Research Studentships

Queen Mary works with numerous international funding agencies to sponsor PhD study including: 

• China Scholarship Council (CSC) - Deadline to apply to QM: 27 Jan 27

• Commonwealth Scholarships (high income countries) 

• Commonwealth Scholarships (low income countries) 

Please see the PhD funding database for full details of Queen Mary’s international funding partners, including other schemes not listed here. 

The AHRC has awarded Queen Mary University of London a doctoral landscape award to support outstanding original research across the Arts and Humanities. Queen Mary will be awarding five studentships to commence in October 2026. 

Each studentship will provide the following: 

• A maintenance stipend and tuition fees based on UKRI (home) rates. 

• Support for research-related costs. 

• Opportunities for full-time or part-time doctoral research (part-time studentships will be offered on a pro rata basis). 

• Full-time awards will be 3.5 years in duration, with flexibility to extend up to 4 years to support individual student development opportunities such as placements, training, or additional skills development. 

AHRC DLA students will also have access to cohort-based training and development opportunities offered via the regional AHRC London and South-East Hub, as well as a comprehensive PGR training programme at Queen Mary. 

Studentships will be awarded through a competitive selection process. Please note that there is a cap imposed by UKRI on the number of studentships available to international students. 

We particularly welcome applications from those with under-represented backgrounds in the Arts and Humanities and applications proposing interdisciplinary research. Research projects must fall within the usual scope of the Arts and Humanities Research Council. 

Submission deadline: Tuesday, 1 December 2026, 17:00 (GMT). 

Apply: click here for more information and to apply. 

 

The application deadline for the 2027/28 intake for the Principal's PGR Studentships is 1 December 2026, 5pm.

The Department invites applications for QMUL Principal’s Postgraduate Research Studentships for self-defined projects relating to any of the Department's research themes. Applications are also invited for projects that might involve collaboration with other Schools or Departments within QMUL.  

Studentships will be awarded in mid-March 2027 to the most outstanding candidates in the Humanities and Social Sciences applying for a full-time or part-time PhD programme starting in September 2026. Applications will also be considered from students who are currently in the first year of a full-time PhD programme, or the first two years of a part-time programme. 

Offers will be made to successful candidates in late-February 2027, to be accepted or declined within one week.

The studentships cover all tuition fees and provide a grant for living expenses at the QMUL stipend (currently c. £22,617 p.a. full-time, c. £11,308 part-time).

Awards are tenable for up to three and a half years full-time or six and a half years part-time. 

Please note that these awards cannot be deferred to the following academic year.

BAME Studentships for UK candidates 

We encourage applications from UK candidates in BAME (Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic) groups who have been previously under-represented in this process. 

For 2027-28 entry, the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) will be offering one fully funded doctoral studentship (tuition fees and stipend at the QMUL rate) to a UK applicant from a BAME background. 

To be eligible to apply for this studentship you must be a UK permanent resident from a BAME background, and eligible to pay home student fees. You will automatically also be considered for our other studentships. Our goal is to recruit outstanding and diverse candidates across the full range of studentships. 

How to apply 

You should apply for your place at QMUL via the online portal. An early application is strongly advised. 

On the online application form, you should indicate that you would like your application to be considered for the HSS Studentship Competition. If you are applying for more than one funding award at Queen Mary, please select ‘I will fund my studies by multiple funding sources’ when prompted in the Funding section of the application. Please then give details of the multiple awards you are applying for in the text box.

Before applying, please read further information here and review our Guidance to Applicants below which will help you to complete your application. The guidance is relevant to all applicants, regardless of subject area and type of Studentship. 

If you wish to apply for the BAME studentship, you should specify this in the statement of purpose that will form part of your application. 

If you have already applied to QMUL to begin a PhD programme and have deferred, you may revise the research proposal and statement of purpose that you previously submitted to take account of our Guidance to Applicants. However, you are not required to do so. If you wish to submit revised documents, you should email them to the Director of Graduate Studies in the appropriate Discipline, giving the ID number from your application. 

