Postgraduate research opportunities A-Z

Postgraduate research 

Law PhD/LLM (Research)

Postgraduate online event:
Tuesday 3 November 2026, 9am – 5pm

Chat to staff, students and academics to discover what it's like to study at our world changing campus as a postgraduate student at UofG

Postgraduate Study Finance & Funding Event:
Wednesday 4 November 2026, 5pm - 7pm
Advanced Research Centre (ARC), University of Glasgow

Come along to information sessions about finance and funding, meet university service teams and get a tour of the campus

Our staff are experts from across all areas of the law, supervising top-calibre international research students.

  • PhD: 3 years full-time; 5 years part-time; Thesis of up to 100,000 words
  • LLM (Research): 1 year full-time; 2 years part-time; Thesis of 30,000 words

Overview

Our School of Law is one of the leading centres for legal research in the United Kingdom and internationally. Our academic staff are renowned for their expertise and ground-breaking research across all areas of law.  Over 87% of our published research was rated as “world-leading” or “internationally excellent” by the UK’s funding councils in the Research Assessment Framework (REF) 2021. We supervise an exceptional group of postgraduate researchers from around the world and support them to make their own original and distinctive scholarly contributions.

Research themes:

Find out more about our research activities.

Student experience

Study options

PhD: 3 years full-time; 5 years part-time. Thesis of up to 100,000 words

LLM by Research: 1 year full-time; 2 years part-time. Thesis length 30,000 words.

Entry requirements

Our regular standard of admission is usually a Master's degree at Merit. Candidates will also usually be expected to have a 2.1 honours degree.

Required documents

Applicants should submit:
  1. Academic Transcripts and Degree Certificates
  2. CV
  3. Research Proposal
  4. Two References
  5. Named Supervisor information

Applicants to the PhD programme must also submit a sample piece of written work.

Applicants without a Master’s degree can be considered for admission to the PhD programme if they achieved a first-class honours result (or international equivalent) at the undergraduate level. 

Applicants are advised to contact a potential supervisor with a detailed research proposal in the first instance to discuss this, before submitting a formal application. Please submit a CV along with your proposal. You will find details of our research supervisors and their areas of expertise here.

Read our advice about writing a research proposal for postgraduate study in law.

Initial programme enquiries: law-pgrsupport@glasgow.ac.uk 

The School of Law considers applications to our research degree programmes at three different rounds every year, with deadlines in the Autumn, Winter, and Spring.  Specific applications deadlines are listed below.

October 2027 entry deadlines

  • 31 October 2026 at 17:00
  • 30 January 2027 at 17:00 [Applicants seeking funding from the China Scholarship Council or the James McCune Smith Scholarship must apply by this deadline]
  • 11 May 2027 at 17:00

We aim to decide on admissions to our PGR programmes within one month of each deadline. If we believe that your research proposal is promising and there is capacity to supervise your project, you can expect to be contacted for a brief online interview. Applications received after any deadline will be considered at the next round. Successful applicants will normally begin their postgraduate studies with us in October 2027.

 

English language requirements

For applicants from non-English speaking countries, as defined by the UK Government, the University sets a minimum English language proficiency level.

Accepted English language tests

We accept a wide range of English language tests for entry to this programme. Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of programme start date, and requirements must be met using a single test. 

International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic and Academic Online (not General Training)

  • 7.0 overall with no subtest less than 6.5
  • IELTS One Skill Retake Accepted
  • We do not accept General Training

TOEFL iBT (Including MyBest and Home Edition)

Tests taken up to 20 January 2026

  • 96 Overall, no subtest lower than Reading 23; Listening 23; Speaking 23; Writing 24

Tests taken from 21 January 2026

  • 98 overall with no subtest less than Writing and Listening at 5 and Reading and Speaking at 4.5

Pearsons PTE Academic (test centre only)

  • 70 overall with no subtest less than Reading 62; Listening 62; Speaking 75; Writing 68
  • We do not accept the online PTE Academic

Cambridge C1 Advanced and C2 Proficiency

  • 185 overall, no subtest less than 176

Oxford ELLT

  • 8 overall with Reading and Listening no less than 7 and Writing and Speaking no less than 8

LanguageCert Academic SELT/Academic/Academic Online

  • 75 overall with two subtests at 75 and no subtest less than 70

Password Skills Plus

  • 7.0 overall with no subtest less than 6.5

Trinity College Integrated Skills in English III

  • 105 overall with no subtest less than 105 

Kaplan Test of English

  • Any two subtests at 510 or higher, and any two subtests at 480 or higher 

PSI Skills for English

  • C1 Pass

Duolingo English Test

  • 130 overall with Writing at 130 and no subtest less than 120

Oxford Test of English Advanced

  • 146 overall with no subtest less than 136

Alternatives to English language qualification

Degree from majority-English speaking country (as defined by the UKVI including Canada if taught in English)

  • Students must have studied for a minimum of their final year at Undergraduate level, or 9 months at Master's level, and must have completed their degree in that majority-English speaking country within 6 years of programme start.

