Funding for Research Degrees

Competitions for funded PhD studentship - 2023 entry

There are a number of competitions for fully-funded PhD positions for 2023. Please check these pages regularly for announcements and updates of competitions. Please contact pgrinfo.psy@durham.ac.uk or david.sanderson@durham.ac.uk for more information.

We currently offer fully-funded PhDs through the schemes below:

Durham University Pro:NE Studentships

This is an open call for full time Doctoral Research Studentship applications for UK-Home candidates from racially minoritized ethnic backgrounds, specifically: Asian or Asian British, Black, Black British, Caribbean or African Mixed or multiple ethnic groups. Four PhD studentships are on offer at Durham University under the Office for Students: Postgraduate Research Opportunities for the Northeast/Network for Equity (pro:NE). 

Information about the studentships and how to apply can be found here.

Deadline for applications is 28th April 2023.

Chinese Scholarship Council (CSC) PhD Studentships – deadline January 15th 2023

Information on the competition can be found here: Chinese Scholarship Council.

Please see the scheme-specific information for how to apply and in addition follow the procedure described here.

Inform the Psychology Postgraduate Office (pgrinfo.psy@durham.ac.uk) of your wish to be considered for this scheme. 

Departmental Studentships – deadline January 20th 2023

Eligibility: UK students. An offer of a studentship comes with the requirement to provide some limited teaching support. 

What is available: 3 years of funding for Doctoral research. Maintenance grant (stipend) matching the rate for students funded by RCUK. Tuition fees paid at the Home rate. Research and travel costs of £350 per year, with potential to apply for up to £350 / year more.

How to apply: The deadline is January 20th 2023. Please follow the procedure on how to apply here.

Inform the Psychology Postgraduate Office (pgrinfo.psy@durham.ac.uk) of your wish to be considered for this scheme. Include a one side of A4 (excluding references) research proposal. 

The ESRC NINE Doctoral Training Partnership PhD Studentships – deadline January 20th 2023

There is detailed information on the application process and which documents to include on the NINE DTP website.

There is information on the timeline for applications here.

All queries about edibility and other details should be directed to NINE DTP who run the competition.

The ESRC NINE DTP includes several funding routes:

• The “1+3” (Master’s + PhD) route includes a years of Master’s Training in Research Methods. Within the NINE DTP Psychology pathway, this is fulfilled by the MA (Research Methods) in Developmental Psychology at Durham. The subsequent PhD need not necessarily be specifically in Developmental Psychology, but there should be a relevant link between the Mater’s training and the PhD.
• Students who have a Master’s degree, but not one of the ~19 ESRC-recognised Master’s in Research Methods courses, may apply for “+3.5 funding”. This includes 60 credits in taught Psychology Research Methods modules in the first year of study.
• Students with an ESRC-recognised Master’s may apply for “+3 funding”.

How to apply:

• Please follow the Department’s procedure on how to apply here, making sure to include all the documents required by NINE DTP.
• Unlike other schemes, the proposal length is 2000 words maximum. Students wishing to be considered for other schemes as well as NINE DTP should include both a longer (2000 words) and shorter (one page of A4) version of their proposal.
• If applying for +3 study, select “PhD” and for fees and finance select “other” and enter “NINE DTP +3” in the free text.
• In all cases, please discuss and coordinate your application with the Psychology postgraduate research office (pgrinfo.psy@durham.ac.uk).

Durham Doctoral Teaching Fellowships – details to be confirmed

Please check for updates on the competition or contact pginfo.psy@durham.ac.uk.