AHRC PhD Funding

Written by Taru Medha

The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) is the main source of UK Government PhD funding for doctoral students researching in Arts and Humanities subjects. AHRC funding will cover tuition fees and include a living cost stipend currently set at £20,780 per year.

If you’re considering a PhD in the Arts, AHRC funding could be your golden ticket. It’s there to help you focus on your research without stressing about how you’re going to afford your next caffeine fix! However, it doesn’t come without some effort — AHRC PhD funding is highly competitive and will need some planning and preparation!

That’s where I come in! I’ve created this guide which covers everything you need to know about the AHRC, the funding opportunities available to you and application tips and tricks.

What is the AHRC?

The AHRC is one of the seven Research Councils that make up UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). These organisations manage UK budgets for funding research and training future researchers (like you!).

The AHRC funds PhDs in all Arts and Humanities subjects, including:

AHRC PhD funding

AHRC funding comes in the form of PhD studentships. There are two components to a PhD studentship:

A fee payment covering your tuition
A doctoral stipend of £20,780 per year (you will receive slightly more if you are based in London)

These values rise annually with inflation, which means you'll get the increased amount in each subsequent year of your PhD. The above figures represent the amounts for 2025/26.

The fee payment must be used to cover your PhD fees. Your university can’t charge you any more than is provided. The doctoral stipend is paid to you, tax-free, to cover accommodation and living costs. You don't need to pay any of it back at the end of your PhD.

Depending on your eligibility, you may get a full studentship (including the fee payment and doctoral stipend) or a partial studentship (which only covers your PhD fees).

How is AHRC PhD funding allocated?

The AHRC currently has two schemes which provide funding to universities (and universities then distribute this funding among PhD students). UKRI funding has changed recently so PhDs starting in October 2026 will likely be funded through the new Doctoral Focal and Landscape Awards.

Most PhDs starting in October 2025 will continue to be funded through Doctoral Training Partnerships (DTPs) and Collaborative Doctoral Partnerships (CDPs).

AHRC Doctoral Landscape Awards

The new Doctoral Landscape Awards are going to be the main way the AHRC will provide studentships going forward. The AHRC have awarded funding to 50 UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) for 15 studentships (three studentships per year for five years) starting in October 2026.

AHRC Doctoral Training Partnerships

Doctoral Training Partnerships (DTPs) have been the main way the AHRC has allocated PhD studentships until now. Due to the recent changes in UKRI funding, the October 2025 cohort will be the last one funded through DTPs. The AHRC has announced the Future Doctoral Provision Programme which will provide funding to 50 universities and institutions for PhD projects starting in 2026.

AHRC DTPs for 2025/26

Consortium for Humanities and the Arts South-East England (CHASE)

Led by the University of Sussex, along with the Birkbeck College, the Courtauld Institute of Art, Goldsmith's College, the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), the University of East Anglia, the University of Essex and the University of Kent.

External partners include Bloomsbury Publishing, Canterbury Cathedral, the British Library, the Victoria & Albert Museum and Shakespeare's Globe.

CHASE applications are now closed.

Find out more about the CHASE DTP or browse PhD projects.

London Arts and Humanities Partnership (LAHP)

Led by University College London, along with King's College London, Queen Mary University of London, the Royal College of Music, the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, the Royal College of Art, the London School of Economics & Political Science, and the University of London.

External partners include the Metropolitan Police, Google, the Wellcome Trust, the Museum of London, the National Archives and the Victoria & Albert Museum.

Applications closed 31 January 2025.

Find out more about the LAHP DTP or browse PhD projects.

Midlands4Cities (M4C)

Led by University of Nottingham, University of Birmingham, Birmingham City University, Coventry University, De Montfort University, University of Leicester, Nottingham Trent University and University of Warwick.

External partners include Royal Shakespeare Company, The British Museum, National Trust, Boots Archives, Birmingham Museums Trust and National Holocaust Centre and Museum.

Applications closed 13 January 2025.

Find out more about the M4C DTP

Northern Ireland and North East (NINE DTP)

Led by Newcastle University, along with Durham University, Northumbria University, Queen's University Belfast, the University of Sunderland, Teesside University and the University of Ulster.

