Edinburgh College of Art - Edinburgh College of Art PhD and PG Scholarships Session

Edinburgh College of Art PhD Scholarship

You will receive your full tuition fees paid (at either the domestic or international rate) as well as an annual living allowance of approximately 24,500 EUR (£20,780). This covers three years of full-time study or six years of part-time study at a reduced rate. The allowance is based on the UKRI rate, the nationwide standard rate for research students in the United Kingdom. The amount of £20,780 corresponds to the value of 2025 to 2026, and the exact amount of 2026 to 2027 is also determined according to this UKRI rate. The scholarship is awarded by the Edinburgh College of Art, part of the University of Edinburgh. It covers doctoral research across the College’s five academic departments: Art, Design, Architecture and Landscape Architecture (ESALA), Art History, and the Reid School of Music. You will also be assigned a supervisory team comprising at least two academics and have access to the College’s training programmes and events. In return, you are expected to play an active role in the research community.

Who can apply

• Degree level: You are starting a PhD programme, not a master’s programme involving face-to-face teaching. Both your studies at the university and your distance-learning studies as part of the PhD programme will be recognised.
• Field of study: Your research project falls within one of the five subject areas: Art, Design, Architecture and Landscape Architecture, Art History or Music.
• University: You will begin your PhD at the University of Edinburgh in September 2026, either full-time or part-time.
• Nationality: Open to all. Both domestic and international (foreign) students can apply, as the scholarship covers both tuition fee rates.
• Admission first: You have already submitted a complete application for admission to a PhD programme via the university’s online system.
• No double funding: Should you also receive another award from the University of Edinburgh or the Research Council, you must decline this one.

How to apply

First, submit your application for admission to the PhD programme online by 19 January 2026. You should then submit a separate scholarship application, including a personal statement. In this, please explain why you are applying for the scholarship, how your project aligns with the faculty’s key research areas, and how it will further your career. A selection panel will assess the applications based on the AHRC assessment criteria, meet at the end of March 2026 and notify all applicants of the outcome by mid-April 2026.

How realistic are your chances?

This is a full PhD scholarship covering tuition fees and a living allowance sufficient to cover basic living costs, so it is highly competitive. Award of the scholarship depends on the quality of your research proposal and its alignment with your supervisor’s area of expertise. As it is restricted to the fields of art and design, architecture, art history and music within a single college, the subject area is more narrowly defined than in university-wide funding programmes. A well-suited applicant with a compelling research proposal and a supervisor who has already shown an interest in the work has good prospects.