept your offer.

The deposit is considered a partial payment towards your tuition fee upon enrolment.

Our deposit amounts can vary depending on the programme you intend to study, but they are usually £500 for Home/EU fee status and £2000 for Overseas fee status.

The deposit amount is usually higher for our overseas fee status students due to the additional administration required to process these applications. This includes, but is not limited to, checks regarding eligibility to study in the UK, CAS number and student visa processing, ATAS, calculating transcripts and assessing qualification equivalencies to a UK Bachelor's (hons) degree. For offer holders who require a tier 4 visa from King’s, the deposit payment will be used in your CAS number to evidence your ability to pay the tuition fees as part of your visa application.

Full details of the deposit terms and conditions, including how to show you are fully funded or when you can request a refund of a deposit payment, are available in your offer letter.

Can I defer my place?

After careful consideration, we have taken the decision not to allow any deferrals on our postgraduate taught programmes from 2022/23 entry to the next academic year. We have adopted this approach as it is the fairest way to ensure that the cohort of applicants for 2023/24 academic year have an equal opportunity in gaining a place at King's.

For Research degrees, deferrals will be dependent upon agreement from your proposed supervisor, who will need to consider if appropriate supervision will still be available.

Can I change my course of study?

Your offer is specific to a course, mode of study (full time/part time) and year of entry, as detailed in your offer letter. Before enrolment:

• if you wish to be considered for a different course of study you will need to submit a new application through King's Apply, and be considered alongside other applicants for that course.

• if you wish to change your mode of study (from full time to part time) on the same course, please contact the Admissions Office through the King's Apply portal for advice.

Once enrolled on a course, there is no guarantee that you will be able to change your course or mode of study: however Student Services can provide advice on internal transfer procedures.

How do I apply for King's accommodation?

You must have a firm offer to be able to apply for King's Residences.  Full details on how to apply for King's accommodation can be found on their How to apply webpages.

Can I study at King's while I'm on another course elsewhere?

College regulations do not permit you to study a course with us while also on another course of study at King's (with the exception of the AKC), or at another university (with the exception of Study Abroad students).

Cancellation rights

Please note, these terms and conditions apply to all levels of study. We also advise applicants who have submitted an application through UCAS to contact them directly for details of their cancellation policy.

1.1 You have the right to cancel your acceptance of a place at King’s for any reason (including if you change your mind) during a fourteen (14) day cancellation period (the “Cancellation Period”), which will start on the day you accept an offer from King’s.

1.2 To cancel your acceptance, you must clearly inform us in writing of your decision to cancel before the Cancellation Period has expired. We ask that you do this by sending a message through “King’s Apply”. Alternatively, you may contact the King’s Admissions Office by letter or email. You may also use the Cancellation Form to notify us of your decision to cancel.

1.3 To meet the cancellation deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right to cancel before the Cancellation Period has expired. King's Admissions Office does need to have received communication of your decision to cancel before the expiry of the Cancellation Period.

1.4 If you cancel your acceptance within the 14 day Cancellation Period, we will reimburse any tuition fee payment including any deposit received from you as soon as we can, and no later than 14 days after the day on which you informed us of your decision to cancel your acceptance.

What are the tuition fees? When do I pay?

Tuition fees for your course can be found in our online prospectus: find your course entry, and then see the 'Fees & Funding' tab.

You will be sent an invoice for your first year’s tuition fees after you have enrolled on the course. This will take into account any deposit already paid (if applicable). You can pay your year's tuition fees in one or two equal instalments: see our postgraduate Tuition Fee guidance for further information.

What funding is available and when do I need to consider funding?

All our funding opportunities can be found on our King’s Funding Database. You would need to consider funding as soon as possible as deadlines are usually early in the year around February time.

I think my Fee Status is incorrect. How do I change this?

Before responding to your offer please send a message to the Admissions Officer through the King's Apply portal explaining why you feel your fee status is incorrect. You may be asked to complete a more detailed Fee Status questionnaire or provide documentation to give further details of your circumstances in order for us to make an assessment. Your fee status must be changed before enrolment in order for the new status to be reflected in your fee invoice.

How do I get my CAS number for my student visa?

Make sure that you have told the Admissions Office that you will need a visa by ticking the box on the application form titled “International student: Will you require a visa to study in the UK?”. Please make sure that you have recorded the necessary details from your passport.

We will request a CAS number for you once you have an unconditional offer and only within 3 months of the start of your course.

Once we have the CAS number you will be sent an email advising you log in to your online application, where a new tab will appear on the left called “Your Visa”. All the CAS information will be in this area.

Find out more information about the student visa process.