PhD Funding
We are delighted to invite applications for postgraduate research funding. We cannot guarantee funding, but we are happy to offer advice, support, and feedback on funding applications and research proposals.
Applying for funding
The main WRoCAH and ESRC open funding competitions for 2025 entry are now closed. WRoCAH collaborative awards are now available and listed below.
Funding Competitions
WRoCAH is offering a range of Collaborative Doctoral Awards (CDAs). these are defined projects with an external collaborating partner organisation.
Deadline for expressions of interest: 12 noon GMT on Wednesday 5th March 2025.
Find out more and express your interest in one of our projects.
The experiences of Irish MPs at Westminster during the nineteenth century
This project explores the contribution to parliamentary culture in the United Kingdom made by Irish MPs during the nineteenth century. Looking beyond the drama of the 'Irish Question', the project examines the social networks of Irish MPs, their sensory experiences as legislators and how 'Irishness' was perceived and reshaped through the prism of parliamentarism. Irish MPs were not merely cogs in a party machine, but active agents in the constitutional process and wider parliamentary scene. This project thus facilitates a new interpretation of Irish politics and the development of British parliamentary practices during the nineteenth century.
This project is headed up by Dr Colin Reid (School of History, Philosophy and Digital Humanities) and Dr Philip Salmon (History of Parliament Trust).
The Female Miniaturist 1680-1840: Recovering lives, practices and representations
This project is a collaboration between the University of Sheffield and the National Portrait Gallery. It investigates an overlooked aspect of female artistic practice: the portrait miniature. During the period 1680 to 1840, miniature production was increasingly dominated by women, yet there is no definitive study of the female miniaturist: her importance obscured by a focus on male counterparts, and her achievements side-lined by an increasingly institutionalised art world. In reconstructing the lives and practices of female miniaturists in the period, the project will draw on the National Portrait Gallery’s rich collection of miniatures and archival material as well as a range of literary and non-literary sources. The result will be an important contribution to the history of art and culture in the period.
This project is headed up by Professor Joe Bray (School of English) and Dr Lucy Peltz (National Portrait Gallery). It is being run in conjunction with Dr Kate Davison (School of History, Philosophy and Digital Humanities).
Postgraduate Doctoral Loans
Government loans are available for postgraduate students studying doctoral level courses. Loans are non-means tested i.e. your incoming will not effect the amount that you receive and are available to students studying either part-time or full-time.
More information including eligibility criteria
Funding research study through a student loan is a big commitment and we would strongly recommend talking about this option with your proposed supervisor.
Alternative sources of funding
There are many external funding bodies, such as charities and trusts, who offer support for postgraduate study. Funding may be limited and eligibility criteria will vary. Find out more about additional funding for postgraduate study.
Alumni Discount
Graduates from the University of Sheffield can also take advantage of a discount on tuition fee. Find out more about the alumni discount.
Fees
Information about fees for our research programmes can be found on the PhD fees page.