PhD students

Funding opportunities for PhD candidates in the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures.

Postgraduate study can be expensive, and the funding available is highly competitive.

Some scholarship schemes are open to candidates on PhDs in any subject in the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC). Others are only open to candidates in specific subjects. See individual scholarship listings for details.

Application processes and deadlines vary from scholarship to scholarship and you should carefully check the Terms and Conditions of any funding sources. Where the University of Edinburgh is the funding body, the University reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to amend or withdraw any of the advertised scholarships, without notice.

Generally speaking:

  • the scholarships we have listed on this page are for applicants starting in September 2026 and January 2027 (where applicable).
  • students who commence their programme in January 2026 are not eligible for scholarships offered to applicants starting in September 2026 and January 2027.
  • where a deadline has passed, we have indicated this in our listings and tried to give you an idea of when the next application window will open.
  • to increase your chances of being eligible for a range of scholarships and other awards, you are strongly encouraged to apply for your PhD as soon as possible. Applications for September 2026 entry open on Tuesday 7 October 2025.

This scheme funds a limited, and highly competitive, number of awards in Literatures, Languages and Cultures covering full tuition fees with an annual stipend (set to the UKRI level) for a maximum of three years. For 2026 entry, we anticipate being able to offer an award to two candidates.

The application window for 2026 entry will open in October 2025 and close on Monday 2 February 2026.


Awarded by the University of Edinburgh, these scholarships are for UK and overseas candidates applying to start their first year of on-campus PhD study. The scholarship covers tuition fees and provides a stipend for between three and four years as agreed by the School/Deanery (or pro-rata for part time).

The application window for 2026 entry will open in October 2025 and close on Monday 2 February 2026.


We're part of the Scottish Graduate School of Social Science (SGSSS), a consortium of 16 universities funded by the ESRC to support postgraduate studentships and training in the Social Sciences in Scotland. PhD studentships are typically available for candidates on our Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies (IMES) PhD and Chinese PhD programmes within the SGSSS Linguistics Unit of Assessment.

The application process has two stage deadlines in mid November 2025 - one to apply to study, one to apply for funding.


For entry in September 2026 or January 2027, we hope to offer one student on our Korean Studies PhD programme a prize of up to £5,000. 

We also hope to offer additional prizes to two students (PhD or MSc) of £3,000 each.

These prizes have been made possible by the Academy of Korean Studies (AKS).

We do not currently anticipate being able to award a prize for January 2026 entry. For September 2026 and January 2027 entry, it is likely that all eligible candidates who apply for their programme of study between October 2025 and 31 May 2026 will be considered. 

Find out more about the PhD in Korean Studies


Designed to support the development of Japanese Studies in the UK, this scheme annually provides a limited number of postgraduate awards. Applicants to our PhD programme in Japanese or to our PhD in East Asian Studies who have a research focus on Japan are automatically considered for this award provided they apply by a certain date - date to be confirmed, but likely to be early March 2026.


AHRC Doctoral Landscape Award

This award from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) is open to applicants for a PhD programme whose research proposal has, as its primary focus, one (or more) of the following:

  • Communications
  • Cultural Policy
  • Film and TV
  • Library and Information Studies

For example: PhD in East Asian Studies, with a research proposal focusing on cultural policy, or PhD in French, with a research proposal focusing on film.

Browse PhD programmes in the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC)

There will be two steps to the application process:

  1. Apply for your PhD programme through the University of Edinburgh's Degree Finder
  2. Apply for the Doctoral Landscape Award (DLA) by sending your application to us in the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures

Both steps will need to be complete by Monday 17 November 2025.

Please note that current PhD students are not eligible to apply.

The DLA application form and further information on this award will be available during the week ending 10 October 2025; please come back to this page for details. 

What other sources of funding are available?

The University publishes details of other funding sources. These range from awards sponsored by external organisations, to UK Government loans. Typically, you are eligible for these opportunities based on factors such as your nationality. 

Many schemes enable you to study on a programme of your choosing at the University of Edinburgh, including lots of programmes in the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures. So it is worth having a look at what else is available beyond opportunities unique to our School. 

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