The William R McFarlane Scholarship

The award provides an annual stipend at the UKRI rate (for guidance, in 2025/2026, this was £20,780 pro-rata for part-time students), tuition fees at UK or international rate, and some travel funding.

The successful applicant will become a member of the ‘Migration, Slavery and Diaspora Studies’ Hub within the ECGH, which boasts a lively and supportive postgraduate community. The successful applicant will be expected to participate in the ECGH’s activities, including the Graduate Workshop.

The award is open to UK and international students, commencing an on-campus History PhD degree in the academic year 2026-2027. Those applying for a HCA PhD by Distance programme, as well as current PhD students, are not eligible to apply for the William R McFarlane Scholarship. 

The scholarship panel will consider all high quality proposals relating to migration and/or diaspora studies from any period, and from any geographical region. Although Scottish history is a core concern, the Migration, Slavery and Diaspora Studies Hub has broad transnational interests, and welcomes projects relating to other nations or regions that put the Scottish example in a comparative perspective. Current/recent projects have focused on issues surrounding memory and identity (including military Scottishness, Irish diasporas in Melbourne and Chicago, and mapping memories of slavery), Scottish, Dutch, Jewish, and enslaved African diasporas in the early modern Atlantic World, and the impact of Scottish involvement with the slave economy on material culture at home. Prospective applicants are welcome to propose topics in related areas, but should not feel obliged to do so.  

To be considered for the William R McFarlane Scholarship, you must:

• Hold a UK 2.1 or first class honours undergraduate degree (or overseas equivalent) in a relevant field.
• Hold, or successfully achieve before commencing your PhD with us, a relevent Masters degree with an overall mark of at least 65%, or its international equivalent.

To be considered for the William McFarlane Scholarship you must have applied for a PhD degree programme with the School by the separate deadline. 

There are two separate deadlines that applicants must be aware of: the earlier PhD deadline and the scholarship deadline.  Please check the School of History, Classics and Archaeology scholarship webpage for these application deadlines.

You may apply for the William McFarlane Scholarship before receiving a decision on your application for a PhD place, but if you do not receive a study offer, your application cannot proceed.

Further information on how to apply and the application deadlines for 2026/2027 can be found at the School of History, Classics and Archaeology.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Scholarships Systems FAQs for Applicants (152.11 KB / PDF)

Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their applications by May 2026.  We reserve the right not to make an award in the event that no suitable applications are received.  

If you have a question which has not been answered above, please email the HCA Postgraduate Research Office (hca-pgr@ed.ac.uk).