We understand that it’s likely you’ll have questions about the SAINTS Centre for Doctoral Training and the PhD in Safe Artificial Intelligence.
On this page you’ll find answers to the most frequently asked questions we receive. If you need any further assistance, please contact the SAINTS Team.
About the SAINTS Centre for Doctoral Training
SAINTS stands for ‘Safe Artificial Intelligence Systems’. Our vision is to train PhD researchers with the research expertise and skills necessary to ensure the development of responsible and trustworthy AI.
CDT stands for ‘Centre for Doctoral Training’, where the University and its partners come together to offer combined research and expertise to support and train PhD researchers.
By undertaking your PhD in a CDT, you’ll be part of a prestigious cohort that will study together within a structured programme, providing you with a supportive and collaborative environment throughout your programme. You’ll also join a thriving group where you’ll carry out your research alongside people from different backgrounds, and with different perspectives.
Our industry partners are organisations of all sizes who recognise the importance of developing, regulating, legislating, adopting and operating AI safely. They have partnered with the University of York because they know that our research in this area is outstanding, and they are excited to support our PhD researchers.
We are also partnering with non-industry partners including regulatory and policy organisations, with many of them offering to host research exchanges. Our partners have helped us to develop our CDT to make sure that our graduates have the skills they are looking for.
Yes! Please visit our ‘Potential Reading‘ page.
SAINTS is committed to providing a supportive environment, working alongside the University to ensure you have everything you need to thrive. We’ve listed below a some avenues of support that is available to our PhD Researchers. This list is not exhaustive, so if you have particular concerns before you apply, please contact saints-cdt-admissions@york.ac.uk.
Department Student Wellbeing Officer
Offering advice, guidance and support with personal or academic issues that may affect your ability to fully engage with student life.
Your supervision team
Your supervisor or supervisory team is responsible for helping you to manage your research, as well as being your primary link to your department and the University. Your main supervisor is your first point of contact for any issues that arise throughout your programme.
Disability Services
Providing support, advice and guidance for those with a diagnosed disability. Disability Services can help you obtain reasonable adjustments for formal examinations (progression, the final examination, and any taught modules that you are required to take). Reasonable adjustments can be made in some limited circumstances without the need for an SSP.
Student Hub
You can chat to th Student Advice and Communities Team about issues regarding financial support and money management, housing advice, academic progress issues and more. They can also direct you to the best source of support for any query.
Campus Safety team
A first point of contact for security, medical, social and wellbeing related issues, providing advice and guidance on safety and security related issues.
You can see more information on support for University of York students on the Health, Wellbeing and Disability webpage.
About the SAINTS PhD in Safe Artificial Intelligence
Your PhD in Safe AI will train you to work at the cutting edge of AI development and safety assurance. Although many AI careers don’t require a PhD, the knowledge and skills you will gain as part of SAINTS are unique, and the programme has been developed with input from industry professionals and our partners.
This CDT will help you to flourish in your future career, whether that is in further academic research, in a safety or product development role in industry, or working on national strategy, regulation or legislation in the public or private sector. The research you will carry out will make you an expert in your field, while the networks you develop will be the building blocks for your professional life.
You can study the PhD for four years full-time, or eight years part-time.
Part-time study is only available to postgraduate researchers that do not need a student visa.
Our aim is to recruit a total of 60 PhD researchers across a wide range of disciplines over the duration of the SAINTS CDT. The number of researchers that we recruit to each discipline will depend on the quality of the candidates that apply.
There will be approximately twelve to sixteen PhD researchers in a single cohort that starts in the September of each year of admission.
The first cohort of PhD researchers in the SAINTS CDT started in September 2024, the second cohort started in September 2025, the third cohort started in September 2026, and our fourth cohort will start in September 2027.
No, the PhD in Safe AI is not an integrated programme and does not provide a specific Masters qualification. The length of the PhD in Safe AI reflects the in-depth nature of the programme, providing researchers with the expertise and skills to become future leaders within their discipline.
