PhD and MA Funding | UCL Department of Greek and Latin

What you get

The Department of Greek and Latin (Classics) at University College London offers several funding routes for graduate students. For a PhD, the awards usually cover your full tuition plus a yearly living stipend (a fixed sum for living costs). The stipend runs from about EUR 26,000 (£22,780) to about EUR 34,000 (£29,650) per year, for three to three-and-a-half years of full-time study. The main options for October 2026 entry are:

• AHRC Doctoral Landscape Award: 3 places from the Arts and Humanities Research Council. Full tuition (Home or International rate) plus about EUR 26,000 (£22,780) per year and a research training grant, for 3.5 years full-time.
• Wolfson PhD Scholarships: 3 awards for history (which includes Classics), literature and languages. Full tuition plus about EUR 34,000 (£29,650) per year, for 3 years.
• Quirk PhD Scholarships: 2 awards for language and society research. Home-rate tuition plus about EUR 26,000 (£22,780) per year and about EUR 1,150 (£1,000) for research costs, for 3 years.
• UCL Research Excellence Scholarship: up to 40 across the university each year, open to all nationalities.
• UCL Arts and Humanities PhD Scholarships: fee-and-living or fee-only awards at Home rate.

For a Master's, the department offers its own MA studentships of about EUR 2,300 (£2,000) each, paid from alumni donations.

Who can apply

• Level: You are applying for a PhD (MPhil/PhD) or a Master's in the Department of Greek and Latin at UCL.
• Field: Your research fits Classics, Greek and Latin. Some schemes narrow this: Wolfson counts Classics as history; Quirk needs a language-and-society theme.
• Nationality: Depends on the scheme. AHRC, RES and Wolfson are open to all nationalities. Quirk and the UCL Arts and Humanities awards are only for UK-based students with Home fee status.
• Financial need: Required for the Quirk and UCL Arts and Humanities awards. UCL checks your household income. Not required for AHRC or Wolfson, which go on academic merit.
• Grades: A strong academic record. Wolfson usually expects a first-class degree plus a Master's.
• MA studentships: You are a final-year BA student in the department with a place on the MA in Classics or MA in the Reception of the Classical World.

How to apply

For the PhD awards, first apply for a UCL MPhil/PhD and discuss your proposal and supervisor with the department. Then send the scheme's forms to the Department of Greek and Latin. Most PhD deadlines fall on 14 January 2026 (16:00 GMT); the UCL Arts and Humanities award runs to 2 February 2026. The department nominates candidates to the Faculty, so you do not apply for these directly. For the MA studentship, apply for the MA place and send the studentship form to the MA administrator by 15 July 2026.

How realistic are your chances?

These are competitive awards with only two or three places per scheme, and the department must nominate you rather than you applying directly. The narrowest routes have the smallest pools, so a clear fit helps: the Quirk language-and-society theme, and the MA studentship for the department's own BA finalists. Contact your potential supervisor early, because a last-minute application you never discussed will not be considered.