University of Birmingham - Research council funding

What you get

You will receive maintenance grant of about 1,430 EUR per month to cover living costs, as well as full funding of your tuition fees. The funding is available for 3 years for a PhD or 1 years for an MA, MPhil or MRes programme. It applies to both full-time and part-time programmes. The funding comes from the seven UK research councils, collectively known as ‘UK Research and Innovation’ (UKRI), and is intended to support postgraduate research at the University of Birmingham. Depending on which research council you apply to, you may be eligible for additional benefits, such as a training grant, funding for fieldwork abroad or study visits, language courses, travel to conferences, or placements with partners in industry and the public sector. Some students from the EU receive funding instead that covers tuition fees only, without the living allowance.

Who can apply

• Degree level: You are applying for a research degree (PhD, MRes, MPhil) or one of the few taught degree programmes at the University of Birmingham, or you have already been admitted to one.
• Where you study: You’re studying at the University of Birmingham in the UK.
• Residence: You are resident in the United Kingdom, resident in the EU, have EU migrant worker status, or are otherwise regarded as ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom. Some local authorities only provide financial support to students who do not fall into these categories in exceptional circumstances.
• Field of study: All research areas covered by the seven councils, ranging from the life sciences, medicine, engineering and environmental sciences to the arts, humanities and social sciences.
• Extra rules per programme: Some programmes have additional eligibility criteria. For example, the AHRC Landscape Awards are open exclusively to British students from ethnic minority backgrounds who are commencing a PhD programme in 2026/27, with one place reserved for the Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies.

How to apply

You apply via the relevant Council programme you are interested in, such as a ‘Doctoral Training Partnership’ (DTP) or a ‘Centre for Doctoral Training’ (CDT). There is no standard central application form. Application procedures and deadlines vary depending on the Council and the programme. You should therefore check the page for the funding scheme that corresponds to your field of study.

How realistic are your chances?

These scholarships are among the most sought-after postgraduate scholarships in the UK, and competition is fierce. They cover both tuition fees and living costs across almost all subject areas, which attracts many applicants. Your chances depend heavily on the quality of your research proposal and your suitability for a particular degree programme. For targeted scholarships such as the AHRC Landscape Awards, the pool of eligible applicants is smaller, meaning that a well-suited applicant faces less competition there than for the broader, open scholarships.