School of Social and Political Science PhD Scholarship

The scholarship application system for academic year 2024/25 is expected to open in early December 2023 and will close at 23:59 (GMT) on Thursday, 1st February 2024. This webpage will be updated to confirm when the system is open. Please review the information below in preparation.

As a guide to competition levels, in the 2023/24 cycle 123 applicants (future students) applied for 2 scholarships, and 17 applicants (current students) applied for 1 scholarship. The number of available awards may change each year. For 2024/25 we are offering a minimum of 1 School of SPS PhD Scholarship to future students, and 1 School of SPS PhD Scholarship to current students.

This award will support you to be part of the next generation of social science thought leaders. It is available to students researching any area within the School of Social and Political Science.

Who can apply?

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

These awards are available both to students intending to begin 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 two-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.

Value of awards

The award covers:

Full tuition fees (UK, EU or Overseas level)
The stipend will be set to the UKRI level for 2024/25. The UKRI level for 2023/24 is currently £18,622 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.

PhD students in the School of Social and Political Science can apply to the PGR Research Support Fund for help with fieldwork and other research-related costs throughout their period of study, providing they meet the fund's eligibility criteria. SPS PhD scholars may apply for this fund.

Application deadline

In order to gain access to the scholarship application system, applicants must have applied for admission to the University of Edinburgh. Applicants must submit two separate applications by the deadline:

Application for admission to a PhD degree in the School of Social and Political Science (must be submitted at least 5 working days before the scholarship deadline)
School of Social and Political Science PhD Scholarship application

Updated or additional documents or information for your PhD programme application cannot be accepted after you have received an offer for the programme. Before then, any updated or additional documents must be uploaded directly to your PhD application via your MyEd account.

Updated or additional documents or information for your scholarship application cannot be accepted after you have submitted your scholarship application.

Late applications cannot be accepted.

Application process (future PhD students)

Ensure you visit the Important Information and Recommendations section before you apply. We consider this section to be essential reading.

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 official undergraduate and postgraduate transcripts (note - PhD Social Anthropology applications require undergraduate only)
name of proposed supervisor
references

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

The application to study must be submitted at least 5 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.

Supporting documents

The supporting documents submitted with your application to study (research proposal, academic transcripts and references etc.) will be used to assess your funding application.

Research proposal

We recommend you follow the guidance on writing research proposals.

Personal statement

The scholarship application system will ask you to provide a personal statement (up to 500 words/3,500 characters including spaces).

We are interested in you as a whole person, not just academically. Please tell us about your preparedness to undertake and complete a PhD and to flourish as a result of PhD funding, and how you will contribute to a positive and diverse PhD community within the School. This could include diversity of identity, experience, or viewpoint. You may also wish to include any experience of overcoming adversity.

Conditional offers

If you are in receipt of conditional offer (including conditional on English language), you are still eligible to apply for the 'SPS PhD Scholarship'.

Should you receive an award, but not meet the conditions of your offer, they would not be able to take up the award.

Help and guidance

Information on the Student Systems website may help you with guidance on the scholarship application system.

Applying for a postgraduate scholarship

Technical support and guidance

You can also view our applying for scholarships frequently asked questions:

Frequently asked questions - applying for scholarships in the MyEd portal

Assessment process and results

Stage One

Postgraduate Advisors and supporting Subject Area academics assess scholarship applications for their Subject Areas.

Scholarship applicants are then ranked and the top candidates are put forward to the next stage. Applicants not progressing to Stage Two will be notified by the end of April.

Stage Two

A panel of assessors, comprising of the Director and Deputy Director of Postgraduate Research Programmes and at least one other senior School academic, assess all ranked scholarship applicants and rank them individually.

The ranks are then collated, and agreement on awards, reserves, and unsuccessful applicants are documented, with notifications emailed to applicants. Awardees are given 7 calendar days to respond to the scholarship offer. If no response is received by the given date, the offer will be rescinded and awarded to the next reserve candidate.

Assessors will use the SGSSS Marking Framework for their ranking process in both stages.

The School selection panel will meet in the Spring, 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.

We aim to have contacted all SPS PhD Scholarship candidates to let them know the outcome of their application by the end of May.

Due to the volume of applications we receive and the lengthy assessment and ranking process, we are unable to answer individual responses until then.

Other funding opportunities

This funding form is also used for several other awards, including:

Important - please ensure you check each scholarship deadline as they may differ.

You must enter a separate funding application for each award you wish to be considered for.

Application process Year 1 (full-time equivalent) SPS PhD Students

Year 1 full-time PhD students already at the School of Social and Political Science would, if successful, receive two years' funding to the end of the Prescribed Period of Study.

Part-time current PhD students would receive the pro-rata amount to the end of their Prescribed Period of Study.

Application is via your MyEd account. The scholarship application section for current students is via the MyEd 'Student Self-Service' channel.

Details on how to find the scholarship section can be found on the Student Systems website.

Applying for a scholarship through MyEd Student Self-Service channel

Technical support and guidance

You can also view our applying for scholarships frequently asked questions:

Frequently asked questions - applying for scholarships in the MyEd portal

Academic references

The default position is that we will look at the two references and your original research proposal provided on your EUCLID application for PhD study.

However, we would recommend that current Year 1 (full-time equivalent) students request assistance from their supervisors, who can comment on your progress to date, to provide updated references (maximum of 2 new references).

These can be emailed to the PGR Support team (pgresearch.sps@ed.ac.uk) by either yourself or your referee no later than the scholarship closing date. Guidance for referees can be found in our request for an academic or non-academic reference document.

Please ensure you name the scholarship you are applying for and provide your UUN in the email.

Research proposal

We also strongly advise that you update your research proposal (three to four pages). These must be emailed (from your University account) to the PGR Support team (pgresearch.sps@ed.ac.uk) no later than the scholarship closing date.

Please ensure you name the scholarship you are applying for and provide your UUN in the email.

Personal statement

The scholarship application system will ask you to provide a personal statement (up to 500 words/3500 characters including spaces).

Scholarships