Fully Funded Social Policy PhD Studentship

The University of South Wales is recruiting a PhD student in social policy through the Welsh Graduate School for the Social Sciences (WGSSS), the ESRC doctoral training partnership for Wales. You propose your own research project, find a supervisor at USW, and compete for a fully funded studentship starting in the 2027/28 academic year. The pathway covers social care, social work and social policy, including poverty, inequality and social justice.

What you get:

• Tuition fees paid in full, at the UK rate, including for international students
• A tax free living stipend at the UKRI minimum rate, currently £21,805 a year (2026 to 2027 rate)
• Access to a Research Training Support Grant for research costs
• An award of 3.5 to 4.5 years full time, or the part time equivalent, depending on your training needs
• A funded three month Research in Practice placement in academia, policy, business or civil society
• Possible Disabled Students Allowance on top of the studentship

What you'll do:

• Design and propose your own PhD project in social care, social work or social policy
• Work with a supervisor at the University of South Wales, with training shared across Bangor, Cardiff, Swansea and USW

• Open to home and international (including EU and EEA) applicants; up to 30 percent of WGSSS studentships per cohort go to international students
• A good undergraduate degree (First or Upper Second Class or equivalent) in a relevant discipline; a masters is not a prerequisite
• You must propose your own PhD project and approach a supervisor in an accredited USW department
• Only one General Competition application is allowed across all WGSSS partner universities
• Required documents: WGSSS application form, academic CV of up to 2 pages, two references you collect yourself, degree certificates and transcripts, and proof of English if relevant
• Full time award holders cannot hold a full time job, a permanent part time job or an extended temporary role during the award
• Must meet UKRI studentship eligibility rules
• All applicants complete the ESRC Equality and Diversity Monitoring form