TNE degree for UK University taught at a campus outside of the UK.

  • Students must be awarded the degree by the UK university and must have completed the degree within 6 years of programme start.

Pre-sessional courses

The University of Glasgow accepts evidence of the required language level from the English for Academic Study Unit Pre-sessional courses. We would strongly encourage you to consider the pre-sessional courses at the University of Glasgow's English for Academic Study (EAS) Unit. Our Pre-sessional courses are the best way to bring your English up to entry level for University study. Our courses give you:

  • direct entry to your University programme for successful students (no need to take IELTS)
  • essential academic skills to help you study effectively at University
  • flexible entry dates so you can join the right course for your level.

For more detail on our pre-sessional courses please see:

We can also consider the pre-sessional courses accredited by the below BALEAP approved institutions to meet the language requirements for admission to our postgraduate taught degrees:

  • Heriot Watt
  • Kingston Upon Thames
  • Middlesex University
  • Manchester University
  • Reading University
  • Edinburgh University
  • ST Andrews University
  • UCL
  • Durham

Fees and funding

Fees

2027/28

  • UK: To be confirmed [26/27 fee was £5,238]
  • International & EU: £28,275

Fees are based on the annual fee for full-time study. Tuition fees for part-time study will be charged at half the full-time annual fee.

Irish nationals who are living in the Common Travel Area of the UK, EU nationals with settled or pre-settled status, and Internationals with Indefinite Leave to remain status can also qualify for home fee status.

Alumni discount

We offer a 15% tuition fee discount to eligible self-funded alumni starting a Postgraduate Taught (PGT) Masters or Postgraduate Research (PGR) programme in the 2027/28 academic year.

This includes University of Glasgow graduates and those who have completed a Study Abroad programme, Exchange programme, International Summer School or Erasmus programme with us. This discount can be awarded alongside most University scholarships. No additional application is required.

Possible additional fees

  • Re-submission by a research student £540
  • Submission for a higher degree by published work £1,355
  • Submission of thesis after deadline lapsed £350
  • Submission by staff in receipt of staff scholarship £790

Depending on the nature of the research project, some students will be expected to pay a bench fee (also known as research support costs) to cover additional costs. The exact amount will be provided in the offer letter.

Deposits

International and EU applicants to the LLM by Research are required to pay a deposit of £2,000 when an offer is made.

Fully funded scholarships 

Support

The College of Social Sciences Graduate School draws together internationally recognised scholars and respected practitioners to offer a range of research programmes.

Our programmes are based on thorough training in research methods and we encourage you to take part in numerous exciting seminars, conferences and events. We offer modern library, IT services and a wide-range of support services. You will be living in one of Europe’s most exciting cities which has a vibrant cultural and social life. 

Our Graduate School Researcher Development Programme will support you to plan your professional development over the course of your PhD and ensure your employability.

How to apply

Application deadlines

Applications for October 2026 entry are now closed. 

October 2027 entry deadlines

  • 31 October 2026 at 17:00
  • 30 January 2027 at 17:00 [Applicants seeking funding from the China Scholarship Council or the James McCune Smith Scholarship must apply by this deadline]
  • 11 May 2027 at 17:00

We aim to decide on admissions to our PGR programmes within one month of each deadline. If we believe that your research proposal is promising and there is capacity to supervise your project, you can expect to be contacted for a brief online interview. Applications received after any deadline will be considered at the next round. Successful applicants will normally begin their postgraduate studies with us in October 2027.

Identify potential supervisors

All Postgraduate Research Students are allocated a supervisor who will act as the main source of academic support and research mentoring. You may want to identify a potential supervisor and contact them to discuss your research proposal before you apply. Please note, even if you have spoken to an academic staff member about your proposal you still need to submit an online application form.

You can find relevant academic staff members with our staff research interests search.

Required documents

Applicants should submit:
  1. Academic Transcripts and Degree Certificates
  2. CV
  3. Research Proposal
  4. Two References
  5. Named Supervisor information
Apply now

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