Placement Scheme

Placement criteria

• Students must discuss placements with their supervisors before applying and should ideally have completed their first year of the PhD
• Placements must start within the funded period of the studentship and must be completed no later than 6 months before their funding end date
• Placements should enable students to develop transferable skills that can be applied to their PhD research, engage the public in fresh and interesting ways, experience a working environment in a different sector from academia, discover new ways of working and new methodologies, and develop their employability skills
• Placements can be undertaken at times most convenient for all parties and there is no set structure for how they must be taken; students could, for instance spend 1 day a week or every day for 3 weeks on a placement, as is suitable for the project, the student, and the partner
• International students must speak to their institution’s visa compliance team to ensure their proposed placement is compliant with the terms of their visa. LAHP will not approve the placement until this has been confirmed.

How to apply for a placement

• There are three routes to finding a placement opportunity – please see below in the ‘Routes to placements’ section.
• Once you have secured a placement opportunity in principle via one of the routes outlined below, you will need to complete a Placement Agreement Form. This form outlines the scope of your placement project, what is expected of you, and what the placement host commits to. The Placement Agreement Form must be signed by the student, the placement host, and your academic supervisor and submitted to LAHP: lahp@ucl.ac.uk
• Whether you have applied for an advertised placement or proposed your own placement, you must submit a Placement Agreement Form to LAHP.

Routes to placements

1. Apply for a placement advertised by our existing LAHP non-HEI partners

Our existing placement hosts regularly design placement opportunities for LAHP students in areas that provide students with invaluable industry experience, and which contribute directly to the development needs of the organisation. Please see our Placement Opportunities Available section for details of all current opportunities and how to apply. Most hosts will have their own application process. If you are successful in your application, you will need to notify LAHP and complete a Placement Agreement Form as outlined above and have this approved before your placement can be confirmed.

2. Propose a placement to an existing LAHP non-HEI partner

Some of our existing partners are open to placement proposals from students in which you define the area of work that you would like your placement to be focused on. Please check out our placement host profiles to see which institutions are currently willing to consider proposals from students.

You may find it useful to use this placement template email when contacting a LAHP non-HEI partner. Once your placement is approved in principle by the non-HEI partner, please complete a Placement Agreement Form and submit to LAHP.

3. Propose a placement to a new non-HEI partner

If you are considering a placement with an organisation that is not within the current LAHP non-HEI partners, or you and your supervisor are already in contact with a specific organisation, you can liaise directly.

If you have not made contact before, you may find it useful to use this placement template email when contacting a LAHP non-HEI partner. Once your placement is approved in principle by the non-HEI partner, please complete a Placement Agreement Form and submit to LAHP.

Financial support during your placement

Depending on the terms of your placement, you can apply for one of the following:

• Research Extension Fund: this fund extends funding (fees and stipend) by up to 6 months depending on the length of your placement. If you were to undertake your placement on a part-time basis, your extension would be calculated pro rata, e.g., if you complete a 6-month placement on a part-time basis (2.5 days per week) you will be awarded a 3-month extension at the full-time rate. The Research Extension Fund cannot be used to extend the writing up period, and any applications must be submitted in advance of your funding end date.

• Interrupting for the period of the placement: you would need to take this option if you are receiving a salary for your placement or completing a paid internship. Please note that during this period your stipend will be suspended for the length of your placement, and your submission end date will be extended by the equivalent period. If this is something you would like to discuss, please contact lahp@ucl.ac.uk

We consider extension applications on a rolling basis, and you can expect a decision within 15 working days of submission.

Additional support from the LAHP Engagement Provision

Placement opportunities available

Here you can find all the placement opportunities that are currently open for applications.

Placement case studies

Find out about our LAHP students’ experiences in the placement case studies section.

Get in touch

If you would like to discuss a placement opportunity or have any questions regarding the process, please email lahp@ucl.ac.uk

Alternatively, Dr Marquard Smith and Gillian Harrison run 15-minute online drop-in sessions every fortnight. The schedule for Autumn term 2025 will be updated here shortly, and booking link provided.