King's accommodation
Discover your accommodation options and explore our residences.
Key information
Award:
MPhil
PhD
Study mode:
Full-time
Part-time
Campus:
Strand Campus
The Dickson Poon School of Law is committed to fostering cutting-edge legal research that addresses important and emerging questions, advances new knowledge and understanding, and has the potential to make a significant contribution to society, legal practice and legal scholarship. Located in the heart of legal London, near the centre of law making and higher courts, the Dickson Poon School of Law offers exceptional opportunities for engagement with the wider legal, academic and policy communities.
At the heart of our doctoral research community is the Law Doctoral School, which brings together PhD researchers from across the world and fosters a supportive, intellectually stimulating and collaborative research environment. Our vibrant and diverse research culture encourages innovative and interdisciplinary approaches to contemporary legal, social and political challenges. Our research spans a broad range of areas, including around law and technology, data and artificial intelligence, financial markets, construction law, inequality, health and medicine, environment law, and European Law.
The Dickson Poon School of Law is also home to various research centres and hubs which enjoy strong national and international reputation. These centres contribute to legal scholarship and wider public debate on important current issues. PhD researchers may find that their projects and research interests align with the work of one of these centres or groups, offering opportunities to engage with their research projects and activities. Explore our Research Centres and Hubs here.
Our Law Doctoral School has a thriving and internationally diverse community of PhD researchers whose work spans a wide range of legal disciplines, methodologies and perspectives. Their projects address contemporary challenges relating to technology and artificial intelligence, corporate governance and financial markets, global justice, inequality, human rights, sustainability and the environment, among many others.
You can meet some of our current PhD students on our Faculty's People pages.
For more information on recent publications and current research degree projects, visit the Research Portal.
Course detail
You can find an overview of our PhD programme, including a timeline of progression and details of Student Life on our PhD course description page.
We have a single entry point in October each year, we do not consider applications for January entry at this time.
Candidates should identify and approach their potential first supervisor before applying. Applications from candidates without a named, agreed supervisor from The Dickson Poon School of Law will not be considered. Please refer to our people directory to identify academic or research area.
PLEASE NOTE: Visiting staff are not eligible for supervision. Please do not submit an application without first contacting your potential first supervisor and securing their support and agreement for your application, as this may result in a rejection of your application.
The majority of our research students are full-time; although part-time study is also available.
Joint PhD: Master/Doctor of Philosophy in Law Research with Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
We also offer a joint programme with Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, that can be studied full-time or part-time.
In the King’s Apply portal, please select the Law Research with Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin MPhil/PhD programme if you intend to undertake the joint qualification.
Applicants must apply separately to Humboldt and King’s College London no matter which university is their chosen home institution.
Application deadline for all applicants:
- 1 December 2026 (to be considered for internal funding)
- 1 April 2027 (if you're not being considered for internal funding)
The tuition fees below are for the first year of the course. These tuition fees may be subject to additional increases in subsequent years of study, in line with King’s terms and conditions.
UK Tuition Fees 2027/28
Full time tuition fees: £10,800 for the first year
Part time tuition fees: £5,400 for the first year
International Tuition Fees 2027/28
Full time tuition fees: £28,900 for the first year
Part time tuition fees: £14,450 for the first year
Internal funding from The Dickson Poon School of Law
Please note: You MUST apply in Round 1 to be considered for any internal funding.
You may apply for as many internal funding schemes are you are eligible for. Enter each code separated by a comma.
The Dickson Poon School of Law Studentship x 4
Value of the award: This is a fully funded studentship that includes 3 years of fees + a maintenance stipend at the UKRI level (2026-2027 rate is £23,805) for three years with small, annual inflationary increases.
Eligibility: Any nationality, any area of legal research.
To ensure fairness and equal opportunity, candidates who have already applied twice may still apply for admissions to the Law MPhil/PhD programme but will not be eligible for further consideration for this studentship.
How to apply: On the funding section of your King’s Apply Admissions Application Form, ensure you tick the box ‘Applied to a King’s funding scheme’ and enter the code below.
Award Scheme Code: LAW2027
Deadline: Apply by 1st December 2026
Dedicated Project 1: Incentives and Barriers: Patent Law in the Age of the 3Rs
Value of the award: This is a fully funded studentship that includes 3 years of fees + a maintenance stipend at the UKRI level (2026-2027 rate is £23,805) for three years with small, annual inflationary increases.
Eligibility: Any nationality. Applicants should have an interest in intellectual property law, innovation, technology regulation, licensing, animal welfare, or related areas of legal research.
The project will be supervised by Dr Johnathon Liddicoat and Professor Tanya Aplin.
How to apply: On the funding section of your King’s Apply Admissions Application Form, ensure you tick the box ‘Applied to a King’s funding scheme’ and enter the code below.
