Postgraduate Research Scholarships in the School of Social Policy and Society

Our academics are internationally recognised as authorities in their fields, and our research contributes to academic debates and has worldwide impact. Our research outputs in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF), were placed in the top 10 in the UK for social policy and social work.  

Types of Scholarships

We are offering a select number of Scholarships.

• School Scholarships are to support students who will commence their PhD studies in September 2025. As such, only new applicants (and not existing PhD students) are eligible to apply. These scholarships cover Home fees and stipend for 3 years full time (or 6 years part time), subject to satisfactory progress. In some cases, Schools may also offer a stipend or cover fees for international students. However, please note that School Scholarships cannot be used to support distance learning PhD programmes.
  
  Applicants will automatically be entered into the School Scholarship competition, when they apply for an ESRC-funded studentship from the Midlands Graduate School Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP). The deadline for applications for ESRC Scholarships is midday on Tuesday 21 January 2025 (12:00 GMT). 
  
  Applicants for the School of Social Policy and Society who wish to only apply to the School studentship but not the ESRC should email sosppgr@contacts.bham.ac.uk for more details and an application form.
  
  Decisions on School Scholarships will usually be announced between late March and early May.

• ESRC-funded studentships from the Midlands Graduate School Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP). The deadline for applying for an ESRC funded studentship is Tuesday 21 January 2025 (12:00 GMT).  Details on the application process provided in the link above. Note that you need to have applied for a place onto one of PhD programmes linked to your chosen pathway in order to be considered.
  
  Decisions from the ESRC Midlands Graduate School are usually made by the beginning of April. By applying to the ESRC you will automatically be entered into the School competition if you are applying to a School of Social Policy and Society PhD programme.

Information about other specific scholarships will appear on this site as these opportunities arise.

Find out more about our Doctoral Programmes.  

Find out more about the areas of research in the School of Social Policy and Society.