Fees and scholarships

We are committed to the development of our postgraduate research community, and we provide a range of funding and scholarship opportunities to our PhD students.

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Thinking about PhD study? 

Join us for our PhD study virtual event on Thursday 7th November 5-6pm GMT, where you hear from the PGR Director and Academic Admissions Lead about:

  • What is a PhD?
  • What does a PhD involve?
  • How do I apply?
  • What funding is available and how do I apply for it?

You’ll also be able to ask questions. Please email scs-pgr@sheffield.ac.uk for the joining link.

Last year’s event was recorded and you can watch the video below. 

Postgraduate research tuition fees

Home students

The tuition fee you pay in your first year will increase (in line with inflation) for each subsequent year of study. Tuition fees for part-time degrees are usually charged at half of the rate of full-time degrees across twice the number of years (subject to an increase in subsequent years in line with inflation).

Overseas students

The tuition fee you pay in your first year will be the same for each subsequent year of study. Tuition fees for part-time degrees are usually charged at half of the rate of full-time degrees across twice the number of years.

PGR tuition fees


Postgraduate research scholarships

All scholarship applications are made through the University's Postgraduate Online Application Form. When you start the application, you will see a drop down box that asks you which scholarship/s you are interested in. You should tick all that apply. The system will then open the appropriate application form based on your selection.

Scholarship Opportunities for 2025/26 entry

You must have a study offer (a PhD place) in place to be considered for a scholarship. You must apply for the PhD place no later than Wednesday 8th January 2025 if you intend to also apply for a scholarship. This is a strict deadline. See how to apply for further details.

The scholarship opportunities for 2025/26 can be found below:

White Rose ESRC DTP Open Competition Scholarships

The White Rose Social Sciences Doctoral Training Partnership (WRDTP), accredited by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), is a collaboration across the social sciences at the Universities of Sheffield, Bradford, Hull, Leeds, Manchester Metropolitan, Sheffield Hallam and York.

The following scholarships will be available for doctoral research students commencing their studies in October 2025.

WRDTP Pathway Awards (including the Interdisciplinary Research Awards and the WRDTP/Stuart Hall Foundation Awards for Black British students); WRDTP Advanced Quantitative Methods (AQM) Awards;  iii)) WRDTP Advanced Data Analytics (ADA) Awards.

These awards are available on a +3.5, +3.75 or 1+3.5 basis, and can be held full-time or part-time. Further information about each of these award schemes can be found on the WRDTP website, including assessment criteria which should be carefully consulted. Please direct queries to: enquiries@wrdtp.ac.uk

The deadline for applications is 22 January 2025 at 17:00 (GMT) but please note that a PhD place must be secured in advance of your scholarship submission. Scholarship applications are submitted via the University's Postgraduate Online Application system.

WRoCAH AHRC DTP Open Competition Scholarships

Since 1997 the Universities of Leeds, Sheffield and York have built on their individual strengths by collaborating through the White Rose University Consortium. The White Rose College of the Arts & Humanities (WRoCAH) is one of 10 Doctoral Training Partnerships supported by the AHRC. 

WRoCAH will have approximately 45 AHRC Open Competition Studentships to award across the three institutions (Leeds, Sheffield and York) for October 2025 entry. You can make one application for funding through the open competition at either Leeds, Sheffield or York.

Full guidance notes can be found on the WRoCAH website. Please direct enquiries to: enquiries@wrocah.ac.uk

University of Sheffield Research Scholarships

Applications are now open for the University of Sheffield scholarships. Further information here. Awards will cover tuition fees and a stipend at the UKRI rate. These scholarships fund up to three and a half years full-time or seven years part-time study, subject to satisfactory progress. Part-time studentships are paid at 50% of the full-time rate. Further details can be found here.

Applicants to the Faculty of Social Science must ensure that they complete the additional 'Scholarship Application' section of the Postgraduate Online Application Form. The deadline is 5pm GMT on 22 January 2025. Please note that a PhD place must be secured in advance of your scholarship submission.

Sheffield-China Scholarship Council PhD Scholarship

This scheme provides academically excellent Chinese students with the opportunity to study for a PhD at the University of Sheffield. The scholarships are supported jointly by the China Scholarship Council and the University of Sheffield. 

The University of Sheffield will fund tuition fees for 3.5 years. Students are expected to submit their thesis within this period. CSC will fund a grant for living costs for up to four years, and one return flight from China to the UK.

Further information about eligibility, research areas and the application process is available here.

All applicants are required to submit a study application via the Postgraduate Online Application Form no later than 5pm GMT on 22 January 2025. Please note that a PhD place must be secured in advance of your scholarship submission.

ESRC Funded Studentship - The Care Workforce in Re-Bordered Britain

The ESRC Centre for Care is pleased to offer a PhD studentship based in the Department of Sociological Studies. The PhD will be situated within the Care Trajectories & Constraints Research Group.

It will be embedded within a research study exploring how changes to the UK’s migration regime since Brexit are impacting the social care workforce, including its super-diversification in terms of migration categories and statuses, and the implications of this for workers and employers.

The PhD will have a particular focus on understanding how the recent decision to limit migrant care workers’ rights to bring family members is impacting the lived experience of migrant care workers and their families, and in situating that decision and people’s experiences of it within wider discussion of the (post)colonial logic of the post-Brexit migration regime. Methods will include policy analysis and qualitative interviews. The successful student will be supervised by Professor Majella Kilkey and Professor Sundari Anitha.

The application deadline is Wednesday 22nd May 2024. For more information see information on jobs.ac.uk or FindAPhD.

Funding opportunities for international students

The University holds a range of funding opportunities for international PhD applicants.

Where country specific scheme exist, they will be listed on the country pages here.

Our PhD finder also lets students search by funding status here.
 


PhD training in the Faculty of Social Sciences

As part of the Faculty of Social Sciences you will have access to world class training alongside your doctoral study. The Social Sciences Doctoral Training programme is tailored to your individual needs to ensure you have the right skills you need to develop your research.

The training programme is designed to exceed current UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) training and development guidelines, and gives all our social science PhD students access to ESRC-funded White Rose Doctoral Training Partnership cohort activities, regardless of your source of funding.

All our students receive interdisciplinary training and experience opportunities via the White Rose Doctoral Training Partnership, and additional discipline specific training is provided in each of our departments.

Find out more about our Social Sciences Graduate School

Centres of excellence

The University's cross-faculty research centres harness our interdisciplinary expertise to solve the world's most pressing challenges.