School of Social and Political Science PhD Awards

Key contact name: Postgraduate Research Office

Key contact email: pgresearch.sps@ed.ac.uk

Deadline: Monday 3 February 2025

Project Details

The School of Social and Political Science’s Graduate School is pleased to offer a number of funded PhD awards for 2025/26 entry.

Eligibility

Please note these scholarships are only for PhD study, not for MSc by Research study.

These awards are available both to students intending to commence PhD study in the next academic year and to students currently in Year 1 (full-time equivalent) of their PhD in the School (if successful this will be a 2 year award, full-time equivalent).

These awards are available to all areas of research within the School of Social and Political Science.

When making decisions, the Selection Committee will consider:

• the applicant's academic achievements
• research proposal
• research potential
• any publications made
• any relevant non-academic experience
• the degree of support provided by references

Financial status and nationality are not taken into account.

Please ensure you read the self-assessment section to ensure you meet all the criteria as the application process is very competitive.

Award details

The award covers:

• Full tuition fees (UK, EU or Overseas fee level)
• Stipend (The stipend will be set to the UKRI level for 2025/26. The UKRI level for 2024-25 is currently £19,237 for full-time students, or the pro rata equivalent for part-time students.)

Awards for new students are made for one year in the first instance and are renewable for up to a further two years (pro-rata for part-time students), subject to satisfactory academic progress. 

Application and Selection

How to apply (future PhD students)

The closing date for this scholarship is Monday 3 February 2025 at 23:59 GMT.

Application Process

Ensure you visit the Important Information and Recommendations section before you apply.

The scholarship award application process involves two main applications:

• Apply for your chosen PhD degree programme
• Apply for your chosen scholarship

Application for admission to a PhD degree

Please note: you will only be able to apply for a scholarship after you have submitted an application for a PhD programme. 

The application to study is made via the University's online applications system EUCLID.

You must submit a full application by the deadline, including:

• research proposal
• final or interim undergraduate and postgraduate transcripts
• name of proposed supervisor
• references

References and research proposal for the application to study are also used for the scholarship application and are automatically pulled through to the scholarship system.

The application to study must be submitted at least five working days prior to the scholarship application deadline. This allows your University Username (UUN eg s1234567) to be activated in time for you to submit your scholarship application before its deadline.

You do not need to wait to receive an offer to study before applying for the 'SPS PhD Scholarship' - but you must submit a complete application to study by the deadline or your 'SPS PhD Scholarship' application will not be considered.

Please note that the 'SPS PhD Scholarship' application is extremely competitive, and every year demand far outstrips supply. 

For further information on PhD study please see our PhD Programmes webpage.

For further information on the application process, please see our how to apply page.

Application for 'SPS PhD Scholarship'

Once you have submitted your application for study, you can then submit your funding application(s). You must submit a separate application for each individual funding scheme you are applying to.

Application to the 'SPS PhD Scholarship' for future students is via the University's online scholarships application form located within the EUCLID applicant hub.

After submitting your application for your programme of study, you will receive a University Username (UUN) and access to MyEd where you can reach the scholarship application system.

Before applying, please read the self-assessment page, which provides helpful information about the factors that help make a successful application.

Please note that applications for the 'SPS PhD Scholarship' are extremely competitive, and every year demand far outstrips supply. 

Selection process

The School selection panel will meet in Spring 2025, and results will be communicated to candidates by email shortly thereafter. 

Note that we also hold a reserve list; in the event that a successful candidate later declines their award, for example because they obtain different funding. In this case, the award will be offered to the top candidate on the reserve list. 

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