2027 University of Edinburgh Arts and Humanities Research Council - Doctoral Landscape Awards

The University of Edinburgh is one of 50 leading Higher Education Institutions to receive a Doctoral Landscape Award from the AHRC to help underpin the strength and stability of the arts and humanities research environment.

Doctoral Landscape Awards support PhD studentships across the arts and humanities and are provided as block grant awards to HEIs. These awards replace the PhD studentships previously offered by the Scottish Graduate School for Arts and Humanities. 

The Scottish Graduate School for Arts and Humanities will provide Doctoral Landscape Award holders with additional PhD training and Cohort Development opportunities during the studentship.

Table of Content

• Summary
• Benefits
• Requirements
• Interview Process
• Application Deadline
• How To Apply

Summary

• Application DeadlineJanuary 15, 2027
• Study LevelPhD
• SponsorUniversity of Edinburgh
• City to studyEdinburgh
• School to studyUniversity of Edinburgh
• Eligible CountryAll Countries

Benefits

The award will cover the PhD tuition fee and a stipend at the UKRI level for a minimum of 3.5 years with the following training options equivalent to 6 months of stipend to best support your PhD project and professional goals:

1. 3.5-year studentship + 6 months’ additional funded research time.  
2. 3.5-year studentship + 3-month funded internship + 3 months’ additional funded research time.  
3. 3.5-year studentship + 3-month funded visiting researcher placement/internship + associated accommodation/travel costs equivalent to 2 months’ stipend + 1 month additional funded research time  
4. 3.5-year studentship + 3-month internship + 1.5-month visiting researcher placement + visiting researcher accommodation/stipend costs (equivalent to 1.5 months’ stipend)  
5. 3.5-year studentship + travel and accommodation for fieldwork (equivalent to 2 months’ stipend) + 4 months’ additional funded research time. 
6. Other: candidates can propose a variant on the 5 options outlined above, but this must (a) include at least a 3.5-year studentship and (b) not exceed the equivalent cost of a 4-year stipend.

Before submitting a funding application, applicants should 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. 

Applicants who will require a Student Route visa and intend to take an internship must indicate this at the application stage. If not selected at the application stage, internships cannot be considered later in the PhD.

Requirements

This funding is only open to new applicants for PhD study in 2027/2028 within the School of History, Classics and Archaeology. 

To be eligible you must be accepted onto a PhD programme in the School of History, Classics and Archaeology for September 2027/2028 entry. For this funding, admission cannot be deferred to January 2028 unless there are exceptional personal circumstances and applicants are expected to be able to met academic conditions in time for September 2027 entry. 

The funding is not open to current PhD students.

Candidates will normally hold a relevant First Class 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 sit within the School of History, Classics and Archaeology, your funding application will be marked unsuccessful. 

Awards are available to Home fee applicants and limited awards available for International applicants. Please check the full UKRI eligibility criteria here. For the successful award holder, the University will cover the difference in fees between the home and international fee rate. 

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

Selection Process

• The Dean of Postgraduate Research and the School Postgraduate Research Director will be hosting an online information session for prospective applicants at 3pm GMT on 4th November 2026. No registration is needed.
• Please click on this link to join the session: https://eu.bbcollab.com/guest/56d81e3dc8d544aeb72fac678eb15511

Check also:
Free Ongoing Fully Funded Scholarships Guide 2026 (Download Now)

Application Deadline

How To Apply

Step 1:

• Before 5pm GMT on 19th Jan 2027, apply for a PhD programme in the School of History, Classics and Archaeology at the University of Edinburgh starting in 2027/28. 

Step 2:

• Before 5pm GMT on 2nd February 2027, complete the Doctoral Landscape Award Funding application form and return it to [email protected]
• Please discuss the funding with your proposed supervisory team and read the Guidance for Applicants document and Assessment Criteria before completing your application.

Step 3:

• The University will select applicants for funding. Award notifications will be sent in late April 2027. Some candidates may be placed on a reserve list.

Document

• AHRC Doctoral Landscape Award Open Competition - Funding application form (52.04 KB / DOCX)
• AHRC Doctoral Landscape Award Open Competition - Guidance for applicants (671.18 KB / PDF)

For any further queries, please contact: Postgraduate Research Student Office 

For more information, kindly visit University of Edinburgh scholarship webpage.