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.
Some scholarship 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 individual scholarship listings for details.
The academic year for scholarships runs from August of one year to July of the next. Application processes and deadlines vary from scholarship to scholarship and you should carefully check the Terms and Conditions of any funding sources.
Generally speaking:
- the scholarships we have listed on this page are for applicants starting in September 2024 and January 2025.
- if you want to begin your programme earlier than August of a given academic year, then you are not eligible to apply for the scholarship relating to that year. For example, an applicant commencing their studies in January 2024 is not eligible for a 2024 to 2025 scholarship.
- 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 early December the year before you wish to start your PhD.
Where a deadline has passed, we have indicated this in our listings and tried to give you an idea of when the next application window will open. We have also indicated where a link to further information takes you to an external website, or to a different part of the University's website.
What's available?
This award of £2,300 per annum is for PhD research in any Romance literature, language or dialect. Candidates must be a student or graduate of the University of Edinburgh. Preference may be given to those working in language studies: we can typically supervise research in French, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, and Italian.
The current application window is for 2024 entry. It is now open. The application deadline is Monday 6 May 2024.
Find out more and apply for the John Orr Research Award [University website]
There are two PhD scholarships in the department of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies (IMES) at the University of Edinburgh. Each covers UK tuition fees for the PhD programme in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies and an annual stipend. The awards are open to UK and overseas students starting their PhD in the academic year 2024 to 2025.
The current application window is for 2024 entry. It is now open. The application deadline is Monday 6 May 2024. To be considered, you must apply for your PhD before applying for the scholarship. Successful applicants will be advised by the end of June 2024.
For entry in September 2024 or January 2025, we are delighted to offer one student paying home (Scotland/UK) rates a scholarship covering full tuition fees for three years of PhD study.
There are also scholarships for up to four students (PhD and MSc) covering £3,000 of tuition fees in the first year of study – home and international/EU rates.
These scholarships have been made possible by the Academy of Korean Studies (AKS).
You do not need to apply for a scholarship – all eligible candidates who apply for the programme will be considered for them and contacted if successful.
The University of Edinburgh is part of a consortium of Scottish institutions awarded funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) via the Scottish Graduate School for Arts and Humanities (SGSAH) to support postgraduate studentships and training in the Arts and Humanities in Scotland. The award on offer is a fully-funded PhD with stipend, a robust three-and-a-half year training programme, and access to Scotland's resources through SGSAH’s strong links and national networks.
The application window for 2024 entry has now closed. Successful applicants can expect to hear the outcome in May 2024. The application window for 2025 entry is likely to open in late September 2024 and close in mid November 2024.
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 within the SGSSS Language Based Area Studies and International Development Pathway.
The application window for 2024 entry has now closed. Successful applicants can expect to hear the outcome in May 2024.
This scheme funds a limited, and highly competitive, number of awards in Literatures, Languages and Cultures covering full tuition fees with an annual stipend (set to the UKRI level) for a maximum of three years.
The application window for 2024 entry has now closed. Successful applicants will be advised by the end of June 2024. The application window for 2025 entry is likely to open in late November 2024 and close in early February 2025.
Find out more about the College Research Student Awards [University website]
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 window for 2024 entry has now closed. Successful applicants will be advised by the end of June 2024. The application window for 2025 entry is likely to open in late November 2024 and close in early February 2025.
Find out more about the Edinburgh Doctoral College Scholarships [University website]
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