Student Eligibility Criteria
The scheme is open only to student nationals from India, China, Hong Kong, South Africa, Brazil, Russia and the developing world, as defined by the Development Assistance Committee of the OECD. For a full list of eligible countries please go to the OECD website. The eligible countries are all those on the list, plus Russia and Hong Kong.
Recipient universities are required to ensure that the students they accept hold a high-grade qualification, at least the equivalent of a UK first class honours degree, from a prestigious academic institution. These students should be considered to be the 'best of the best' (for example, candidates should be demonstrably in the top 20 per cent of PhD candidates).
Students must be selected in accordance with the university's own postgraduate admission requirements.
Students participating in the scheme who will be undertaking research in certain science, engineering or technology disciplines will be required to apply to the Foreign & Commonwealth Office Academic Technology Approval Scheme (see http://www.fco.gov.uk/atas). Universities should inform students of this requirement.
DHPAs are open to top-quality science, engineering, medicine, biological science and technology students.