Yes, PhD researchers based in the SAINTS CDT will be funded.
A doctoral stipend will be paid to PhD researchers each year, based on the UKRI minimum stipend. This will cover your living expenses and will be paid to you in regular instalments. It is likely to increase yearly in line with inflation.
Your annual tuition fees will also be paid, and there will be funding available for you to attend relevant events and conferences.
For 2027-28, there is an enhanced stipend for Home fee status PhD researchers via the TechFirst programme.
Your individual research project will be determined in conjunction with your supervisors to make the best of your skills and interests.
This will be within the context of the team you are working in, its approach to the research theme, and will also depend on the datasets/case studies available.
No, you don’t need to contact your preferred supervisor.
Unlike more traditional approaches to applying for a PhD, in SAINTS you are not required or expected to contact anyone about project supervision. You can, for example, speak with individuals about your research area and discuss possible challenges in your area of interest. However, as research projects are defined after offers are made, you do not need to speak to the academic team at this stage.
Please note that you should not contact any of the SAINTS co-investigators as they will be unable to assist you due to their involvement in the selection process. You can view a list of the SAINTS co-investigators in the drop-down section entitled ‘Team’ at the bottom of the home page for the SAINTS Centre for Doctoral Training.
The first six months will have a significant amount of time allocated to taught courses and team working, with group and individual assessments. Beyond this period, there will be ongoing taught skills, but the focus will be increasingly on team research and your individual PhD topic.
Our partners will provide you with ‘research exchange’ opportunities where, as part of your PhD, you will work in industry or the public sector to gain valuable experience that will support your research development.
The partners will also provide other forms of support, from real-world data and case studies to guest lectures and access to facilities.
Many of our partners also expect to offer employment opportunities to SAINTS researchers when they graduate.
Entry requirements and eligibility
Typically, you should have, or expect to obtain, one of the following combinations of academic qualification:
- A first-class honours degree (or equivalent), or
2:1 in an honours degree and a Master’s degree (or equivalent)
We recognise that applicants may not have followed a traditional career path, and therefore, relevant work experience or equivalent qualifications can be taken into account.
Prior practical experience in creating AI-enabled systems is desirable, but is not essential.
The SAINTS CDT is the UK’s first multidisciplinary PhD programme focused solely on the safety of artificial intelligence.
You don’t necessarily need to have a degree in computer science. However, your knowledge and experience should enable you to undertake doctoral research in your chosen area within SAINTS. Key areas of research will be in the following academic disciplines: computer science, engineering, mathematics, health sciences, law, philosophy and sociology.
A knowledge of basic computer programming skills is required. If you do not have these skills, you’ll be required to attend a programming ‘boot camp’ which will take place immediately before the PhD programme starts in September 2026. This will give you the skills you need, whatever your background.
Yes, you can apply for the PhD in Safe AI if you have already obtained a PhD qualification.
UKRI-funded studentships are open to UK (Home) and international applicants. Due to UKRI funding arrangements, the number of opportunities available to international applicants each year is limited; however, we still encourage you to apply.
To be treated as a Home student, you must meet one of the following criteria:
- be a UK national (meeting residency requirements)
- have settled status
- have pre-settled status (meeting residency requirements)
- have indefinite leave to remain or enter.
If you are unable to meet any of the above criteria, you will be treated as an international student.
Usually, no. Our CDT has funding to support 60 PhD studentships (and to cover all costs) and this ensures that all our PhD researchers have the same experience.
We know that, in some cases, researchers have other means of financial support. We would be happy to discuss this further if this applies to you, but you should be aware that enrolment is different to a standard PhD, you would still need to go through the standard application route (details below), and the costs of participation will be higher than usual. There is no guarantee that we will be able to offer you a place even after discussion.
About the applications process
Take a look at our PhD in Safe AI page. If you have any further questions, please email the SAINTS Administration Team at saints-cdt-admissions@york.ac.uk.
Please see our 2027 Studentships webpage for the application timeline and all the information you need on how to apply.
