WGSSS (Welsh Graduate School for the Social Sciences) ESRC DTP PhD Studentships – Management and Business / Accounting, Banking and Finance at Bangor University

What you get

You get a fully funded PhD in management, business, accounting, banking or finance at Bangor University. Your tuition fees are covered in full, including for international students. You also receive a tax-free living allowance of currently about 24,000 EUR per year (£20,780). On top of this you get a Research Training Support Grant to cover your research costs, plus a Disabled Students Allowance if you need it. Funding runs for 3.5 to 4.5 years full time, depending on how much extra training you need. You also complete a 3-month placement in academia, government, business or a charity as part of the award. The money comes from the Economic and Social Research Council through the Welsh Graduate School for the Social Sciences, a group of seven Welsh universities that includes Bangor.

Who can apply

• Degree: You have a First Class or Upper Second Class honours degree, or an equivalent master's. A master's is not required and can be built into your funding if you need it.
• Field of study: Your research fits the Management and Business pathway. At Bangor this covers accounting, finance, banking, marketing, strategy, logistics, operations, human resources, innovation, tourism and Islamic finance.
• Where you study: You do your PhD at Bangor University in Wales.
• Nationality: UK, EU/EEA and international students can all apply. Up to 30% of the full studentships in each cohort (yearly intake group) go to international students.
• Your project: You design and propose your own PhD project, so you need a clear research idea and a supervisor lined up first.
• Work limits: If funded full time, you cannot hold a full-time or permanent part-time job alongside the PhD.
• Non-traditional backgrounds: Applicants from underrepresented groups and those who are first in their family to study are actively encouraged. Life experience counts alongside grades.

How to apply

First contact a potential supervisor at Bangor Business School to develop your research idea. Then submit your full application by the deadline of 11 December 2025 for an October 2026 start. Bangor may set an earlier internal deadline, so check early. Shortlisted applicants are interviewed by a pathway panel, and final awards are decided by late March 2026.

How realistic are your chances?

This award covers one specific pathway at one university, so the applicant pool is smaller than for an open PhD scholarship. Across all its subjects, the whole school funds over 70 studentships a year. Your prospects rest mainly on the strength of the project you propose and your fit with a Bangor supervisor, not on grades alone, since the school also weighs your wider experience. If you have a strong idea, a supervisor backing it and you contact them early, your chances are solid.