Dual-award between The University of Manchester and Tsinghua University

The University of Manchester and China's Tsinghua University have come together to offer a unique dual degree PhD programme, with successful applicants spending four life-changing years across Manchester and Beijing.

At Manchester and Tsinghua, you'll benefit from the excellent research infrastructure and academic supervision of not one, but two world-leading institutions.

A female scientists uses a pipette to drop liquid into a series of test tubes.

Why undertake the dual degree PhD programme?

  • Embrace the challenge of living abroad in one of the world's most famous cities, in a country with the world's fastest-growing economy.
  • Develop a global perspective and international fluency to benefit your future development, opening the door to exciting new job opportunities.
  • Boost your intercultural skills and become part of a talented pool of prospective employees for UK academia and industry.

About the programme

Admission for the seventh cohort of students for The University of Manchester and Tsinghua University Dual Award PhD programme has now closed.

The first-of-its-kind dual award PhD programme brings together two globally-renowned institutions at the forefront of research.

This dual PhD programme will develop world-class research outputs, while at the same time providing PhD training and skills to support a transition from a fossil resource to a bio-based system.

"It promises to be a fantastic programme and will provide a unique educational experience for the next generation of scientists. The strengths of Manchester and Tsinghua together will provide an excellent environment for PhD students to grow and blossom." - Dr Neil Dixon, former Programme Director.

"This Tsinghua-Manchester dual degree PhD programme will provide unique opportunities for students to experience various research environments of both universities, to learn great sciences across national borders and to become more culturally open. More importantly, the students will exploit complementary strengths of both sites." - Professor George Guoqiang Chen, Programme Director of Tsinghua University.

Available projects

A double helix of DNA

Life at Tsinghua University

As part of this programme you'll spend two years at Tsinghua University – one of the most prestigious universities in the world. Its campus is also considered one of the world's most beautiful, and is the site of the former imperial gardens of the Qing Dynasty.

Spending so much time abroad can seem daunting; but everything is in place to ensure a wonderful, life-changing experience in Beijing.

Many international students attend Tsinghua, and you can find out more about activities and events on the University's website. You can also discover more about opportunities for UK students in China through the British Council campaign Generation UK.

Funding

Full tuition fees at both institutions are covered as part of the studentship. Additional financial support includes:

  • an annual stipend at the UKRI minimum rate (approximately £20,780 for 2025/26) while in Manchester,
  • a stipend provided via the China Link Scholarship, which will provide a commensurate standard of living with UKRI stipend, while based at Tsinghua University,
  • an annual Research Training Support Grant to contribute towards research project costs and consumables (up to £2,500 pa)  during the time spent in Manchester,
  • Tsinghua University owned accommodation guaranteed to successful CLS applicants,
  • the flight allowance for students travelling to Beijing and visa costs.

Students are required to duly complete the necessary administrative procedures and facilitate their smooth transfer to Tsinghua.

The Manchester Institute of Biotechnology building at The University of Manchester.

Contact us

If you have any queries about the programme, please don't hesitate to get in touch: