Fostering Inclusive Doctoral Admissions
Building on the EDEPI Competency-Based Admissions Framework, three UK university institutions have engaged as case studies, piloting new approaches to evaluating applicants beyond conventional academic metrics.
Ongoing initiatives
The Open University – From Open Ethos to Inclusive Practice
The Open University supports around 800 doctoral researchers across four faculties and 15 affiliated research centres, reflecting its mission of openness. Yet, like many institutions, challenges remain around equity in admissions, particularly for candidates from racially minoritised backgrounds.
Getting involved in the EDEPI project, the OU piloted the Competency-Based Admissions Framework in the Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies. The pilot focused on the interview stage, where existing criteria were re-mapped to EDEPI domains such as Comprehension & Evaluation, Delivering Results, and Socio-Emotional Competencies. Structured interview questions, guidance, and scoring grids ensured greater consistency and transparency, while allowing flexibility for discipline-specific needs.
The approach prompted richer conversations within panels about what was being assessed and why. As one colleague noted, it helped reduce reliance on “unspoken assumptions” while making comparisons across candidates easier.
Looking ahead, the OU plans to extend the framework across the full admissions cycle and scale it to all the faculties, moving closer to its goal of an inclusive, university-wide approach to doctoral recruitment.
University of Glasgow – Embedding Inclusivity in Cohort-Based Recruitment
The EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Diversity-Led, Mission-Driven Research (DiveIn) at the University of Glasgow focuses on bringing together diverse teams to tackle interdisciplinary, mission-driven research challenges in science and engineering. Integral to this was the development of an innovative approach to recruiting diverse doctoral researchers into a cohort-based programme. Recognising the importance of inclusivity in this competitive environment, the DiveIn CDT engaged with the EDEPI Community of Practice to refine its doctoral recruitment processes.
DiveIn piloted the EDEPI Competency-Based Framework, embedding competency-based questions and structured rubrics into pseudo-anonymised admissions. This approach enabled panels to evaluate candidates consistently, moving beyond narrow academic metrics to consider a wider range of core competencies, research potential, and fit to the mission.
The pilot encouraged dialogue among academic staff about how merit and inclusivity intersect, helping panels better recognise diverse strengths. The structured process also supported transparency, offering applicants clearer expectations and reducing risks of bias. Feedback from the first recruited cohort was very positive “the whole process helped us build resilience and confidence” and helped instil a sense of readiness and belonging when starting their PhD journeys.
The EDEPI framework is now being embedded more broadly across other doctoral training programmes at the University of Glasgow, contributing to the sector-wide learning shared through EDEPI’s Community of Practice and strengthening its commitment to equitable doctoral admissions.
Newcastle University – Innovating Inclusive Admissions in STEM
EPSRC Doctoral Landscape Award and the ReNU+ Centre for Doctoral Training at Newcastle University are moving towards a contextual admissions model, piloting new approaches to widen diversity in STEM doctoral recruitment. Both schemes sought to address challenges around consistency and inclusivity across multi-disciplinary recruitment.
Working with EDEPI, Newcastle introduced anonymised competency assessments adapted from the framework, requiring applicants to respond to five discipline-relevant questions. These were scored against clear rubrics before reviewers saw the full application, helping reduce bias. At interview stage, all but project-specific questions were shared with candidates in advance, ensuring transparency and consistency.
The approach has been well received. As one academic lead reflected: “The framework gave us confidence by standardising our evaluation of applicants’ full range of skills and experiences.” Applicants also reported valuing the recognition of professional experience alongside academic credentials.
Newcastle will continue to refine its approach through rigorous evaluation, scaling lessons learned across the institution while contributing findings back to the EDEPI community.
Work package two (WP2): Inclusive approach to PGR admissions
WP2 involves the development of a competency-based admissions framework that seeks to tackle inequality at scale by shifting the focus to the competencies required to successfully undertake PGR study.
Find out more about our work
Equity in Doctoral Education through Partnership and Innovation (EDEPI)
Equity in Doctoral Education through Partnership and Innovation is a project which aims to increase participation of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic groups in doctoral education.
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