Award Scheme Code: 2728-PLAAT
Dedicated Project 2: Rethinking Corporate Governance in Modern Capital Markets: Law, Regulation and Practice
Value of the award: This is a fully funded studentship that includes 3 years of fees + a maintenance stipend at the UKRI level (2026-2027 rate is £23,805) for three years with small, annual inflationary increases.
Eligibility: Any nationality. Applicants should have an interest in corporate law, corporate governance, financial regulation, capital markets, or related areas of legal research. The proposed PhD project will explore the future of corporate governance in modern capital markets, including topics such as investor stewardship, shareholder engagement, institutional investors, corporate purpose, sustainability, capital markets regulation, public and private markets, financial innovation, digital securities, and emerging governance challenges. Applicants are encouraged to develop their own original research questions within this broad field.
The project will be supervised by Dr Dionysia Katelouzou and Dr Martin Bengtzen.
How to apply: On the funding section of your King’s Apply Admissions Application Form, ensure you tick the box ‘Applied to a King’s funding scheme’ and enter the code below.
Award Scheme Code: 2627-RCG-MCM
Centre of European Law Studentship (CEL) x 1
Value of the award: This is a fully funded studentship that includes 3 years of fees + a maintenance stipend at the UKRI level (2026-2027 rate is £23,805) for three years with small, annual inflationary increases.
Eligibility: Any nationality. The subject area of proposed PhD research must relate to the centre’s research themes and European Law as broadly defined. See Centre of European Law for more information.
How to apply: On the funding section of your King’s Apply Admissions Application Form, ensure you tick the box ‘Applied to a King’s funding scheme’ and enter the code below.
Award Scheme Code: CEL2027
Deadline: Apply by 1st December 2026
Nash Scholarship (Centre for Construction Law and Dispute Resolution) x 1
Value of the award: This is a fully funded studentship that includes 3 years of fees + a maintenance stipend at the UKRI level (2026-2027 rate is £23,805) for three years with small, annual inflationary increases.
Eligibility : Any nationality. The subject area of proposed PhD research must relate to the Centre of Construction Law and Dispute Resolution in one of the areas of interest to the Centre.
How to apply: On the funding section of your King’s Apply Admissions Application Form, ensure you tick the box ‘Applied to a King’s funding scheme’ and enter the code below.
Award Scheme Code: Nash2027
Additionally, please submit: 500 words statement explaining how you meet these criteria: a) strong experience in construction law and/or dispute resolution; (b) strong ability, potential an commitment to complete the PhD; (c) high academic achievements or equivalent practical experience.
Deadline: Apply by 1st December 2026
King’s College London Funding
King’s-China Scholarship Council PhD Scholarship programme (K-CSC)
The King’s-China Scholarship Council (K-CSC) PhD Scholarship Programme provides funding opportunities for eligible applicants from China wishing to undertake doctoral research at King’s College London.
For the latest eligibility criteria, funding arrangements, application process and deadline, please visit the official K-CSC scholarship webpage: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/study-legacy/funding/kings-china-scholarship-council-phd-scholarship-programme-k-csc
Harold Moody PGR Studentship 2027-28 x 1
Value of the award: This is a fully funded studentship that includes 3 years of fees + a maintenance stipend at the UKRI level (2026-2027 rate is £23,805) for three years with small, annual inflationary increases.
Eligibility: Applicants must be UK-permanent residents who are liable for fees at the home rate and identify as one of the following ethnic groups: Black British; Black or Black British African; Black or Black British Caribbean; Black or Black British other; or Mixed Black. For the latest eligibility criteria, funding arrangements, application process and deadline, please visit the official Harold Moody Scholarships website: Harold Moody PGR Studentship 2027/28 | King's College London
How to apply: On the funding section of your King’s Apply Admissions Application Form, ensure you tick the box ‘Applied to a King’s funding scheme’ and enter the code below.
Award Scheme Code: 2627-THM
Deadline: If you are interested in being considered for a Harold Moody PGR studentship, please follow the directions for an application to the PhD programme in round 1 and submit by the 1 December deadline. Please kick the appropriate box and enter 2627-THM as the code to indicate your interest in being considered for this scheme. The Doctoral Studies team will follow with you as soon as further information is available to facilitate an application; the deadline for this scheme is routinely in April each year.
Other King’s College London Funding for PhD Students
We encourage you to check for opportunities which suit individual candidates listed on the King’s College Postgraduate Funding Database or International Research Student Funding list.
External Funding
London Interdisciplinary Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership (LISS DTP)
LISS DTP awards ESRC-funded postgraduate research studentships in the social sciences at three partner institutions – King’s College London, Queen Mary University of London, and Imperial College London, including eligible interdisciplinary research projects.
