Postgraduate scholarships and bursaries

A range of funding opportunities is available to applicants to postgraduate programmes in the Arts and Humanities Faculty. Inevitably, these schemes are highly competitive and require applicants to demonstrate evidence of outstanding potential and a very strong academic performance to date. The Music Department has an excellent track record of success in securing several scholarships for its students every year, and we will work closely with suitable candidates to support them throughout the application process.

In most cases you will be required to submit a detailed research proposal outlining the project that you intend to undertake. The quality, originality, and significance of your proposed project are key criteria in assessing applications, so it is vitally important to ensure that your proposal is as high-quality as possible if you are to stand a realistic chance of success. We strongly recommend that you seek feedback on your proposal from your prospective supervisor well in advance of applying, allowing sufficient time to revise it in the light of their recommendations.

Funding opportunities for applicants to doctoral programmes

1. PhD Studentships in Transformative Humanities

With the support of our AHRC Doctoral Landscape Award and the Faculties of Arts & Humanities and Social Sciences, this scheme supports outstanding candidates on projects related to the themes of our Transformative Humanities framework. They include Creativity, Culture, and Heritage; Digital Humanities; Environmental Humanities; Medical Humanities; Science-Humanities; Social Justice, Communities, and Policy. Eight full studentships are available for projects beginning in October 2026: seven awards are open to home students (according to the UKRI definition, which includes a range of statuses) and one award is open to overseas students. Each award will offer a tuition fee waiver, a stipend for 3.5 years (full time) or 7 years (part time) at the level set by UKRI, additional funding opportunities, and access to training and placement resources.

To maximise the strength of the applications, we always run an internal process to evaluate the candidates and their proposal for feedback purposes.  For this reason, please prepare your application according to the Transformative Humanities Studentship scheme guidelines at this stage:  a CV and research proposal (max. 1000 words including footnotes, but excluding bibliography, if any) that clearly defines research questions and context, the intended approach and methods, the relevance of the project to transformative humanities, and the fit with Durham University and your supervisorial team, should be emailed to artsandhumanities.pgrteam@durham.ac.uk.  The deadline for the final application, and all further information on the scheme, can be found on the information pages here. 

2.  Chinese Scholarship Council 

The China Scholarship Council (CSC) scholarships are available thanks to a partnership with the China Scholarships Council. The scholarships are open to applicants from Mainland China wishing to study for a PhD at Durham. Details of the eligibility criteria along with information specific to applicants applying for this joint scheme can be found here.

3.  Other Doctoral Scholarships

Information about other internal and external funding opportunities (some of which are restricted to applicants of specific nationalities) can be accessed from the Faculty's Scholarships page. Follow the links to Postgraduate Scholarships and (if applicable) International Scholarships.

4.  Global Grand Challenges Studentships 2025 Entry 

The Global Grand Challenges Studentships (Hunt-Raymond GGC Studentships) which are designed to support excellent early career researchers wishing to pursue doctoral research and training in areas aligned to a highlighted Sustainable Development Goal (SDG).  

The call is for research and researchers aligned to SDG13: Climate Action for projects that aim to address issues associated with climate change and building a more resilient global future.  

More information can be found at Global Grand Challenges Studentships