Bristol Postgraduate Research Scholarships: Social Sciences and Law
Find out about the Bristol Postgraduate Research Scholarships that are available to help you finance your postgraduate research degree.
On this page:
Types of scholarship
Funding amounts, eligibility, how to apply.
The University of Bristol are delighted to be able to offer a number of Postgraduate Research Scholarships to candidates demonstrating exceptional research potential.
Scholarships are available for up to four years (full-time) or eight years (part-time), subject to satisfactory annual progress.
Funding available to students for 2025 entry include:
Bristol Postgraduate Research Scholarships
Bristol postgraduate research scholarships for candidates of black and mixed black heritage, who are uk domiciled with home fee status, cotutelle scholarship with macquarie university, australia.
- ESRC Scholarships (SWDTP pathways only)
Closing date : Friday 24 January 2025 at 12 noon UK time (we cannot consider applications for funding received after the deadline)
Word limit for research proposals: 1,000 words.
There will be up to 7 fully-funded PhD scholarships for applicants showing exceptional research potential. Bristol Postgraduate Research scholarships are available for applicants from any country and for any PhD programme offered within the Faculty’s Schools ( Business School , Law School , Education , Policy Studies , Economics , Sociology, Politics and International Studies ). We actively encourage applications from all parts of the world, and from under-represented and non-traditional groups, both from within and outside of the UK. All applications, whether requiring home or overseas fees, will receive equal consideration.
Applicants for these scholarships should demonstrate how their proposed research aligns with (or intersects between) the following University and Faculty strategic research priorities :
- Social justice (encompassing economic and political social justice, migration and mobilities, and equitable and sustainable health, including health and social care)
- Climate and environment (encompassing sustainability and climate change)
- Digital and data (encompassing socio-digital, data science and technology)
- Culture and creativity (encompassing cultural and creative industries, immersive industries, creative technologies and entrepreneurship)
Proposed research projects in the above areas that examine policy and/or policy evaluation are welcome. We also welcome proposals located firmly in traditional disciplines, as well as proposals that are interdisciplinary, whether across the social sciences and law, or more broadly.
Closing date: Friday 24 January 2025 at 12 noon UK time (we regret that we cannot consider applications for funding received after the deadline).
We are pleased to announce that fully-funded Bristol Postgraduate Research scholarships will be offered to candidates who self-identify as being of Black and/or mixed Black heritage, who are UK domiciled (with UK Home fee status), and who demonstrate exceptional research potential. Applicants for these PhD scholarships may submit research proposals in any area of study within the schools of Social Sciences and Law , and do not have to demonstrate alignment with the University’s and Faculty’s strategic priorities (outlined above), though they may wish to do so. For these scholarships, we encourage applications to every Social Sciences and Law School in the Faculty ( Business School , Law School , Education , Policy Studies , Economics , Sociology, Politics and International Studies ).
These scholarships will initially respond to the persistent structural inequalities that disadvantage people from Black and Black-mixed heritage, including existing barriers within higher education and academic research. The scholarships will provide an opportunity for development as a leader in research and innovation, providing support for independent research, knowledge exchange and professional development. The focus is on investing in talented individuals reaching their full potential.
Closing date: Friday 24 January 2025 at 12 noon UK time (we regret that we cannot consider applications for funding received after the deadline)
The Bristol-Macquarie Dual PhD Cotutelle programme is a 4 year programme, with the student based in Bristol for the first 2 years and then in Sydney for the final 2 years. It is a requirement of the programme, and for eligibility to the related funding, that the student is able to meet this split-site study arrangement.
The University of Bristol and Macquarie University will provide funding for all tuition fees at each location, and each will provide a maintenance grant (stipend) and support for research costs, at the prevailing local rates, for the two year period of study at their location. Macquarie University will also provide a travel allowance of up to $4,000 AUD for a return, economy air ticket.
For the study period in Bristol, the stipend will be aligned with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) minimum levels. The stipend rates for 2025-26 are at least £19,795 per annum for four years (full-time) or up to eight years pro rata (part-time), dependent on satisfactory progress.
Visa application costs and international health surcharge costs, where applicable for study in the UK and/or Australia, must be met by the student.
This scholarship is available for applicants from any country and for any PhD programme offered within the Schools of Social Sciences and Law ( Business School , Law School , Education , Policy Studies , Economics , Sociology, Politics and International Studies ). We actively encourage applications from all parts of the world, and from under-represented and non-traditional groups, both from within and outside of the UK. All applications, whether requiring home or overseas fees, will receive equal consideration.
Applicants for Cotutelle scholarships with Macquarie University should demonstrate how their proposed research aligns with at least one of the following University of Bristol strategic research priority areas; the equivalent Macquarie strategic research areas should also be addressed in the application (note that projects can also be interdisciplinary, intersecting between the two Universities’ strategic priorities).
Cotutelle applicants should identify one suitable main supervisor at University of Bristol , and one suitable supervisor at Macquarie University . Applicants should write to both potential supervisors during the application process.
Indicative list of potential supervisors
Social justice / resilient societies .
