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 2025 and January 2026 (where applicable). We will add information for September 2026 entry as soon as it is available.
  • students who commenced their programme in January 2025 are not eligible for scholarships offered to applicants starting in September 2025 and January 2026.
  • 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 by early December the year before you wish to start your PhD. Applications for September 2026 entry will open in October 2025.

For entry in September 2025 or January 2026, 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 entry, it is likely that all eligible candidates who apply for their programme of study between October 2025 and early May 2026 will be considered. 

Find out more about the PhD in Korean Studies


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 window for 2026 entry will open in October 2025. The application process has two stage deadlines in mid November 2025 - one to apply to study, one to apply for funding.


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.

The application window for 2025 entry has now closed and applicants contacted about the outcome. 


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 2025 entry has now closed and applicants contacted about the outcome. 


Designed to support the development of Japanese Studies in the UK, this scheme annually provides a limited number of postgraduate awards, each worth £15,000. Applicants to our PhD programme in Japanese are automatically considered for this award provided they apply by a certain date; applicants to our PhD in East Asian Studies who have a research focus on Japan can request to be considered, again if they apply by a certain date (usually early March).

The application window for 2025 entry has now closed and applicants contacted about the outcome. 


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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