External partners include the BBC, TATE Liverpool, the British Library, the National Trust, Opera North and the Science and Industry Museum.

Applications closed on 24 February 2025.

Find out more about the NINE DTP or browse PhD projects.

North West Consortium

Led by the University of Manchester, along with Keele University, Lancaster University, the University of Liverpool, Manchester Metropolitan University, the Royal Northern College of Music and the University of Salford.

External partners include Historic England, BBC Northern Ireland and the British School at Rome.

Applications closed 13 February.

Find out more about the North West DTP.

Open-Oxford-Cambridge

Led by the University of Oxford, along with the University of Cambridge and the Open University.

External partners include the BBC World Service, British Telecom and the National Trust.

Applications are now closed.

Find out more about the Open-Oxford-Cambridge DTP.

Scottish Graduate School for Arts and Humanities (SGSAH) DTP

Led by the University of Glasgow, along with the University of Aberdeen, the University of Dundee, the University of Edinburgh, the Glasgow School of Art, the University of St Andrews, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, the University of Stirling, the University of Strathclyde and the University of the Highlands and Islands.

External partners include BBC Scotland, British Council Scotland and the Scottish Parliament.

Applications closed 14 February 2025.

Find out more about the SGSAH DTP or browse PhD projects.

South, West & Wales Doctoral Training Consortium 2 (SWW2)

Led by the University of Bristol, along with Aberystwyth University, Bath Spa University, Cardiff University, Cranfield University, the University of Exeter, the University of Reading, the University of Southampton, the University of the West of England and the National Museum Wales.

External partners include the Arts Council South West, Historic England, the Bristol Old Vic, Cotswold Archaeology, the French National Archives, the Czech National Archives and the British Library.

Applications are now closed.

Find out more about the SWW2 DTP or browse PhD projects.

Techne

Led by Royal Holloway University of London, along with University of the Arts London, the University of Brighton, Brunel University London, Loughborough University, Roehampton University, the University of Surrey, the University of Westminster and Kingston University.

External partners include Kew Gardens, the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum, the National Archives, UNICEF, the Institute of Contemporary Arts and Historic Royal Palaces.

Applications are now closed.

Find out more about the techne DTP or browse PhD projects.

White Rose College of the Arts and Humanities (WRoCAH)

Led by the University of York, along with the University of Leeds and the University of Sheffield.

External partners include Opera North, Revolution Games, Sheffield Doc Fest, Royal Armouries, the Marks and Spencer Archive, the National Railway Museum, Historic England, the Arts Council England and Leeds Museum and Galleries.

Applications are now closed.

Find out more about the WRoCAH DTP or browse PhD projects.

AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Partnerships

Collaborative Doctoral Partnerships (CDPs) are another way the AHRC funds PhD students. They are led by non-university cultural organisations such as museums, archives, art galleries and heritage organisations who receive funding to host Arts and Humanities researchers on specific topics.

AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Partnerships usually have two intakes of students per year, in January and October. This means you may be able to choose when you start your PhD.

Previous cultural organisations offering CDP funding have included: Historic England and English Heritage, the V&A, TATE and the Imperial War Museum.

What about AHRC CDTs?

The AHRC used to provide funding through other networks, known as Centres for Doctoral Training. These focussed on specific priority research areas rather than accepting general research proposals (as DTPs do). The AHRC isn't currently funding any CDTs and is focussing on DTPs and CDPs instead.

Studying your PhD with an AHRC studentship

If you’re studying in a DTP, you’ll probably study your PhD at a specific host university which’ll also be the university you should apply to with your initial research proposal. You'll also be part of a wider cohort of other Arts and Humanities PhD students across your DTP.

If you’re studying at a CDP, you'll be based at a cultural organisation for a large part of your PhD but will also be registered as a student at the university it is partnered with. You'll also have a supervisor from both partners: an academic mentor from your university and a representative of the cultural organisation you are working with.

