Finding funding for your PhD is not always easy. Don't worry though, there are a quite a few options available to you, and we've included a number of useful resources below:
FindAPhD.com is proud to announce the launch of our 2016 postgraduate scholarship scheme, giving away £12,000 worth of funding to prospective postgraduate students for the fifth year running.
Students wishing to start their postgraduate studies in autumn 2016 at any university listed on FindAPhD.com or FindAMasters.com should register now to be in with a chance of winning your share of our £12,000 scholarships scheme pot.
Please do not apply for UK studentships on this site unless you qualify for UK Research Council funding or have access to funding from other sources.
Funding for PhD studentships from UK Research Councils is available to UK citizens or those who have been ordinarily resident in the UK for a period of 3 years or more. EU nationals may qualify for a fees only award. Below are links to the studentship handbooks or student web sites of the UK Research Councils.
Please note: UK Research Councils do not make studentship awards directly to students, but allocate them to departments and supervisors who then advertise for candidates. Candidates for a studentship should address their enquiries to the university department, research institute, company or other approved organisation where they would like to undertake a research degree.
Please click on one of the links below to find out more....
Studentships from UK charities have varying eligibility criteria. Awards are generally not made directly to students, but allocated to supervisors who then advertise for candidates. Candidates for a studentship should address their enquiries to the university department, research institute, company or other approved organisation where they would like to undertake a research degree.
Details of eligibility requirements for some of the major research charities are available through the links below:
For any overseas students, your first port of call should be grant-awarding bodies in your own country (eg The Ministry/Department of Education) and your local (or nearest) office of the British Council (addresses for international British Council offices can be found at www.britishcouncil.org). The British Council manage a small number of international studentship grants in some countries and should be able to tell you what other awards may be available to you.
The sites listed below also contain links and information on funding:
In addition to the scholarships below residents of Commonwealth countries can also apply for the schemes listed under All International Students
As mentioned above European Union (EU) citizens may qualify for a fees only award for UK research council studentships, they will need to find their own money for living expenses.
The EU provides some grants to promote the exchange of students and academic staff within Europe, such as the SOCRATES and LEONARDO Programmes. The European Commission (EC) also makes some awards to students from developing countries. Contact the EC office in your own country or write to the European Commission, Directorate General III, Rue de la Loi 200, B-1049 Brussels, Belgium. Further details can also be found on the Community Research & Development Information Service (CORDIS) web site.
Research collaboration in Europe extends beyond the EU and residents of European countries with organisations affiliated to the European Science Foundation may also be eligible for certain schemes.
The Higher Education Commission - an excellent site detailing scholarships available to Pakistani students wishing to study abroad.
Whichever country you wish to study in the first place to ask about funding is your own Ministry/Department of Education.
JASON is a search engine that contains information about postgraduate scholarships available to Australian students wishing to study at home or abroad, and to international students wishing to study in Australia.
Click for a list of Commonwealth countries
The Association of Universities & Colleges in Canada has links and information for international students wishing to study in Canada.
The EU provides some grants to promote the exchange of students and academic staff within Europe, such as the SOCRATES and LEONARDO Programmes. The European Commission (EC) also makes some awards to students from developing countries. Contact the EC office in your own country or write to the European Commission, Directorate General III, Rue de la Loi 200, B-1049 Brussels, Belgium. Further details can also be found on the Community Research & Development Information Service (CORDIS) web site
Information on national schemes can be found at:
Research collaboration in Europe extends beyond the EU and residents of European countries with organisations affiliated to the European Science Foundation may also be eligible for certain schemes.
Application procedures for Fulbright grants to study or teach in the United States vary from country to country. Fulbright Commissions or the American Embassies administer the program, with the assistance of local educational authorities and institutions.
To learn more about the program or to begin the application process, contact the Fulbright Commission in your country. If there is no commission in your country, contact the American embassy.
UK students wishing to study in the USA should visit www.fulbright.co.uk
USA students wishing to study overseas should contact the Institute of International Education
You can find more information on funding to study a PhD abroad in our individual guides to international phd study in different countries. Each includes a section on fees and funding.
If you're looking for additional funding to help support you during a PhD, why not try searching on PostgraduateFunding.com? There you'll find grants and bursaries from various providers that are ideal for helping out with some of the additional costs of studying a PhD, such as travel to conferences or archives.
