Fully Funded Social Science PhD Studentship

The South East Doctoral Training Arc (SEDarc), a partnership of six UK universities funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), funds around 39 social science PhDs a year starting in October 2027. Each studentship covers tuition fees and a living stipend for 3.5 years, or 4.5 years with an integrated Masters, and is open to UK and international applicants. You apply through one of the six universities (Kent, Kingston, Reading, Royal Holloway, Surrey or Sussex), which nominates its strongest candidates to the final SEDarc competition.

What you get:

• Tuition fees at the UK home rate, with the host university covering the international fee difference at every partner except Reading
• A tax-free living stipend at the UKRI rate (21,805 GBP a year in 2026/27; Royal Holloway quotes 23,805 GBP including a 2,000 GBP London allowance). The 2027/28 rate is not yet published
• 3.5 years of PhD funding including a three-month Research in Practice placement, or 4.5 years with a one-year integrated Masters for applicants without a social science Masters
• Around 200 hours a year of research and skills training, plus access to extra funding for fieldwork in the UK or overseas, institutional visits and difficult language training
• Up to 1,000 GBP towards placement travel (per Kent and Reading)
• Full-time or part-time study (part-time for home fee status only)

What you'll do:

• Choose a university and one of fourteen social science disciplines, and find a supervisor there

• Open to UK and international applicants
• You must not have already started a PhD
• PhD only (+3.5): a Masters degree, or equivalent qualifications or professional experience, with the research skills needed for the project
• Masters plus PhD (1+3.5): a Bachelors (Honours) degree or equivalent and no existing social science Masters
• Research must fall within one of SEDarc's fourteen social science disciplines and five thematic pathways
• You must be nominated by one of the six partner universities to reach the final SEDarc stage
• International applicants at Reading must fund the difference between home and international fees themselves (16,512 to 19,212 GBP a year in 2026/27); Reading caps international awards at 30 percent of SEDarc studentships
• Part-time study is available to home fee status applicants only