Selection for entry to the DCGC programme is based on high academic achievement, the quality of the research proposal and an assessment of your potential and commitment to complete high-quality research. The DCGC consortium wants you to make the best possible case for you and your project in your application. Applicants are encouraged to make contact with us in order to check that their proposed research fits in with the programme themes, as well as to check supervisory arrangements and the mobility pathway. The consortium has agreed the detailed criteria and a marking grid for the assessment of applications. The most important of the documents you are asked to submit is your research proposal. The assessors of your application will scrutinize this very carefully, so make sure that it represents your project and your ideas as accurately and as convincingly as possible. We also place great emphasis on your CV, on your statement of purpose, and on your previous experience. There is no single route to a place on this programme; indeed, there are many experiences, academic or otherwise, that may have prepared you for a DCGC doctorate. We value diversity very highly and will honour all the knowledge and skills that you have acquired in a variety of different contexts. Also important in your application will be the judgement of your referees: they will have to attest to the quality of your work and to your potential as a researcher, so select them carefully. However, the letters of reference will only be assessed if you are short-listed for an interview. Throughout the application we will be assessing the quality of your written expression, so we want to see you use the best English that you are capable of. The consortium wishes to encourage a balance of male and female applicants, candidates with disabilities and from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds. Because of the nature of the programme and its emphasis on global and cultural approaches, the fact that the candidates themselves are a teaching and learning resource, gender balance and a diversity of cultural and social backgrounds are seen to be an important element in the overall success of the programme.