Edinburgh University PhD Scholarships 2024-25: Funding, Studentships, and Fees

Are you looking for a PhD opportunity at one of the world’s leading universities? If so, you might be interested in applying for the Edinburgh Doctoral College Scholarships (EDCS) for the 2024-25 academic session. The EDCS are prestigious awards that cover the tuition fee and provide a generous stipend for PhD students at the University of Edinburgh. The scholarships are open to UK and overseas students from any discipline, and are awarded based on academic merit and research potential. In this blog, we will give you an overview of the Edinburgh University PhD Scholarships, the eligibility criteria, the application process, and some tips on preparing a strong application. Read on to learn more!

What is the EDCS?

The Edinburgh University PhD Scholarships, known as EDCS, are part of the University’s initiative to attract the best and brightest PhD students from around the world and to support them with unparalleled research facilities, superb supervision, and development opportunities. The EDCS aim to foster a culture of excellence, innovation, and collaboration among the doctoral students and the academic staff.

Why Should You Apply for Edinburgh University PhD Scholarships?

The Edinburgh University PhD Scholarships, or EDCS, offer the following benefits:

• Full coverage of the University tuition fee for 3 or 4 years, depending on the programme of study
• A stipend of £18,622 per year for living expenses
• Access to a range of training and networking events, workshops, seminars, and conferences organized by the Doctoral College and the academic schools
• Opportunities to engage with the wider research community, industry partners, and public audiences through outreach and impact activities
• Support for personal and professional development, such as career guidance, mentoring, and wellbeing services.

Who Can Apply for the Edinburgh University PhD Scholarships?

The Edinburgh University PhD Scholarships are open to UK and overseas students who are applying to start their first year of study for an on-campus research degree in 2024-25. The research degree can be either full-time or part-time and can be in any subject area offered by the University.

Edinburgh University PhD Scholarships: Requirements

The main requirements for applying for the Edinburgh University PhD Scholarships are:

• Having, or expecting to obtain, a UK first class or 2:1 honours degree at the undergraduate level or the international equivalent, and preferably a similar calibre of Master’s degree
• Having a strong research proposal that aligns with the University’s research strengths and priorities, and demonstrates originality, feasibility, and significance
• Having a confirmed or potential supervisor who is willing to support your application and supervise your research
• Meeting the English language requirements for your programme of study, if applicable

How to Apply for the EDCS?

The application process for the Edinburgh University PhD Scholarships consists of 2 steps:

1. Applying for admission to a PhD programme of study at the University. You must submit your application with all the supporting documents, including your research proposal, by the deadline specified by your academic school. You can find the list of available PhD programmes and the application guidance on the University’s website.
2. Applying for the EDCS scholarship. You must complete and submit an online scholarship application form by 1 February 2024. You can access the form and the instructions on the Scholarships and Student Funding website.

Please note that you must apply for both admission and scholarship separately and that receiving an offer of admission does not guarantee a scholarship award. The EDCS are highly competitive and only a limited number of scholarships are available each year.

How to Prepare a Strong Application for the EDCS?

The Edinburgh University PhD Scholarships are awarded based on the quality of your academic record, and your references. So, it is important to prepare your application carefully and demonstrate your suitability and potential for doctoral research.

Here are some tips on how to prepare a strong application for the EDCS:

• Choose a PhD programme and a supervisor that match your research interests and goals.
• Write a clear, concise, and coherent research proposal that outlines the main research question, the aims and objectives, the literature review, the methodology, the expected outcomes, and the contribution to knowledge. 
• You should also explain how your research aligns with the University’s research strengths and priorities, and how it will benefit from the EDCS scheme.
• Provide evidence of your academic achievements, such as transcripts, certificates, awards, publications, or presentations. 
• Also highlight any relevant skills, experience, or training that you have acquired through your previous studies, work, or extracurricular activities.
• Ask for references from 2 academic who can comment on your academic performance, research potential, and suitability for the EDCS.
• You should inform your referees about the EDCS scheme and your research proposal, and ask them to submit their references by the deadline.
• Proofread and edit your application before submitting it. 

What to Expect after Applying for the EDCS?

After submitting your application for the EDCS, you will receive an acknowledgement email from the Scholarships and Student Funding team. You will also be able to track the status of your application on the online portal.

The EDCS applications are reviewed and ranked by the academic schools, and then by a central selection committee. The selection process may take several weeks, and the final decisions are expected to be announced by the end of April 2024.

If you are successful, you will receive a scholarship offer letter from the University, which will include the terms and conditions of the award. You will need to accept the offer within 2 weeks, and also meet any outstanding conditions of your admission offer.

If you are unsuccessful, you will receive a notification email from the University. You may still be eligible for other funding opportunities, such as the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Research Awards, the School of Divinity Research Scholarships, or the Scottish Graduate School for Arts and Humanities AHRC Doctoral Training Partnership scholarships. 

FAQs

We hope that this blog gave you a complete overview of the Edinburgh University PhD Scholarships. For more updates on university scholarships like this, subscribe to Leverage Edu today. Thank you for reading!