Applications and Admissions Procedure

NSPC Application Process

Once you have decided to apply for one of the programmes at NSPC, you should aim to do so as early as possible. It can take a number of weeks to obtain all of the documents you need, and you should allow your referees plenty of time to submit your references. Only applications fulfilling all entry requirements will be considered for the next stage of the application process.

Programme deadlines

All programmes have a deadline beyond which applications cannot normally be considered for the next intake.

However, do not wait until the day of the deadline to submit your application or supporting documents!  We may not always be able to answer your questions or help you to resolve any problems in time, particularly around our busiest application deadlines. Your application will be withdrawn if it is not complete by the deadline. The deadlines for submission are as follows:

For Doctoral Programmes: End of November for the following September intake and end of March for the following January intake.

The deadline to submit any supporting docs for doctoral applicants wishing to be considered for September is 9^th January.

For Masters Programmes: End of July for the September intake, beginning of December for the January intake and beginning of March for the April intake.

The deadline to submit any supporting docs for doctoral applicants wishing to be considered for January is 9^th May.

If your course has more than one deadline, this means that applications are considered in two or more separate batches.

What happens next?

You will usually receive a decision from our academic department about 4 weeks following the deadline to which you have applied and if successful will be called in for interview. 10 weeks after the interview you will receive a decision from the admission department of the school as follows:

Successful applicants:

1.  Unconditional acceptance
2. Waiting list - Applicants will secure an automatic place on the next intake and will have priority over new applications. This allocation may be brought forward in case of cancellation or additional places becoming available. Applicants will be notified as soon as there is an opening and will be offered a place. In that case it is imperative that the candidate make a swift decision.

Unsuccessful applicants:

1. Applicants who were close to fulfilling the requirements may be asked to undertake additional conditions such as enrolling on the foundation course. These applicants will be interviewed once they have fulfilled the additional conditions and will be reconsidered for the programme and will not need to submit a new application.
2. Applicants who did not meet the entry requirements or where unable to untaken any additional conditions may re-apply the following year.

Can I apply again to the same programme?

You may apply to any programme only once in each year of study. However, if you did not secure a place you can re-apply for the next intake and your application will be considered as new.

Can I apply to more than one course? 

Yes, you can apply to more than one course.  

What if I am a foundation course student?

After successfully completing two modules of the foundation course and during the third module you will be eligible to apply to the Doctoral and Master’s courses. The procedure is similar to the one described above at the end of which if your application is successful you may be offered a conditional place on the course of your choice providing you successfully complete the third module.

Is the application fee refundable?

Your application fee is non-refundable. This is because the fee covers the costs of processing your application, interview and documentation.

Is there a waiting list?

We aim to allocate successful applicants to the intake of their choice. However, if the first intake is already fully allocated these candidates will be offered a place on the following intake but this can be brought forward in cases where there are cancellations. Applicants will be notified as soon as there is an opening and will be offered a place. In that case it is imperative that the candidate makes a swift decision.