There are two main funding schemes, London Arts and Humanities Partnership (LAHP) studentships and the University’s own Queen Mary Postgraduate Research Studentships. Both schemes are open to UK and international (including EU) applicants. They have different application routes, explained below.
Check the AHRC website for more details of how to apply
Applicants who wish to be considered for an Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) studentship must apply directly to the London Arts and Humanities Partnership (LAHP), the doctoral consortium of which Queen Mary is part. The studentships are open to suitably qualified applicants of all ages and backgrounds, for full- or part-time study. The studentships cover fees at the UK rate as well as a stipend. International applicants will have to make up the difference between the home and international fee. Further details and the application form can be found here.
You must have the support of a primary supervisor and the name of a second supervisor before you apply to LAHP.
The closing date for applications for September 2025 entry is 22 January 2025. Email sta@qmul.ac.uk if you have any questions.
Each year Queen Mary offers a number of Postgraduate Research Studentships to highly qualified PhD applicants. They include a tuition fee waiver and an annual stipend of c.£20,622 (part-time £10,311). Studentships are tenable for up to three years. Applicants from the United Kingdom, European Union, and overseas are eligible to apply. We welcome applications in any area of the Department’s research expertise as well as interdisciplinary projects with other departments.
All candidates who are offered a place on our PhD programme will be automatically considered for a Queen Mary Postgraduate Research Studentship if they indicate on their application that they wish to be considered. Please note that there is no separate application form for the studentship. You must submit your PhD application via the online portal and include a Research Proposal, Statement of Purpose, CV, degree certificates, transcripts, two references, and IELTS scores (if applicable). Candidates should hold a first-class or an excellent upper-second class Honours degree or equivalent, and would normally be expected to hold a Masters degree.
Please note that these awards are also open to existing PhD students in their first year of a full-time study or their first two years of part-time study.
Please read the following documents carefully before making an application.
HSS Studentship Guidance 2024 [DOC 37KB]
Guidance to applicants 2024 [PDF 134KB]
We encourage applicants from BAME (Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic) backgrounds who have been previously under-represented in this process.
For 2024 entry, the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences will be offering fully funded PhD studentships to UK applicants from a BAME background.
These studentships include a tuition fee waiver and an annual stipend. Awards are tenable for up to three years.
*NEW for 24/25: This year the Doctoral College (DC) will be offering up to 2 BAME studentships (UK/home fees only) to PGR applicants in HSS. The eligibility criteria for the Doctoral College BAME awards are the same as the HSS ones and candidates will be assessed in the same competition. Eligible candidates should indicate in their statement of purpose that they would like to be considered for the BAME awards, without further specification.
We welcome applications from prospective Commonwealth Scholars and candidates seeking other externally-funded awards.
For further information please contact the Co-Director of Graduate Studies, Dr James Vigus: j.vigus@qmul.ac.uk
See also the College page offering information on research studentships.
