PhD students
Funding opportunities for PhD candidates in the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures.
Postgraduate study can be expensive, and the funding available is highly competitive.
Many scholarship schemes have early deadlines so, to increase your chances of being eligible for a range of scholarships and other awards, you are strongly encouraged to apply for your PhD by mid December the year before you wish to start your PhD.
Some schemes are open to candidates on PhDs in any subject in the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures. Others are only open to candidates in specific subjects. See our guide for details.
What's available?
We're part of the Scottish Graduate School for Arts and Humanities (SGSAH), a consortium of 10 universities funded by the AHRC to support postgraduate studentships and training in the Arts and Humanities in Scotland.
The application deadline for 2021 entry has now passed. The next deadline (for 2022 entry) is likely to be mid December 2021.
We're part of the Scottish Graduate School of Social Science (SGSSS), a consortium of 16 universities funded by the ESRC to support postgraduate studentships and training in the Social Sciences in Scotland. PhD studentships are typically available for candidates on our Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies PhD and Chinese PhD programmes.
The application deadline for 2021 entry has now passed. The next deadline (for 2022 entry) is likely to be early December 2021.
Find out more about ESRC PhD studentships on the University's webpages
The Carnegie Trust offers a number of scholarships each year to academically outstanding candidates who are intending to study on a PhD programme in any subject area at any university in Scotland. These include scholarships supported by the Caledonian Research Foundation.
The application deadline for 2021 entry has now passed. The next deadline (for 2022 entry) is likely to be January 2022.
Find out more about Carnegie/Caledonian PhD Scholarships on the University's webpages
Awarded by the University of Edinburgh, these scholarships are for UK and overseas candidates applying to start their first year of on-campus PhD study. The scholarship covers tuition fees and provides a stipend for between three and four years as agreed by the School/Deanery (or pro-rata for part time).
The application deadline for 2021 entry has now passed. The next deadline (for 2022 entry) is likely to be January 2022.
Find out more about Edinburgh Doctoral College Scholarships on the University's webpages
This scheme funds a limited, and highly competitive, number of awards in Literatures, Languages and Cultures covering a combination of home/EU tuition fees and studentships (tuition fees + stipend) for a maximum of three years.
The application deadline for 2021 entry has now passed. The next deadline (for 2022 entry) is likely to be February 2022.
Find out more about College Research Student Awards on the University's webpages
Designed to support the development of Japanese Studies in the UK, this scheme annually provides postgraduate studentships worth £10,000 each. Applicants to the PhD programme in Japanese Studies will automatically be considered for this scholarship, and candidates wishing to enrol on our East Asian Studies PhD (who have a research focus on Japan) are also welcome to apply.
The application deadline for 2021 entry has now passed. The next deadline (for 2022 entry) is likely to be late March 2022.
Find out more about the Sasakawa Postgraduate Studentship Programme on the University's webpages
This award of a single PhD scholarship is funded by the department of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Edinburgh. It covers UK tuition fees for the PhD in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies and an annual stipend. The award is open to UK and overseas students starting the PhD in the academic year 2021-2022.
The application deadline for 2021 entry is Monday 3rd May 2021.
This European Research Council (ERC) award covers the UK level of tuition fees for our PhD in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies, as well as an annual stipend. It is for an academically outstanding candidate who has previously studied Classical Arabic and is linked to the ERC-funded project, The Finances of the Caliphate: Abbasid Fiscal Practice in Islamic Late Antiquity (Caliphal Finances).
The application deadline for 2021 entry is Monday 3rd May 2021.
Find out more about the PhD European Research Studentship on the University's webpages
This award of not more than £2,300 per annum is for PhD research in any romance literature, language or dialect. Preference may be given to those working in language studies.
The application deadline for 2021 entry is Monday 3rd May 2021.
Find out more about the John Orr Research Award on the University's webpages
Bringing together text and data mining with the study of the history of slavery and race, this Collaborative Doctoral Award (CDA) in the Digital Humanities is funded by the AHRC through the Scottish Graduate School for Arts and Humanities (SGSAH). The successful candidate will be supervised by colleagues in the University of Edinburgh and National Library of Scotland. The award covers tuition fees for the English Literature PhD for 3.5 years (FTE) and an annual stipend of £15,690 per year.
The application deadline for 2021 entry is Monday 17th May 2021.
Find out more about the CDA Studentship on the University's webpages
Take me to more information about PhDs in literatures, languages and cultures
What else is out there?
The University publishes details of other funding sources that may be of interest, including UK Government Loans and studentships sponsored by external organisations.
Find out about UK Government loans and other funding sources on the University's webpages