The 4 Stages of PhD Application Review

Where Most Applications Fail

In Part 2 of the PhD Applications Masterclass, I break down how PhD applications are actually reviewed in practice, based on how selection committees work under real constraints of time, capacity, and funding. I explain the four-stage review process most applications go through, including: • Initial screening (minutes per application, early filtering) • Detailed review by a small number of reviewers • Committee discussion and shortlisting • Interview and supervisor consultation At each stage, I discuss: • who is involved in the decision • how much time is realistically spent per application • why many strong candidates are filtered out for structural reasons • where effort genuinely matters — and where it does not This is not advice on “gaming the system” or producing a perfect application. The aim is to make the process legible, so applicants understand how decisions are made, and can interpret outcomes more realistically. Part 3 focuses on who sits on these panels, how roles differ, and why panel composition matters more than most applicants realise.