Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) - ESRC Doctoral Training Partnerships / Doctoral Landscape Awards (UKRI)

What the ESRC studentship gives you

This is a funded PhD place in the social sciences at a UK university. A studentship covers your tuition fees in full and pays you a tax-free monthly stipend (a living allowance) for living costs. It also adds a grant for research expenses such as fieldwork, travel or software. The funding runs for 3.5 years of full-time study. If you do not yet hold a social-science master's degree, some awards also pay for a master's year first (a 1+3 model). The money comes from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

Training is built into the programme. You are taught qualitative, quantitative and digital research methods. You also complete a compulsory three-month placement in academia, government, business or a charity to apply your research in practice.

Who can apply

• Level: You are starting or planning a PhD (doctorate).
• Field of study: Social sciences, across a wide range of research topics.
• Where you study: At a UK university that belongs to an ESRC Doctoral Training Partnership (a group of universities that share the funding).
• Previous degree: You do not need a master's up front. Without a social-science master's, you can be funded for a master's year before the PhD.
• Residence: Funding is mainly for students settled in the UK (Home students). International students can apply, but each partnership sets its own small quota.
• Age: No age limit.

How to apply

You do not apply to ESRC or UKRI directly. You apply to one of the regional Doctoral Training Partnerships, usually through the university where you want to study. Each partnership sets its own deadline, typically between December and February for an autumn start, and runs its own selection.

How realistic are your chances?

These awards go to the strongest PhD proposals in the social sciences, so the field is serious. A well-developed research idea matters as much as your grades. Home students have the widest access. The international quota at each partnership is small, so those places are tighter. Check the partnership's deadline and apply early, as places fill.