For the latest eligibility criteria, funding arrangements, application process and deadline, please visit the official LISS DTP website: https://liss-dtp.ac.uk/applying-to-liss/open-competition/
Base campus
Strand Campus
Located on the north bank of the River Thames, the Strand Campus houses King's College London's arts and sciences faculties.
Our researchers are an integral part of the King’s community and fully participate in the life of the Dickson Poon School of Law. You will join our academic staff on the premises in Somerset House East Wing where we have a dedicated suite of hot desking spaces available to our research students. Mere minutes from the Strand Campus you will find the Maughan Library which serves as King College London’s library for law, social science, and the arts and humanities.
As a King’s researcher you will also have access to the resources of other London universities including those at Senate House (home to the University of London’s research library), the British Library of Economics and Political Science at LSE, and the libraries of both Birkbeck College and the School of Oriental and African Studies in Bloomsbury. You also have access to The British Library, and The Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (IALS) - the premier legal research library in London.
The Dickson Poon School of Law has over fifty academic staff members as well as visiting professors and lecturers with practical experience. Each of our doctoral researchers is assigned two supervisors – a primary supervisor who oversees the research project and a second supervisor who provides complementary expertise. Research students are invited to attend and participate in staff seminars.
Loading...
The tuition fees below are for the first year of the course. These tuition fees may be subject to additional increases in subsequent years of study, in line with King’s terms and conditions.
UK Tuition Fees 2027/28
Full time tuition fees: £10,800 for the first year
Part time tuition fees: £5,400 for the first year
International Tuition Fees 2027/28
Full time tuition fees: £28,900 for the first year
Part time tuition fees: £14,450 for the first year
Internal funding from The Dickson Poon School of Law
Please note: You MUST apply in Round 1 to be considered for any internal funding.
You may apply for as many internal funding schemes are you are eligible for. Enter each code separated by a comma.
The Dickson Poon School of Law Studentship x 4
Value of the award: This is a fully funded studentship that includes 3 years of fees + a maintenance stipend at the UKRI level (2026-2027 rate is £23,805) for three years with small, annual inflationary increases.
Eligibility: Any nationality, any area of legal research.
To ensure fairness and equal opportunity, candidates who have already applied twice may still apply for admissions to the Law MPhil/PhD programme but will not be eligible for further consideration for this studentship.
How to apply: On the funding section of your King’s Apply Admissions Application Form, ensure you tick the box ‘Applied to a King’s funding scheme’ and enter the code below.
Award Scheme Code: LAW2027
Deadline: Apply by 1st December 2026
Dedicated Project 1: Incentives and Barriers: Patent Law in the Age of the 3Rs
Value of the award: This is a fully funded studentship that includes 3 years of fees + a maintenance stipend at the UKRI level (2026-2027 rate is £23,805) for three years with small, annual inflationary increases.
Eligibility: Any nationality. Applicants should have an interest in intellectual property law, innovation, technology regulation, licensing, animal welfare, or related areas of legal research.
The project will be supervised by Dr Johnathon Liddicoat and Professor Tanya Aplin.
How to apply: On the funding section of your King’s Apply Admissions Application Form, ensure you tick the box ‘Applied to a King’s funding scheme’ and enter the code below.
Award Scheme Code: 2728-PLAAT
Dedicated Project 2: Rethinking Corporate Governance in Modern Capital Markets: Law, Regulation and Practice
Value of the award: This is a fully funded studentship that includes 3 years of fees + a maintenance stipend at the UKRI level (2026-2027 rate is £23,805) for three years with small, annual inflationary increases.
Eligibility: Any nationality. Applicants should have an interest in corporate law, corporate governance, financial regulation, capital markets, or related areas of legal research. The proposed PhD project will explore the future of corporate governance in modern capital markets, including topics such as investor stewardship, shareholder engagement, institutional investors, corporate purpose, sustainability, capital markets regulation, public and private markets, financial innovation, digital securities, and emerging governance challenges. Applicants are encouraged to develop their own original research questions within this broad field.
The project will be supervised by Dr Dionysia Katelouzou and Dr Martin Bengtzen.
How to apply: On the funding section of your King’s Apply Admissions Application Form, ensure you tick the box ‘Applied to a King’s funding scheme’ and enter the code below.
Award Scheme Code: 2627-RCG-MCM
Centre of European Law Studentship (CEL) x 1
Value of the award: This is a fully funded studentship that includes 3 years of fees + a maintenance stipend at the UKRI level (2026-2027 rate is £23,805) for three years with small, annual inflationary increases.
Eligibility: Any nationality. The subject area of proposed PhD research must relate to the centre’s research themes and European Law as broadly defined. See Centre of European Law for more information.
How to apply: On the funding section of your King’s Apply Admissions Application Form, ensure you tick the box ‘Applied to a King’s funding scheme’ and enter the code below.
