UK doctoral funding is mostly project-linked or awarded through doctoral training partnerships, which means the route runs through a supervisor and a department rather than a central scholarship office.
Rhodes Trust
One Rhodes Scholarship for eligible candidates from the Commonwealth Caribbean for fully funded postgraduate study at the University of Oxford from October 2027.
University of Sussex
One fully funded 3.5-year University of Sussex PhD studentship on ai-driven ultrasound for materials evaluation, open to UK and overseas applicants with both UK and international fees covered.
University of Cambridge
A Cambridge and Novo Nordisk funded PhD examining mitochondrial metabolism in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease and testing targeted therapies.
University of Cambridge
One highly competitive fully funded three-year studentship applying innovative statistical methods to biomedical problems.
University of Cambridge
A fully funded Home-fee PhD developing equitable cancer-risk prediction models using linked health records, missing-data methods and simulation.
University of Sussex
One fully funded 3.5-year University of Sussex PhD studentship on microstructure and defect control in recycled aluminium alloys, open to UK and overseas applicants with both UK and international fees covered.
Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission
Marshall Scholarship for eligible US applicants pursuing one or two years of graduate study in the United Kingdom.
University of Strathclyde
The official Strathclyde page confirms a 15% annual fee reduction and a deadline of 30 September 2026.
Rhodes Trust
A fully funded scholarship from Rhodes Trust. Fully funded postgraduate study at the University of Oxford, subject to official award terms.
Gates Cambridge Trust
Gates Cambridge Scholarship – United States Round supports outstanding applicants from outside the United Kingdom undertaking an eligible full-time postgraduate degree at the University of Cambridge. Applicants who are citizens ordinarily resident in the United States apply through the United States funding round.
Gates Cambridge Trust
Gates Cambridge Scholarship – International Round supports outstanding applicants from outside the United Kingdom undertaking an eligible full-time postgraduate degree at the University of Cambridge. Applicants from eligible countries outside the United Kingdom apply through the international funding round.
University of Essex
Official Essex scholarship page confirms the award, current cycle, eligibility and automatic assessment through the university application record.
A standard studentship pays fees at the relevant rate plus a tax-free stipend at or above the UKRI minimum, usually for three to four years, sometimes with a research training support grant. International fee differences are covered by some awards and not others.
Doctoral training partnership deadlines cluster in January. Project-linked studentships are advertised year-round with individual closing dates, often only four to six weeks after publication.
Approach supervisors with a specific research overlap two to three months before deadlines.
Check whether the award covers international fees in full or only the home rate.
Track advertised studentships continuously rather than only at annual deadlines.
Prepare a research proposal matched to the partnership's themes where one applies.
Not always. Many are funded at the home rate, and the international difference must be covered by the department, the university or you. The record states which where the official source specifies it.
Usually yes, though integrated programmes combining a master's year with doctoral study exist, and exceptional first-degree applicants are sometimes admitted directly.
Editorial content last updated 27 July 2026. Opportunity records show their own verification date. How records are verified
