SENSS Student-led Competition

SENSS is offering approximately 40 student-led studentships for the 2024/25 academic year, with six interdisciplinary themes . Eight universities with exceptional reputations for postgraduate training and research:

What is a SENSS student-led studentship?

Come up with your own research project, and be guided in completing it by an expert supervisory team of social science academics.

Where and what can you study?

Study at one of the following institutions:

Interdisciplinary Themes:

Why apply?

• Get paid to study! This funding is intended to cover your living costs and tuition fees, to allow you to focus on your research for between 3-4 years.
• Work on a topic you are passionate about, leading to obtaining a PhD.
• Join a friendly community of postgraduate researchers.
• Have access to fantastic training opportunities and funding not only in your specific field, but also broader academic training.
• Develop a range of important employability skills, enabling you to work in, amongst others, industry, government, an NGO, or in academia.

For more information, please click here

What options are available?

• SENSS studentships last from between 3.5 years (typically for those who have already done a Masters featuring research methods training) and 4.5 years (typically for those coming out of undergraduate study, or a Masters in a very different field). The exact length of your studentship thus depends on how much additional training you will need, taking into account your existing educational and professional experience.
• Full-time and part-time study.
• Fully-funded studentships (tax-free living costs at £18,662 per year, plus London weighting where relevant, tuition fees fully paid for the duration of your funding award, and access to additional funding for overseas fieldwork, language training, and/or other research training) for successful applicants.

Are you eligible?

• Do I have to have or be doing a Masters? No. SENSS studentships last from between 3.5 years (typically for those who have already done a Masters featuring research methods training) and 4.5 years (typically for those coming out of undergraduate study, or a Masters in a very different field). The exact length of your studentship thus depends on how much additional training you will need, taking into account your existing educational and professional experience.
• Can I apply for funding to complete a PhD I’ve already started? Yes. You can apply for SENSS funding if you have at least 50% of your PhD study period still remaining.
• Can I study part-time? Yes. SENSS funding is equally open to full-time and part-time researchers.
• Is this funding open to International students? Yes. SENSS studentships (covering both fees and stipends) are available to applicants regardless of their residential status. However, the ESRC places a cap so that only up to 30% of SENSS studentships can go to International students. Please check our website to see whether you qualify as a Home or International student.

How to apply:

1. Identify the SENSS university at which you want to study, the SENSS Theme under which your proposed PhD project falls, and an academic at that university you would like to work with (your primary supervisor). Contact that supervisor to discuss your research proposal with them, and to ask them if they would be willing to supervise you.
2. If they are, applying for a PhD place at the university you want to study at, checking with that university to find out what its internal PhD place application deadline is.
3. In addition to applying for a PhD place at your chosen university, also complete SENSS’s on-line studentship application by Friday 9 February 2024 (12.00pm GMT). The application portal is accessible via the SENSS website.

If you are interested in applying for a SENSS supervisor-led studentship, please click here