Postgraduate research funding opportunities

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In order to attract the best and brightest PhD students, the University seeks to offer not only unparalleled research facilities and superb supervision, but also to provide development opportunities which will support our research students as they progress beyond their PhD, through an exciting scholarship scheme.

The School of GeoSciences will offer 3 Edinburgh Doctoral College Scholarships (EDCS) for students starting their PhD programme in the academic year 2026/27.

Value

Each scholarship covers the University tuition fee (Home or International students), as well as a stipend equivalent to the UKRI stipend rate (£20,780 for 2025/26), plus a £3,000 Research Training and Support Grant. Scholarships are awarded for 3,5 years. Candidates are responsible for covering immigration and relocation expenses as these are not included in the scholarship.

Deadlines

Please read the following guidance carefully. Ensure that both steps are completed in order to be considered for the scholarship:

• Step 1 (Programme application): Thursday 22 January 2026 at 23:59 (GMT)
• Step 2 (Scholarships portal application): Monday 2 February 2026 at 23:59 (GMT)

Before applying

• Review guidance on the University of Edinburgh Scholarships and Funding page here.
• Contact potential PhD supervisors at the School of GeoSciences, as soon as possible to discuss your proposal. Applications that are not supported by a supervisor will not be considered. You will be asked to provide name(s) of supervisor(s) in your programme application, so please ensure that you are in communication with one or more supervisors and they have agreed to support your application.
• Prepare both programme and scholarship applications. Due to the complexities of submitting two separate applications, it is advisable that you familiarise yourselves with the relevant guidance and address any issues with us well in advance of the application.

Application Process

There is a two-step application process and both steps must be completed within required timelines, in order for applicants to be considered. Please note deadlines for programme and scholarship applications differ from the deadlines generated automatically by the application portal, when submitting your programme application.

Step 1 - Programme application

Deadline: Thursday 22 January 2026 at 23:59 (GMT)

Submit a PhD application for September/October 2026 start date through the University of Edinburgh Degree Finder (see below for application links):

We will only consider completed applications.

Required documents

- Academic transcripts: include degree certificates and transcripts for undergraduate and/or postgraduate studies along with certified translations if documents are not issued in English. For ongoing studies, upload interim transcripts or matriculation certificates.

- Research proposal: a detailed description of the intended research topic. It should consist of an overview, including research question(s) and the overall aim of your project, the context of the research, i.e. where it is situated within the relevant literature(s), methodology and an indication of ethical issues associated with the proposal. The main body of the research proposal (excluding the bibliography) must not exceed 1,500 words. Use at least 11-point font and 2cm margins. Include Harvard style references on a separate page, and a provisional timetable for the proposed research.

- CV: please provide an updated academic CV.

- Two academic references: Submit within ten working days of the programme application and no later than 2 February 2026.

Important notes

• Please read our general application guidance web page: Application Guidance. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.
• SGSSS DTP applicants will be considered for EDCS with their SGSSS DTP research proposal. Please ensure that you follow both steps (i.e. submission of both programme and scholarship applications), if you wish to be considered for an EDCS scholarship.
• E5 DTP applicants that have submitted an application via the E5 DTP portal and wish to be considered for EDCS, must follow EDCS application guidelines and provide documents at the required format. Please ensure that you follow both steps (i.e. submission of both programme and scholarship applications), if you wish to be considered for an EDCS scholarship. 

Not eligible to apply

• Candidates starting at a different time.
• Current PhD students.
• Supervisor-led projects.

Step 2 - Scholarship application

Deadline: Monday 2 February 2026 at 23:59 (GMT) ***OPEN NOW***

Submit a separate application via the scholarship portal. The scholarship application portal is now open. 

The scholarship application form will become accessible via your EUCLID Applicant Hub after you submit your PhD application and receive your login credentials (UUN and EASE password). Please note it can take five working days (or more during peak admissions times) for all system checks to be completed and for applicants to receive credentials and then be allowed to access the scholarship application portal. Therefore, candidates are advised to complete their programme application well in advance of the deadline. 

You will find guidance on the following University page: Applying for a scholarship as a Postgraduate Applicant

Application statement

As part of your scholarship application, you will be asked to provide an application statement, which should highlight your research journey:

• Outline your research journey: provide a summary of why you are ready to undertake a PhD now and how you will flourish as a result of PhD funding. You might include how you overcame personal challenges, achievements, experiences, etc (400 words max).

• Outline how you see yourself contributing to the PhD community and how you will support diversity and inclusion (250 words max).

   

Selection process and timelines

A selection panel of academic colleagues from the School of GeoSciences will shortlist candidates on the basis of the SGSSS scoring framework to assess applications.

• Interviews will be held online around early-mid April 2026.

• Unsuccessful applicants will be notified at the end of April 2026 via their Applicant Hub.

   

Contact Information

For more information or assistance on the programme application process, please contact the School of GeoSciences PGR Office -pgrsupport.geos@ed.ac.uk 

If you have any queries about your scholarship application, please contact the 'Scholarships and Student Funding Services' team -scholarships@ed.ac.uk 

If you experience technical difficulties when using the 'Scholarship application' software, please contact the Student Systems team -studentsystems@ed.ac.uk 

Important links 

Edinburgh Doctoral College Scholarships

The University of Edinburgh is a member institution of the Scotland-wide Graduate School of Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership (SGSSS DTP), which is funded and accredited by the Social and Economic Research Council (ESRC). The DTP provides world-class postgraduate research and training in the social sciences across a wide range of disciplines, known as “Units of Assessment”.

