School of Social and Political Sciences PhD Scholarships

Applicants must apply via the Scholarships Application Portal (please see Scholarships Application Portal - Applicant Guide for more information), uploading the following documentation:

SPS PhD Scholarship application form (which includes a lay summary, section on preparedness and your research proposal)
Academic transcripts (All relevant Undergraduate and Master's level degree transcripts (and translations, if not originally in English) – provisional transcripts are sufficient if you are yet to complete your degree). Please see Scholarships Application Portal - Applicant Guide for more information.
Contact details for two referees (where possible your referees should include an academic familiar with your work - they can be, but do not have to be, a member of your proposed supervisory team. Both referees can be academics but you may include a work referee, especially if you have been out of academia for more than 5 years). Please note, a CoSS PGR Funding Reference template will be sent to your referees for completion*
Curriculum Vitae (CV) (academic where applicable).
SPS PhD Scholarship Supervisor Statement of Support

The School of Social and Political Sciences invites applications for three funded PhD scholarships for doctoral research (3 international and 2 home scholarships). Three International scholarships will be awarded to candidates from a country or territory listed as either 'Least Developed, Low Income, Lower Middle Income or Upper Middle Income' by the OECD and two Home scholarships to be awarded to UK Widening Participation candidates.

The scholarships are open to anyone who, by September 2025, will hold an honours degree in the social sciences. A Master's degree (or overseas equivalent) may be an advantage but not essential.

Applicants must have a minimum of an upper second-class honours undergraduate degree (or overseas equivalent), which should include evidence of at least some performance at first-class level (or overseas equivalent). Applicants without a Master's degree (completed or in progress) must either have achieved (or be predicted to achieve) a first-class honours (or ‘distinction') degree classification in their undergraduate degree (or overseas equivalent).

Palestinian applicants must specifically come from West Bank and Gaza to be eligible for this scholarship.

Value

The scholarships will provide funding for 3.5 years of research towards a PhD in the School of Social and Political Sciences. The programme will commence in October 2025. The full scholarship package includes:

An annual stipend at the UKRI rate
Fees at the standard home rate or international rate
Students can also draw on a Research Training Support Grant, usually up to a maximum of £940 per year
Commencement Bursary (single payment at the start of the PhD)