The AHRC is continuing to refine how studentships within the new awards system will look like and we’ll keep you posted about the latest updates. However, rest assured, your experience as an AHRC-funded PhD student shouldn’t be affected at all. You’ll still receive the training and support you need to become an exceptional Arts and Humanities researcher.

Who can get AHRC PhD funding?

Nationality

AHRC studentships are available to home and international students. However, awards for international students are capped at 30% of the total number of awards available at a university. International students are also only eligible to have their tuition fees paid till the lower domestic rate, which means they may have to pay the difference themselves. Some institutions will fund the shortfall in costs but this is at their discretion, and you may need to find an alternative source of funding.

Residency

To qualify as a home student, you must meet one of the following:

UK students must have been ordinarily resident in the UK for at least three years.
EU students may be eligible if they have settled status or applied to the EU Settlement Scheme before 30 June 2021. Others apply as international students.
Irish students qualify under the Common Travel Area agreement.

You can find out more about studentship eligibility in our UKRI studentships and stipends guide.

Applications

AHRC Studentships are allocated to DTPs and CDPs, so students never apply directly to the AHRC.

How you apply for AHRC funding depends on the type of studentship you are seeking:

Applying for Open Doctoral Awards at DTPs

The majority of AHRC studentships are awarded to fund projects that students have proposed themselves. These studentships are usually referred to as Open Doctoral Awards (as they are open to any project idea).

To apply for one of them you'll first need to have your PhD accepted by a university within a DTP. You can then be considered for one of its AHRC studentships. This may be an automatic part of the admissions process for eligible students, or you may need to submit a separate funding application.

You'll need to complete your main PhD application and be accepted by your university before you can apply for an AHRC studentship.

Always check advice from your university and DTP and follow their directions when applying.

Applying for Collaborative Doctoral Awards (at CDPs)

Collaborative Doctoral Award studentships will be allocated to a specific PhD project, as host organisations pre-define the work they want PhD students to do with them. Those projects will then be advertised and the students who apply successfully will get the funding.

Applying for Doctoral Landscape Awards

The AHRC haven't heard any updates on how applications within the new Doctoral Landscape Awards will work but we'll keep you posted. In the meantime, it's best to check with the university you're looking to apply to.

Tips from the author

AHRC funding is very generous and, unlike a PhD loan, you don't need to pay it back. It's no surprise that selection for studentships is very competitive. I’ve got some handy-dandy application tips for you to make the process a little easier!

Give yourself enough time: There’s a good chance you’ll have two applications to make: one for your PhD itself, and one for the funding you want to win for it. Give yourself time to do both well.
Think about impact: All PhD projects should make an original and worthwhile contribution to academic knowledge (otherwise they wouldn’t be a PhD). But what else is your project going to achieve beyond the university? Is it going to help support important heritage work? Will the results be of interest to cultural and creative industries? The AHRC will want to know!
Tailor the application: What is it about this particular project, its resources, staff and research objectives, that make it the right fit for you and your research (and vice versa)?

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you combine an AHRC studentship with work or other funding?

You can't work full-time during a full-time AHRC funded PhD. However, you can work part-time, provided you are also studying part-time. In addition, you cannot have a UK PhD loan at the same time as an AHRC studentships (or any other form of UKRI funding).

What do the new UKRI Doctoral Landscape Awards mean for AHRC funding?

AHRC have announced funding for 50 Higher Education Institutions within the new UKRI funding framework. This funding is set to help provide 15 studentships across five years. We’ll keep you updated but check with your university in the meantime!

The new Doctoral Landscape Awards do not affect how much funding students receive. You’ll still get the entire amount you’re eligible for.

As well as checking individual DTPs and CDPs, you can search for some AHRC-funded PhD opportunities here on FindAPhD.com.

Check the AHRC and UKRI websites for additional funding details.

Taru Medha

Taru joined FindAPhD as a Content Writer in 2022. She creates well-researched, thorough content for our guides and blogs, as well as short video content for our social profiles. She has a Bachelors degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from Bennett University in India and completed a Masters degree in Global Journalism from the University of Sheffield in 2021, giving her personal experience with postgraduate study as an international student.

AHRC PhD Funding

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