Deadlines

Before applying

Contact and seek advice from the relevant Unit of Assessment Lead and a potential PhD supervisor at the Institute of Geography, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh as soon as possible to discuss your proposal and your interest in the ESRC awards. 

We also recommend that you check the scholarship information and ESRC eligibility criteria here and view all of the helpful applicant information videos on the SGSSS website here. You must also register to the SGSSS Apply system.

Please take the time to go through the application template, guidance and marking framework - applicants who do not contact supervisors to discuss their applications prior to applying will be rejected. 

Application process

There is an initial two stage application process and both stages must be completed in order to be considered for the student-led SGSSS open competition in the School of GeoSciences. 

Stage 1 – Programme Application

Submit an application including academic transcripts, academic statement and research proposal as per guidance below, CV and referee details to the PhD Human Geography and Environment Sciences programmee (see link below) by  Thursday 20 November 2025 at 23:59. Please ensure that you clearly state your interest in the ESRC funding in your application.

Apply for a Human Geography and Environmental Sciences PhD 

You can find a detailed step-by-step guide to applying for a research degree below

PhD Application process – School of GeoSciences

Please review the relevant guidelines for information that should be included in your research proposal.

Additional guidelines for SGSSS DTP applicants

If you are applying for the SGSSS funding, please include the following information into your research proposal; specific requirements outlined below should be met. Please upload this information in the “Research Proposal” field of your EUCLID application. You can upload multiple items to this field.

1. Academic Statement:

• Outline your research journey: provide a summary of why you are ready to undertake a PhD now and how you will flourish as a result of PhD funding. You might include how you overcame personal challenges, achievements, experiences, etc (400 words max).
• Outline how you see yourself contributing to the PhD community and how you will support diversity and inclusion (250 words max).

2. Research proposal:

• The research proposal must be a detailed description of the intended research topic. It should include an overview, including research question(s) and the overall aim of your project, the context of the research, i.e. where it is situated within the relevant literature(s), methodology and an indication of ethical issues associated with the proposal. The main body of the research proposal (excluding the bibliography) must not exceed 1,500 words.

3. Bibliography:

• Include references referred to in the research proposal (Harvard style).

4. Provisional timetable:

• Provide an indicative timetable for your research, which should fit for 3 years for a full-time PhD.

5. Pathway:

• State which SGSSS challenge-led pathway fits to your research most closely. You can provide up to 3 options. If you think your research does not fit into any of the pathways, state this as well.

Note: 

• Depending on applicant experience, the award can be offered as MSc plus PhD (1+3.5). For further guidance contact the relevant Unit of Assessment lead.

Stage 2 - (SGSSS funding application)

All applicants must also submit a complete funding application to include academic transcripts, CV and referee details to the SGSSS via the Apply system by  Monday 24 November 2025 at 17:00.For any issues with the system, please contact SGSSS at team@sgsss.ac.uk.

You will need to submit a programme application and a funding application in order for us to be able to consider you for these scholarships. Due to the complexities of submitting two separate applications to two different systems, it is advisable that you familiarise yourselves with the relevant application guidance and address any issues with us well in advance of the application deadlines.

Online Information Sessions

Contact information

Important links:

SGSSS funding application guidance

Scottish Graduate School of Social Science studentships

The School of Geosciences leads the NERC funded E5 DTP, bringing together 33 partners including 7 University of Edinburgh schools, National Capabilities, Centres of Excellence and external partners in the policy, industry and society sectors. The City of Edinburgh and its surrounding areas have one of the highest concentrations of NERC-remit in the United Kingdom. It is home to the University of Edinburgh as well as the offices of large independent research organisations and partners including the UK Centre for Hydrology and Ecology, the British Geological Society, Scotland’s Rural College, the National Museum of Scotland, and Forest Research. In our list of available projects, you will find a wide range of research topics, and we also welcome self-proposed PhD topics that build upon our wide partnership. 

The E5 DTP offers a fully funded four-year studentship, which provides a stipend (set at UKRI rate), tuition fees and research costs of £3450. Students will also undertake a three-month Professional Internship Placement (PIP) of their choice, funded by E5.

Application deadline: 14^th December 2025, Midnight GMT

Before applying: 

Explore a wide range of supervisor-led projects across diverse research theme, or propose your own project idea with the student-led route. We strongly recommend contacting your prospective supervisor to discuss the project before you submit an application.  This will enable you to learn more about their research, and confirm that it’s a good fit for your interests and experience. 

Submitting your application:

Once you have chosen the project that you are interested in and want to apply, click ‘apply for this project’ on your chosen project listing.  This will take you through to our application portal and you will be guided to provide your email address to create an account.  

In the application portal, you can: 

• Upload your documents
• Provide referee details
• Update and track the status of your application until the deadline. 

You can submit one application only (either supervisor led or student led). 

Interview dates: 

In person- Edinburgh, Kings Buildings campus: 23^rd & 24^th February 2026

Online (for applicants outside of the UK) – 25^th February 2026

All candidates will be notified of their written application outcome by 16^th February 2026. 

For more information, see our website, or join us at one of our online Information and Q & A sessions:

• Thursday 30th October 2025: 15.00-16.00 hrs. GMT - Register here
• Thursday 20th November 2025: 15.30 - 16.30 hrs. GMT - Register here (look for Earth, Environmental and Ecological Sciences)

Other opportunities

The University Scholarships and Students Funding Services provide a handy Scholarship Search tool and further information on funding opportunities for prospective postgraduate students.

• Search tool
• Funding and fees

Postgraduate loans

A Postgraduate Doctoral Loan can help with course fees and living costs while you study a postgraduate course. There are different options available for students from different parts of the UK.

• UK funding and other financial support