Award Scheme Code: CEL2027
Deadline: Apply by 1st December 2026
Nash Scholarship (Centre for Construction Law and Dispute Resolution) x 1
Value of the award: This is a fully funded studentship that includes 3 years of fees + a maintenance stipend at the UKRI level (2026-2027 rate is £23,805) for three years with small, annual inflationary increases.
Eligibility : Any nationality. The subject area of proposed PhD research must relate to the Centre of Construction Law and Dispute Resolution in one of the areas of interest to the Centre.
How to apply: On the funding section of your King’s Apply Admissions Application Form, ensure you tick the box ‘Applied to a King’s funding scheme’ and enter the code below.
Award Scheme Code: Nash2027
Additionally, please submit: 500 words statement explaining how you meet these criteria: a) strong experience in construction law and/or dispute resolution; (b) strong ability, potential an commitment to complete the PhD; (c) high academic achievements or equivalent practical experience.
Deadline: Apply by 1st December 2026
King’s College London Funding
King’s-China Scholarship Council PhD Scholarship programme (K-CSC)
The King’s-China Scholarship Council (K-CSC) PhD Scholarship Programme provides funding opportunities for eligible applicants from China wishing to undertake doctoral research at King’s College London.
For the latest eligibility criteria, funding arrangements, application process and deadline, please visit the official K-CSC scholarship webpage: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/study-legacy/funding/kings-china-scholarship-council-phd-scholarship-programme-k-csc
Harold Moody PGR Studentship 2027-28 x 1
Value of the award: This is a fully funded studentship that includes 3 years of fees + a maintenance stipend at the UKRI level (2026-2027 rate is £23,805) for three years with small, annual inflationary increases.
Eligibility: Applicants must be UK-permanent residents who are liable for fees at the home rate and identify as one of the following ethnic groups: Black British; Black or Black British African; Black or Black British Caribbean; Black or Black British other; or Mixed Black. For the latest eligibility criteria, funding arrangements, application process and deadline, please visit the official Harold Moody Scholarships website: Harold Moody PGR Studentship 2027/28 | King's College London
How to apply: On the funding section of your King’s Apply Admissions Application Form, ensure you tick the box ‘Applied to a King’s funding scheme’ and enter the code below.
Award Scheme Code: 2627-THM
Deadline: If you are interested in being considered for a Harold Moody PGR studentship, please follow the directions for an application to the PhD programme in round 1 and submit by the 1 December deadline. Please kick the appropriate box and enter 2627-THM as the code to indicate your interest in being considered for this scheme. The Doctoral Studies team will follow with you as soon as further information is available to facilitate an application; the deadline for this scheme is routinely in April each year.
Other King’s College London Funding for PhD Students
We encourage you to check for opportunities which suit individual candidates listed on the King’s College Postgraduate Funding Database or International Research Student Funding list.
External Funding
London Interdisciplinary Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership (LISS DTP)
LISS DTP awards ESRC-funded postgraduate research studentships in the social sciences at three partner institutions – King’s College London, Queen Mary University of London, and Imperial College London, including eligible interdisciplinary research projects.
For the latest eligibility criteria, funding arrangements, application process and deadline, please visit the official LISS DTP website: https://liss-dtp.ac.uk/applying-to-liss/open-competition/
Base campus
Strand Campus
Located on the north bank of the River Thames, the Strand Campus houses King's College London's arts and sciences faculties.
Our researchers are an integral part of the King’s community and fully participate in the life of the Dickson Poon School of Law. You will join our academic staff on the premises in Somerset House East Wing where we have a dedicated suite of hot desking spaces available to our research students. Mere minutes from the Strand Campus you will find the Maughan Library which serves as King College London’s library for law, social science, and the arts and humanities.
As a King’s researcher you will also have access to the resources of other London universities including those at Senate House (home to the University of London’s research library), the British Library of Economics and Political Science at LSE, and the libraries of both Birkbeck College and the School of Oriental and African Studies in Bloomsbury. You also have access to The British Library, and The Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (IALS) - the premier legal research library in London.
The Dickson Poon School of Law has over fifty academic staff members as well as visiting professors and lecturers with practical experience. Each of our doctoral researchers is assigned two supervisors – a primary supervisor who oversees the research project and a second supervisor who provides complementary expertise. Research students are invited to attend and participate in staff seminars.
Loading...
Key information
Award:
MPhil
PhD
Study mode:
Full-time
Part-time
Campus:
Strand Campus
Contact us
For more information regarding our courses please contact us using the details below
Find out more
Chat to students and staff
Chat to current students and staff to find out about life at King's.
Connect with a King’s Advisor
Want to know more about studying at King's? We're here to help.
Learning in London
King's is right in the heart of the capital.