Postgraduate Research Studentships
Each year we offer fully-funded Research Studentships to support the next generation of leading academics. Funding is available across all research areas and it typically comprises three years of funding.
Self-funders or those with external funding sources are welcome to apply via our standard route at any time of year.
Humanities and Social Sciences PhD Studentships
Eligible Subject Areas
We are offering fully-funded PhD studentships in all areas that fall within the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences for September 2021 entry. This include the following eight Schools:
- School of Business and Management
- School of Economics and Finance
- School of English and Drama
- School of Languages, Linguistics and Film
- School of Geography
- School of History
- School of Law
- School of Politics and International Relations
Candidate Eligibility
All nationalities are eligible for these 3-year studentships which cover tuition fees and living expenses. Part-time applicants and current first-year students are also eligible to apply.
There are two additional awards for UK students who identify as BAME. Full details are within the below documents.
How to Apply
Please read both documents thoroughly before submitting your application.
HSS PhD Studentships- Funding Info [PDF 285KB]
HSS PhD Studentships- Guidance for Applicants [PDF 147KB]
For those who have external funding or plan to self-fund your PhD, you may apply at any time, but some areas may become full if you apply late in the cycle. You are therefore advised to apply as early as possible.
Science and Engineering PhD Studentships
Fully-funded studentships are available for September 2021 entry across this Faculty. In addition to our general studentship competition, we also have two studentships for UK BAME applicants.
Eligible Subject Areas
PhD programmes across all five Schools within the Faculty are eligible for the funding.
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences
- School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science
- School of Engineering and Materials Science
- School of Mathematical Sciences
- School of Physics and Astronomy
Candidate Eligibility
BAME Studentships:
- UK students who identify as coming from a black, asian or ethnic minority background.
- The proposed research topic must fit within the EPSRC remit of engineering and physical sciences. typically this is all areas except biological and natural sciences, astronomy and particle physics.
Queen Mary Research Studentships:
- All nationalities are eligible for some awards, UK only for other. Check with your department before applying.
- All subject areas are eligible but Schools will be posting updates about which projects they are funding on their pages. There is no guarantee of funding for a particular subject area as this is highly competitive.
Doctoral Training Studentships:
- Check the Doctoral Training Studentships page for the schemes available and how to apply.
- Some awards are for all nationalities, some are for UK only.
How to Apply
Follow the step-by-step instructions on the How To Apply page before submitting your online application.
For most funding types there is one single application for admission and for funding. You should note the funding for which you would like to be considered on your application form.
Some Doctoral Training Programmes require an additional application to the funding partner. Please read the instructions on their website carefully and get in touch if you are unsure.
School of Medicine and Dentistry PhD Studentships
This School is organised into seven distinct Institutes and each have their own funding sources. Typically this comes in three forms:
Research Council Grants: These will be advertised, as they become available, throughout the year. Check our list of live adverts now.
Doctoral Training Schemes: Details of each of these can be found on our doctoral training scheme page.
Charity or Industrial Funding: These will be advertised, as they become available, throughout the year.
Self-funders, or those with external funding are welcome to submit a speculative application at any time of year. Prior contact with the proposed supervisor and discussion of the project are highly recommended in advance of submitting your application.
International PhD Funding Schemes
In addition to Queen Mary's studentships, we work with numerous international funding agencies to co-fund PhD studentships to support individual students from across the globe. Today, we are home to scholars from more than 50 different international sponsorship bodies.
More information about the scholarships available to you can be found on your individual country page or by using our searchable scholarships database.
The main funding partners we work with for PhD funding are:
- Commonwealth Scholarships Commission (low, middle and high income country scholarship schemes)
- Islamic Development Bank
- China Scholarship Council
- COLFUTURO (Colombia)
- CONACyT (Mexico)
- Becas Chile
- Turkish Embassy
- Pakistan Higher Education Commission
Deadlines for PhD Studentships
For September 2021 entry, the application deadlines are as follows:
- Law studentships: 4th December 2020
- Humanities and Social Sciences Studentships and BAME studentships : 20th January 2021 (except Law)
- Science and Engineering Studentships and BAME studentships: 27th January 2021*
- China Scholarship Council applicants for any subject area: 27th Jan 2021
- MRes-PhD applicants for the School of Economics and Finance: 31st January 2021
- Projects for the School of Medicine and Dentistry: various- check the advert for the project.
- Doctoral Training Partnerships: there may be an additional application and earlier deadline. Check their websites carefully.
*If awards are still available after 27th January, late applications may be considered. Check back here for updates.
Contact Us
If you have questions about any of the above, please contact us via the enquiry form or contact the relevant academic School directly.