If you have already begun a PhD programme at QMUL, you should email the Director of Graduate Studies in the appropriate Discipline, giving your student ID number and supplying a research proposal and statement of purpose (length and contents as indicated in our Guidance to Applicants).

Guidance for Applicants

Research Proposal

Your research proposal should be no more than 2000 words in length, including any references to existing research. Please make sure that you address the following points:

• Title of proposed thesis: Please include this in the title of your proposal, which should be in the  form: ‘Research Proposal: [proposed thesis title]’. This does not count towards your word limit.
  
  Please include a 200-word non-technical summary of your research:
• Context and significance of your research; In your research proposal, please outline the significance and originality of your proposed research, indicating:
  • its aims
  • its relationship to previous research in the field
  • the research question(s) you are seeking to answer
    
    
• Research design and methods; Please outline the design of your proposed research, indicating:
  • its methodology and/or sources (if your proposed research is practice-based, please explain how)
  • any fieldwork or study visits that may be required
  • a timetable for completion of the project
  • any ethical considerations that your research may raise
    
    
• Perspectives on dissemination and impact; Please identify:
  • possible opportunities to disseminate your research to academic audiences during your PhD programme
  • the ways in which your research might be relevant outside academia (this may not be applicable to your proposed research)

You can allocate as much or as little space as you think necessary to these different points, as long as you remain within the overall word limit. You are strongly advised to identify and approach a supervisory team (i.e. a primary and secondary supervisor, or two co-supervisors on a 50/50 basis), and discuss your proposal with them before making your application.

Statement of Purpose

Your statement should be no more than 4000 characters in length, including spaces. If you are eligible for the BAME awards (UK candidates only), you should include in your statement of purpose the declaration ‘I wish to be considered for a BAME award’. This declaration does not count towards the 4000-character limit.

Please make sure that you address the following points:

• What knowledge, skills, and training would you bring to the proposed research? This may include relevant academic study, relevant experience as a professional or practitioner, and any specific training in research skills/methods.
• Are there any areas where you think you will benefit from training in new or more advanced skills?
• Why do you want to undertake this research at QMUL?
• How does the proposed research relate to your career goals?

How your application will be assessed

Your application will be considered and ranked by a School selection panel. Selected applications will then be considered and ranked by the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.  The School panel will evaluate applications on the basis of the following criteria and weightings:

• Quality of proposal (50%) – i.e. the significance and originality of the proposed research; its underpinning ideas, aims, and research questions; the research design, methodology, and/or sources; the suitability of the proposal for doctoral research; opportunities for dissemination and potential impact; and any ethical considerations that the proposal may raise
• Preparedness of applicant (20%) – i.e. previous academic achievements in relevant subject areas; any relevant professional/practitioner experience (particularly for applicants with non-standard academic trajectories); and relevant knowledge, skills, and/or training for the proposed research
• Feasibility of project (20%) – i.e. the project’s likely completion within the timeframe; the identification of training needs; justification of fieldwork and study visits; and fit with the expertise and interests of the two named supervisors
• Alignment with disciplinary strategic research priorities / centres (10%) - e. how the project aligns with or compliments strategic research priorities within the discipline, including links to existing or forthcoming research centres.

The Faculty panel will then evaluate applications on the basis of the following criteria and weightings:

• Quality of proposal (40%) – defined as above
• Preparedness of applicant (20%) – defined as above
• Feasibility of project (20%) – defined as above
• Alignment with discipline (10%) – defined as above
• School ranking (10%)

At both Discipline and Faculty levels, if two or more candidates are equally ranked, preference will be given to the candidate scoring more highly on the following criterion: quality of proposal; if still equal, preparedness of applicant; if still equal, feasibility of project.

The Department invites applications for 1+3.5 and +3.5 studentships through the London Interdisciplinary Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership.  Studentships may be either 1+3.5 (one year MRes followed by three and a half year PhD), or +3.5 (three and a half year PhD only, available for those with suitable masters-level social science research training). See details on ESRC eligibility. 

The 2027 Open Competition is expected to open later this year. Further information and application guidance will be published in Autumn 2026.

This is open to all Queen Mary University of London alumni and full details are available online.