I know what I want to focus on as a topic - I have a more broad idea at the moment, rather than a narrowed-down, specific question to research. I am just a little stumped when it comes to how to apply. What is most important to focus on - the University itself (its reputation, location, how established it is with the subject being researched), what funding is available (how many fully funded places are on offer, additional funding that they may have for PhD candidates), or possible supervisors that they have?

I know I can only afford to do my PhD if I can acquire funding, but I also know that the topic I wish to focus on is fairly niche. I'm worried that some of the Unis that I would like to apply to would dismiss my application as there may not be supervisors interested in the area I propose to research.

How have others approached it? I wanted to stay down in the south coast, but I'm not sure if it's silly to focus on the location - do employers even care what University PhDs are acquired from, or just that you have studied to that level?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you.

If you are at the UK, I would starts applying to UK redbrick universities first, and If I were not lucky, I would examine second options. In my opinion, if you apply to redbrick universities you stand a better chance to find a supervisor who is suitable for your PhD topic. Funding does play a role, but isn't everything.

What field are you in? If it's science, you usually just apply to funded projects, and the university does matter. You should aim for at least a Redbrick. It doesn't really matter about location, you need to narrow the choice down somehow anyway.

You can't divide it like that: You need to find the right Uni (for you) and the right supervisor (for you) with the right funding arrangements (for you).

If you're getting a PhD for a job, stop. A PhD is not going to get you a better job or help your employment prospects. There are plenty of PhDs here who are struggling to get work. If you're doing a PhD because you love research, then go forward.

Its hard to advise you without knowing whether you're completing a hard science PhD (in which you apply to PhD projects/roles), or an arts/humanities one (in which you develop your own research topic etc).

In my experience, the most important aspect is the supervisor, funding and depending on your type of PhD, availability of equipment. Then things like Uni location, research production, etc come after. A bad supervisor can ruin your experience and make it difficult to go forward. A good supervisor will open doors for you and help you succeed. You should apply to multiple schools, and research how the funding is given out. Some schools funding is based solely on grades, others are a combination. It's not necessarily about your research topic that will determine your funding (depends on the Uni), generally funding (scholarships anyways) are given out based on your past achievements/grades etc. But, you should also research supervisors and if possible, see if you can get into contact with former students (sometimes are listed) to gauge their experiences.