- Dr Marcus Morgan (SPAIS, University of Bristol) and Dr Randa Abdel Fattah (Macquarie School of Social Sciences): sociology, social movement activism
- Dr Maud Perrier (SPAIS, University of Bristol) and Professor Alison Pullen (Dpt of Management, Macquarie University): gender, work and care
- Professor Emma Hitchings / Dr Peter Dunne / Dr Katherine Wade (University of Bristol Law School) and Dr Esther Erlings / Dr Amira Aftab (Macquarie Law School): family law
- Dr Katherine Wade (University of Bristol Law School) and Dr Esther Erlings (Macquarie Law School): child law
- Professor Judy Laing / Professor Oliver Quick / Professor John Coggon / Professor Sheelagh McGuinness (University of Bristol Law School) and Dr Esther Erlings / Professor Lise Barry (Macquarie Law School): health, law and society
- Professor Gavin Phillipson (University of Bristol Law School) and Dr Shireen Morris / Dr Andrea Dolcetti (Macquarie Law School): constitutional law
Culture and creativity / Innovative technologies
- Professor Robin Holt (School of Management, University of Bristol Business School) and Dr Max Ganzin (Department of Management, Macquarie University): creative industries, family businesses, craft businesses, entrepreneurship
Digital and data / Innovative technologies
- Dr Yin Harn Lee (University of Bristol Law School) and Dr Rita Matulionyte / Dr Daniela Simone (Macquarie Law School): emerging issues in IP
- Dr Vaclav Janecek / Dr Yin Harn Lee (University of Bristol Law School) and Dr Andrea Dolcetti / Dr Rita Matulionyte (Macquarie Law School): private law and law and tech
Climate and environment / Secure planet
- Professor Margherita Pieraccini / Professor Elen Stokes (University of Bristol Law School) and Dr Madeline Taylor (Macquarie Law School): climate, environment and energy
Candidates for this Cotutelle should also apply directly to Macquarie for a PhD enrolment. Individual projects will have to have an agreed individual project agreement in place. At Macquarie, students will attend Faculty Graduate Research Events: welcome events, conferences, student-led events, workshops and more.
Unless otherwise stated, PhD Scholarships will include tuition fees and a maintenance grant (stipend) in line with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) fee.
The stipend rates for 2025-26 are at least £19,795 for four years (full-time) or eight years pro rata (part-time), depending on satisfactory progress.
Each student will also have £2,100 per annum to be spent on associated research costs.
Funding is available only to new students commencing their PhD research in September 2025.
We cannot consider applications from current students already enrolled on a PhD course, or from MPhil students wishing to upgrade to PhD.
For other possible sources of funding, please visit the Student Finances webpages .
The University of Bristol aims to attract, recruit and retain students with different experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives because diversity – of people and ideas – remains integral to our success. Candidates demonstrating excellence from low-income backgrounds and non-Russell group universities, as well as Black, Asian, minority ethnic, Trans, non-binary, and disabled candidates, are strongly encouraged to apply.
Candidates are eligible for a scholarship if they:
- Meet our standard admissions requirements for the PhD course they are applying to - please refer to the individual for entry requirements;
- Demonstrate exceptional potential for doctoral study;
- Received an offer of study, which must be accepted before or at the same time as receiving any offer of scholarship.
Bristol Postgraduate Research Scholarships for candidates of Black and mixed Black heritage, who are UK domiciled with Home fee status only:
Candidates are eligible for this scholarship if they are a UK national with Home fee status who self-identify as having one of the following categories of ethnicity: Black African, Black Caribbean, Black Other, Mixed – White and Black Caribbean, Mixed – White and Black African, Other mixed background (to include Black African, Black Caribbean or Black Other. You will need to submit your PhD application and also complete this online form .
If you have been awarded alternative full awards (e.g. SWDTP or joint UoB-CSC ) are not eligible for the University of Bristol postgraduate research scholarships.
In order to apply for any of these scholarships, you must first submit an application to the University of Bristol for the PhD programme that you wish to study.
Please note that Schools will usually have their own individual deadlines to receive PhD applications in advance of the individual scholarship application deadlines. Please check the School’s PhD's scholarship website in advance to ensure you can meet these deadlines.
In the funding section of the form, please select any of the following boxes that apply to your application:
‘University of Bristol scholarship’ (for Bristol Postgraduate Research Scholarships), ‘UK Research Council’ (for ESRC/SWDTP scholarships), or ‘other’ and specify the award. This will highlight to our Admissions teams that you wish to be considered for specific scholarships.
Should you require any reasonable adjustments throughout the application process, please contact the Admissions team who will be able to discuss these with you.
To identify potential supervisors, please visit the Our People page and filter by the School you are interested in applying to.
Bristol Postgraduate Research Scholarships for candidates of Black and mixed Black heritage, who are UK domiciled with Home fee status alongside your application, you should also complete the online form .
Selection criteria
Candidates for all scholarships will be selected on the basis of specific criteria - Postgraduate Research Scholarship scoring entry criteria (PDF, 137kB)
For selection criteria of the SWDTP scholarships, please refer to the SWDTP website :
Research proposal
Unless otherwise stated, and to be considered for a scholarship, the research proposal has a strict 1,000 word limit (inclusive of everything except references/ citations). This includes all the written text, quotes, in-line citations, section headers, captions, the contents of tables and any foot-/endnotes. Each figure/graphic should be counted as equivalent to 200 words. Tables should be counted as the number of words they contain. We regret that we cannot consider applications for funding where the research proposal is found to be overlength.
Selection process
Schools will shortlist candidates and make nominations to the Faculty. If you have already applied or hold a programme offer, please get back in touch with your School, via their Admissions team , to indicate your interest for a scholarship.
If you have any queries regarding the scholarships contact the admissions teams of the School that you are applying for:
- School for Policy Studies: [email protected]
- School of Education: [email protected]
- School of Economics: [email protected]
- School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies (SPAIS): [email protected]
- University of Bristol Business School: [email protected]
- University of Bristol Law School: [email protected]
IMAGES
VIDEO