Arts and Humanities Research Council - Doctoral Landscape Awards

The award will cover the PhD tuition fee and a stipend at the UKRI level for a minimum of 3.5 years, plus training options equivalent to a further 6 months of stipend to best support your PhD project and professional goals. The funding is also available part-time for students who do not require a Student Route visa. For example, you could choose to extend your funded time by up to 6 months, to undertake a paid internship, or to fund the costs of fieldwork. The defined training options are listed in full in the Applicant Guidance and funding application.

Before submitting a funding application, applicants must discuss their preferred funding option with their proposed supervisory team. The University reserves the right to award a different funding option depending on its assessment of the project. 

If you require a Student Route visa and wish to undertake the funded internship option, you must indicate this on your funding application. If the option is not selected at the application stage, the funded internship cannot be considered at a later stage in the PhD due to visa restrictions. 

This funding is only open to new applicants for PhD study in 2026/2027. The funding is not open to current PhD students or Distance PhD applicants.

Candidates will normally hold a relevant 2:1 Honours degree (such as BA, BMus, BSc or LLB) and a similar calibre of Master’s degree or equivalent professional experience. Awards are only available in the advertised Disciplinary Panels. Where the PhD application does not fit within the Disciplinary Panel, your funding application will be marked unsuccessful. Awards are available to Home fee applicants and up to one of the three awards can be made to an International applicant. Please check your fee status here. 

To qualify for Home status an applicant must: 

• Be a UK National (meeting residency requirements), or
• Have settled status, or
• Have pre-settled status AND meet residency requirement (3 years residency in the   UK/EEA/Gibraltar/Switzerland immediately before the start of the PhD), or
• Have indefinite leave to enter or remain 

Please discuss the funding with your proposed supervisory team and read the Guidance for Applicants document and Assessment Criteria before completing your funding application.

Step 1:

Apply for PhD admission for 2026/2027 entry by 5pm on the relevant School deadline:

PhD Philosophy - 10th November 2025

Edinburgh College of Art - 17th November 2025

Literatures, Languages and Cultures - 17th November 2025

School of Divinity and PhD Social Anthropology - 20th November 2025

Step 2:

Before 5pm GMT on 27th November 2025, complete the Doctoral Landscape Award Funding application form and return it to the relevant School email below.

Competition Guidance (667.25 KB / PDF)

The University will select applicants for funding. Award notifications will be sent in early March 2026. Some candidates may be placed on a reserve list.

For any further queries, please contact us: 

Postgraduate Research Student Office