Information on Scholarships
This page contains information for staff on:
University Scholarship funding
Research Council funding
Advertising PhD projects
Scholarship payments
Current scholarship holders
Prospective students
Current students (non-scholarship holders)
Additional financial support for conferences and fieldwork
University Funding
The University commits £6m annually to support PGRs in a number of ways.
- University and Faculty Scholarships - the University Scholarships for 2013-14 entry have now been allocated. Applications for 2014-15 will open in late October 2013.
- Cross-cutting Directors of Research & Innovation Interdisciplinary Studentship Networks - funding has now been allocated for 2013-14.
- British Library Scholarships - the University continues to support two scholarships per annum for projects specifically requiring access to British Library collections and co-supervised by British Library staff. Proposals are now invited for 2014-15. Closing date 29 November 2013.
- White Rose Scholarships - the White Rose Consortium has awarded the network scholarships for 2013-14.
- A*Star Research Attachment Programme - this prestigious programme is an opportunity for both new and existing research collaborations between the University of Sheffield and A*Star Institutes (the agency for Science, Technology and Research in Singapore). Proposals are now invited for 2014-15. Closing date 29 November 2013.
Research Council Funding
Applicants
General information on Research Council funding for new students can be found at http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/scholarships
Eligibility for Research Council Funding
Research Council funding is generally only available to students with UK or EU nationality. In addition, to be eligible for full funding (fees and maintenance), students need to have been resident in the UK for three years prior to the start of their PhD - this residency can be for any reason, including education. If they have not been resident in the UK for three years, they are usually eligible for fees-only funding.
However there are exceptions to these general rules, including for those with settled status in the UK, and for Overseas students in some specific subject areas.
To receive Research Council funding, students are normally expected to have qualifications/experience equal to the standard of a good honours degree at a first or upper second class level from a UK academic research organisation. Degree qualifications gained from outside the UK, or a combination of qualifications and/or experience that is equivalent to a relevant UK degree, may be accepted. For some PhD studentships, a Masters course or equivalent research experience will be expected.
More detailed eligibility criteria for Research Council scholarship funding can be found on the following web pages:
AHRC (PDF - see p42)
BBSRC (PDF)
ESRC
EPSRC
MRC
NERC
STFC
If you have any queries about student eligibility for Research Council funding please contact the Scholarships Team (pgr-scholarships@sheffield.ac.uk). We will be able to advise you, and if necessary we will consult with the Research Council for further clarification of specific cases.
Current Research Council-funded students
Information on terms and conditions for current Research Council funded students can be found at http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/ris/pgr/scholarships
Advertising PhD projects
We can advertise PhD projects on our Projects Directory and on jobs.ac.uk and promote them via our Twitter feed. Please email pgr-scholarships@sheffield.ac.uk with details of the project you wish to advertise.
Scholarship payments
Payments for University Prize, Faculty, White Rose, Wolfson, British Library, A*Star, Cross Cutting, AHRC and ESRC Scholarships are arranged by R&IS. For all other scholarships, departments should arrange payment by completing an Internal Funding Form.
Payment dates for the current academic year and current Research Council maintenance rates can be found here.
If a student has not received an expected payment they should contact the Income Office - paymentstostudents@sheffield.ac.uk
Information relating to current scholarship holders
Information relating to current scholarship holders, including award details, extra allowances, submission dates, extensions and leave of absence procedures can be found here.
If a student holding any of the scholarships administered by R&IS requires a letter confirming their award, please ask them to email pgr-scholarships@sheffield.ac.uk to request a letter, including their name, registration number and type of scholarship, and letting us know whether they require a hard copy. We will normally be able to produce the letter within a few days.
Prospective students
Prospective students enquiring about scholarships can be directed to http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/scholarships where they can find information on University and Research Council scholarships, and a range of external funding opportunities.
Current students (non-scholarship holders)
Current students are not eligible to apply for University or Faculty scholarships. Exceptionally they may be offered Research Council funding. Some external funders do offer support to existing students - lists of external funding bodies can be found here.
Additional financial support
Students who have expenses for fieldwork or attending a conference:
- should check the terms of their scholarship to see if they can claim this from their RTSG or apply for additional funding
- may be able to claim from the Learned Societies Fund
- non-funded Social Sciences students can apply to the Social Sciences Faculty Research Support Scheme
- some external funding bodies offer support for fieldwork, conferences and other expenses
- academic departments may have knowledge of or access to other funding sources
If you require any assistance with any aspect of scholarship administration, please contact pgr-scholarships@sheffield.ac.uk
You can now follow PGR Scholarships on Twitter: www.twitter.com/shefscholarship