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Funding

Information for applicants seeking funding for doctoral study in the School of Government and International Affairs.

Funding for PhD study is extremely competitive, and applicants need to be preparing their applications early and in dialogue with staff in the School.

Please note: To be considered for funding you must have been in touch with a proposed supervisor.  

NINE DTP ESRC Studentships

The scheme is open to all UK and International applicants, providing tuition fees (at UK rate), a tax-free living stipend, research training and fieldwork support.

Applicants must first be accepted for doctoral study in their chosen department, which then nominates candidates to the DTP on a ranked basis.

Deadlines:

Deadline to submit Stage 1 nomination form: 27th October 2026

The NINE DTP is an exciting collaboration between seven universities producing world-class research across the full range of social science disciplines. NINE DTP builds upon the previous North East Doctoral Training Centre. These studentships require use of a social science methodology, e.g. an element of empirical research. For full details, please see the NINE DTP website and in particular the section on how to apply. Please note that prior to the 27th October deadline, you need to have already separately applied to the PhD programme at Durham as you will require the application ID for the Stage 1 nomination form. We would encourage you to have put in your university application no later than 23rd October to facilitate this.

Please note that your application to study for a PhD with us will be considered concurrently with your application for the funding, so you may still receive an offer to study with us even if you are not successful in being put forward for the funding. If you have any questions, please email sgia.pgr.admin@durham.ac.uk. Supervisors, and the school itself, can only support a limited number of the strongest applications for NINE DTP funding. If your application is not selected for nomination, this does not affect your eligibility or competitiveness for a self-funded place or other funding opportunities. 

Please note if we do not receive a completed application with required documents including your two references, you will not be considered.

SUBMITTING YOUR APPLICATION

Candidates wishing to apply for a studentship must complete the relevant institution’s online postgraduate application form and submit all other supporting documentation by the date detailed.

Candidates must complete a NINE DTP Equal Opportunities Monitoring form online and insert the code number on to their nomination form before submission. The form can be found here.

Candidates must provide/attach the following additional paperwork to their online application forms:

  1. A detailed research proposal. This should not be longer than 2,000 words in length (including footnotes, but excluding bibliography / reference list). If a proposal exceeds this maximum length of 2,000 words it will not be considered.
  2. Current CV [maximum 2 pages]
  3. Personal statement elaborating on aspects of the candidate’s background and suitability for the proposed studentship, beyond what is evident on the CV
  4. Two letters of reference
  5. Full transcripts of their previous qualifications obtained to date
  6. A signed copy of the NINE DTP Consent Form

Candidates should avoid nominating referees who are named as their potential supervisors in their application; however, if this is not possible a justification of their use as a referee should be provided within the body of the reference.

Further information

A range of studentships award-types are available:

  1. 5 Year Studentships for students who have already completed, or will have completed by the commencement of their PhD, a Master’s that included 60 credits or more of core research methods training across a breadth of methods and covering fundamental topics in research design and practice. Although the 3.5-year award does not contain time for Master’s-level research training, it is expected that students on this award will undertake training while conducting their research, and this should be detailed in the relevant section for those who advance to stage 2 of the nomination process.
  2. 75 Year Studentships for students who have completed a Master’s degree with a significant research component but that perhaps lacked the breadth (e.g. coverage of both quantitative and qualitative methods) or depth (e.g. enquiry into the practices and philosophical underpinnings of research, or coverage of research design) that are expected of a PhD-level researcher, as detailed in the ESRC’s Learning Objectives. Students selected for these awards will complete 30 credits or more to fill gaps in their prior research training, and they receive an additional three (3) months funding in support of this. This training, along with other aspects of training that they will pursue as a NINE DTP-funded student, should be detailed in the relevant section for those who advance to stage 2 of the nomination process.
  3. 4 Year Studentships for students who have completed, or will have completed by the commencement of their PhD, a Master’s in a relevant discipline, but who have not had significant training in research methods (e.g. if a student has completed an applied Master’s that has prepared them for a profession where little research is expected). Although students selected for this awarded will be admitted directly into a PhD programme, they will also be registered on and required to complete a 60-credit Postgraduate Certificate in Research Training (PGCert) during their first two years of study, and they receive an additional six (6) months funding in support of this. The PGCert training, along with other aspects of training that they will pursue as a NINE DTP-funded student should be detailed in the relevant section for those who advance to stage 2 of the nomination process.
  4. 5 Year (1+3.5) Studentships for students who are yet to commence a Master’s degree. This programme of study includes one year for obtaining a Master’s degree that includes training in a broad suite of research methods, as outlined in the ESRC’s Learning Objectives. In most instances, students fulfil this requirement by completing an established Master’s in Research Methods (MARM) course, either at the institution at which they will be obtaining their PhD or at another NINE DTP institution. Students who choose to fulfil this training by enrolling in a more disciplinary-focused master’s will likely be required to complete additional modules to obtain the breadth and quantity of methods training required by the ESRC. Students who propose this route and who advance to stage 2 of the nomination process should use the relevant sections to detail their proposed master’s training as well as their post-master’s training programme. They should also be aware that NINE DTP does not have resources to fund additional modules if extra fees are required or if the master’s course that they are proposing to take has hire fees than a standard Master’s in Research Methods.

 Find out more information

China Scholarships Council

Closing date: 2027 deadline TBC.

These important scholarships are available thanks to a partnership with the China Scholarships Council. The scholarships are open to applicants who are citizens and permanent residents of mainland China (excluding Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan) wishing to study for a PhD at Durham. Further Information about scholarships from the China Scholarships Council is available here.

 

PhD Studentships in Transformative Humanities

Competition for eight PhD Studentships in Transformative Humanities, supported by our AHRC Doctoral Landscape Award and the Faculties of Arts & Humanities and Social Sciences. This scheme will support outstanding candidates beginning a PhD programme in October 2026 on projects related to the themes of our Transformative Humanities framework.

Eligibility. Only PhD students accepted to Durham University with a supervisory team lead by Arts & Humanities or Social Sciences will be considered for this scheme. The competition is open to both home and overseas students: seven awards are open to home students and will cover tuition fees at home level; one award is open to overseas students and will cover tuition fees at overseas level. In line with the cross-disciplinary nature of the scheme, supervision must include collaboration across at least two departments.

Application Process. Applicants are encouraged to contact potential supervisor(s) to discuss their project before applying. Applications can be submitted through our online application portal at this link; in the funding section, under 'Scholarship details,' please select "PGR - Transformative Humanities" from the drop-down menu. The application deadline for this scheme is 23.59 (UK time) on 16 January 2026.

As part of the application, applicants are asked to submit:

  • a research proposal (max. 1,000 words including footnotes, but excluding bibliography, if any) that clearly defines research questions and context, the intended approach and methods, the relevance of the project to transformative humanities, and the fit with Durham University.
  • a CV
  • an equal opportunities monitoring form (link to follow)
  • the names of two referees. Upon submission of the application, referees will receive an automated message and will have two weeks to submit their references.

Research Areas for PGR Supervision

Supervisors are from the following Research Centres / Institutes: DGSi, IMEIS, CIPB, Centre for Political Thought, Centre for Contemporary Chinese Studies, GRIP, Political Economy Research Group, GPi

To see a full list of all SGIA Academic Staff, please see this page: Staff