Yes, you can apply if you’re still studying.
The two-part application process is designed to assess your academic and collaborative abilities, and to look for evidence of your potential to undertake research in your chosen area. We therefore encourage you to start thinking about how your research interests fit with our two key themes.
At Stage One of the application process, you simply need to tell us about the qualifications you’ve already achieved, about your current studies, and the predicted grade you hope to achieve.
If we are impressed by your application in Stage One, we will invite you through to Stage Two. At that point, we will request official evidence of already-achieved qualifications and predicted grades for your current course of study.
No, you do not need to identify a potential supervisor or submit a research proposal when you start the application process.
If we invite you to attend Stage Two of the application process, then we will ask you to provide two academic references at that point.
Please see our 2027 Studentships webpage for the application timeline. If you are invited to Stage Two of our application process, you will attend our in-person group selection event. This is due to take place in late February 2027, on campus at the University of York (or online for international applicants).
We will provide you with more information about what you can expect nearer to the time. This will include the date and time of the event, exact location, and details about what the day will involve.
After each stage of the recruitment process, we will contact you to let you know if you have been invited to progress to the next stage. You can see the timeline of when to expect a decision on our 2027 Studentships webpage.
Studying and living in York
You will primarily be based at the Institute for Safe Autonomy on Campus East at the University of York.
You’ll also be able to make full use of the facilities in the department of your primary discipline. This will be on Campus East or Campus West, depending on the location of the department.
Take a look at the University’s Campus Map to find out where our departments are located.
You can choose to apply for university accommodation, which is located on our beautiful and compact parkland campus. The majority of our postgraduate accommodation is in Wentworth College, our postgraduate-only college based on Campus West.
There are lots of ways you can get involved: not only in your studies, but in student life while you are here in York.
You can join student societies, get involved in a range of sports, or make a difference and stand for election as a course rep.
The University’s students’ union represents and supports all students and also offers a range of events and activities.
Completing a PhD is challenging, and we would not expect full-time postgraduate researchers to commit to part-time work outside of their studies, unless it was only a small number of hours per week.
You will be paid a stipend – a tax-free amount paid quarterly like a salary. You do not pay national insurance and, if you have a student loan, you do not have to start paying it back during your PhD. While completing a full-time PhD, you are not required to pay council tax (unless you live with non-researchers).
PhD researchers are sometimes given the opportunity to do some tutoring and demonstrating which can provide an additional source of income.
In some PhD programmes, it is possible to work full-time and study for a PhD on a part-time basis.
With SAINTS, we do not recommend that you study part-time while holding a full-time job. Schedule clashes can lead to you missing out on significant academic opportunities taking place during the working week, such as training, workshops and conferences.
In addition, it is important to note that students in full-time employment are not eligible for a stipend of any kind from UKRI. We therefore do not accept applications from individuals working full-time who wish to study for a PhD on a part-time basis.
Advice for international students
Yes, international applicants are welcome to apply. However, it is important to note that the number of funded studentships for international applicants is limited.
If you need a Student Visa in order to study in the UK, please note that you must study as a full-time student. It is not possible for you to study on a part-time basis.
If you’re a non-native English speaking applicant you must provide evidence of your English language ability. If we choose to make you an offer, then we will ask you to provide a language test certificate at that point.
If we make you an offer, you may need to obtain a Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies (CAS) in order to make a visa application to study with us.
You may also be required to apply for an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) Certificate. If an ATAS is required for entry, then this will be noted on your offer letter.
We offer dedicated support to international researchers, which will help you settle into life studying and living in the UK.
Please visit our ‘Potential Reading‘ page.
Completing a PhD is challenging, and we would not expect full-time postgraduate researchers to commit to part-time work outside of their studies.
You will be paid a stipend – a tax-free amount paid quarterly like a salary.
PhD researchers are sometimes given the opportunity to do some tutoring and demonstrating which can provide an additional source of income.
More information on working restrictions on a Student Visa, is available on the University Student Visa Terms and Conditions webpage.
