Eligibility for a studentship depends on specific academic and residential eligibility criteria.
Doctoral Training Partnerships (DTPs) and Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs) will determine each applicant’s eligibility to apply.
If you have any questions about eligibility, speak to your relevant DTP or CDT contact.
Find out more about DTPs and CDTs.
Academic conditions
To receive ESRC studentship funding, you must have qualifications or experience equal to an honours degree at a first or upper second class level, or a masters from a UK academic research organisation.
Degree qualifications gained outside the UK, or a combination of qualifications and experience that is equivalent to a relevant UK degree, might be accepted in some cases.
Residential eligibility criteria
UKRI studentships are open to international students from the 2021-22 academic year onwards.
Students will receive a full award, to include a stipend and fees at the home level. Fees-only awards will no longer be an option.
UKRI will normally limit the proportion of international students appointed each year through individual doctoral training programmes to 30% of the total.
To be treated as a home student, candidates must meet one of these criteria:
- be a UK national (meeting residency requirements)
- have settled status
- have pre-settled status (meeting residency requirements)
- have indefinite leave to remain or enter.
If a candidate does not meet one of these criteria, they are treated as an international student.
See the UKRI terms and conditions of training grants for full details.
Applying for an ESRC studentship
Funding is not provided to students directly. It is provided through the network of 14 DTPs and two CDTs. Studentships can only be held on an accredited pathway within a DTP or CDT.
Prospective students must apply directly to a DTP or CDT and each one will decide which students are eligible for funding.
DTPs and CDTs have strict internal processes for selecting students and must follow UK government regulations in determining residential eligibility.
Students should contact the DTP or CDT as soon as they can to find out more about this.
Closing dates for applications
Each DTP and CDT has its own closing date. Prospective students should contact directly the DTP or CDT they want to apply to for further information on the application process, and the closing date for applications.