PhD scholarships
Externally-funded scholarships
These scholarships are awarded on a competitive basis. Applications are assessed on academic success and qualifications, experience, research background, a clear well-articulated research proposal, the potential impact of the research and a good match with supervisor/School/Faculty expertise.
We encourage you to reach out to prospective supervisors to help refine your application and research proposal, you can use our Find A Supervisor tool or look through the staff profiles.
There are several scholarships available to applicants, which include the PhD Research Council Scholarships. These include scholarships awarded by:
- ESRC White Rose Doctoral Training Partnerships
- These scholarship awards are awarded to UK and international students wishing to start in October 2025. The current round of the competition will provide the following awards:
- WRDTP Pathway Awards
- WRDTP Advanced Quantitative Methods Awards
- WRDTP Advanced Data Analytics (ADA) awards
How to apply:
To be considered for this award applicants will need to have submitted their application by the Management School’s internal deadline of Monday 6th January 2025.
Please follow the University webpage ESRC White Rose Social Science DTP scholarships for general guidance and instructions on how to apply for these scholarships.
Other externally-funded Scholarships
- Commonwealth Scholarship Commission
- The Commonwealth PhD Scholarships are funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). Commonwealth PhD scholarships contribute to the development needs of Commonwealth countries by supporting research that will have a developmental impact. They also enhance individual teaching and research capacity leading to increased institutional capacity in academic and other sectors in Commonwealth countries.
- Commonwealth PhD scholarships are for high-quality graduates who have the potential to undertake world-class research of a developmental nature and to become influential leaders, teachers, or researchers in their home countries.
- Please read the terms and conditions carefully and to ensure they meet the full eligibility criteria as stated in the terms and conditions. Not all Commonwealth countries are eligible.
- To be considered for this award applicants will need to have secured an unconditional offer to study for a PhD in the academic year 2025-2026 by the 22nd January 2025.
If you have any questions about scholarships please see our FAQs or email pgr-scholarships@sheffield.ac.uk.
University-funded scholarships
Applications for scholarships for 2024-25 entry have closed.
Awards will cover tuition fees and a stipend at the UKRI rate (£19,237 in 2024-25). Please consult with your chosen department as to whether funding will cover only Home tuition fees or the full International fee, and what support is available for research costs.
These scholarships are funded by Research, Partnerships and Innovation for up to three and a half years full-time or seven years part-time study, subject to satisfactory progress. Part-time studentships are paid at 50% of the full-time rate.
Eligibility
- You should have, or expect to achieve, a first or upper second class UK honours degree or equivalent, and meet any other entry requirements stipulated by your chosen department.
- You should be applying to start your first year of study on a full-time or part-time PhD in the 2024/25 academic year.
Read about the University of Sheffield Research Scholarships
Management School PhD scholarship
The Management School funded PhD scholarships for 2024-25 have now closed.
These open around the summertime, and will be updated on this webpage. Information on this scholarship can be found below.
The scholarship is awarded on a competitive basis. Applications are assessed on academic success and qualifications, experience, research background, a clear well-articulated, fully-developed research proposal which contributes to knowledge or society and a good match with supervisor expertise.
This scholarship provides the following funding:
- Fees: Full payment of tuition fees across the course of study at the Home or International rate.
- Maintenance/stipend: Paid at the basic UKRI rate (£19,237 for 2024/25), the stipend will be paid quarterly in advance.
- Research Training Support Grant: £7,250 per funded year. Restrictions apply to the use of these funds and there must be a clear connection to supporting the research project.
The above will be pro-rated for a part-time student.