Arts and Humanities Research Council Scholarships

Applications for the academic year 2024/5 are now closed.

Applications for the academic year 2024/5 are now closed

The University of Edinburgh is part of a consortium of ten Higher Education institutions which has been awarded funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) to support postgraduate doctoral studentships and training in the Arts and Humanities in Scotland.

Under the Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) scheme, the consortium - comprised of the Universities of Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Highlands & Islands, St Andrews, Stirling, Strathclyde, Glasgow School of Art and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland - will consider applications for doctoral studentship awards in the majority of Arts and Humanities subjects. The consortium is organised through the Scottish Graduate School for Arts and Humanities (SGSAH).

 

If you wish to apply for this funding and have any academic queries, we strongly encourage you to contact our Programme Directors:

Please refer to the eligibility and residency criteria available on the page linked below:

Scottish Graduate School for Arts and Humanities (SGSAH)

IMPORTANT: Please note that prospective students applying for a PhD by Distance programme are not eligible to apply for the AHRC award.

AHRC studentships are awarded on the condition that the doctoral researcher lives within a ‘reasonable distance’ from their lead-HEI. SGSAH’s definition of reasonable distance is that a student ought to be able to travel to their lead HEI every day to work core hours (10am to 4pm).

Information sessions

Monday, 16 October at 2:00-3:00 PM BST

Live, online Q&A session to support applications for the 2024 Open Competition for AHRC DTP Studentships. Open the link below to RSVP and receive instructions on how to join the session.

DPT Open Information Session

Friday, 27 October at 10:00-11:00 AM BST

If you are thinking about, or preparing for, the February 2024 launch of the SGSAH PhD Studentship Competitions on a research topic aligned to History, SGSAH is running an  online information session for some subject-specific guidance on your application. Open the link below to RSVP and receive instructions on how to join the session.

Open Competition Subject-Specific Online Information Session


Wednesday, 18 October 2023 at 10:00 AM BST

The Dean of Postgraduate Research is hosting a 1-hour online information session about the AHRC PhD funding for prospective applicants. You can access it through the link below; no registration is needed.

AHRC Information session for prospective students 


Applying

Please note that the funding applications have their own separate timelines and rules for both the study and the scholarship applications, which differ from the deadlines generated automatically by the application portal when submitting your study application. 

To be considered for the AHRC funding, you must complete the following two steps:

Explore our range of PhD programmes and apply online

Your completed PhD study application must be submitted through the University’s online application system by Wednesday, 15 November 2023, 23:59 UK time. This means that all your supporting documentation must also be uploaded, including the research proposal of 1,000-2,000 words, copies of undergraduate and postgraduate degree certificates and transcripts (and their official translations if not in English), and two academic references. For instructions on uploading additional documents after submitting your application, please follow the support guidance available here

The scholarship panel will not consider incomplete applications. Please see the below guidance on what to do if any of your documents are missing or pending:

Academic references

Please liaise closely with your referees to ensure they supply the required reference within five working days of your submission and no later than 20 November 2023, 23:59 UK time.

Postgraduate degree result

Please note that you must submit your undergraduate and postgraduate degree certificates and transcripts to be considered for PhD admission. If you are still studying towards your postgraduate qualification, we will require you to submit an interim transcript or a certificate of matriculation so we can consider your application and, where appropriate, make you a conditional offer on the condition of successful completion of your current master's degree. 

IMPORTANT: If you don't hold a postgraduate degree at the time of your application, the School will only consider your AHRC application if you have a UK first-class undergraduate degree or international equivalent.

Proof of English competency

If a degree result or test of English competency is pending, we can consider your application and, where appropriate, make you a conditional offer on the condition of supplying these at a later date.

IMPORTANT: If you are unsure about the eligibility of any of your documents, please email the Postgraduate Research Office well ahead of the submission deadline.

Email the Postgraduate Research Office


Eligible candidates must submit a completed SGSAH Doctoral Training Partnership Studentship nomination application form for 2024-25 by email to the Postgraduate Research Office by Wednesday, 15 November 2023, 23:59 UK time.

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Do I need a study offer before applying for the AHRC scholarship?

You may apply for the AHRC scholarship before receiving a decision on your application for a PhD place, but if you do not receive an offer of a place, your application cannot proceed.

PLEASE NOTE: When completing the 'Nominating Member of Staff' section of your AHRC application, please provide the name of the Programme Director of the PhD programme you are applying for (see above).

Further information regarding the application process can be found under the 'How to apply' section of the SGSAH website.

Applications which do not meet the deadlines stated above won't be considered.