SGSSS funds postgraduate students with outstanding academic backgrounds and research potential. All applicants are expected to meet the ESRC Eligibility criteria summarized in the ESRC Postgraduate Funding Guide (for a more detailed version of student eligibility criteria, please see the UKRI guidance published in October 2020). Applicants must hold or be predicted a First or a good 2:1 undergraduate degree in the social sciences, or have relevant comparable experience. Additionally, if you are applying for a +3.5 award then you must also hold or be completing a Masters degree in the social sciences, which satisfies the ESRC 2015 methods training requirements (this guidance will be updated for the 23/24 application cycle).

If a first year student (or part-time equivalent) is self-funding their PhD, or they are in receipt of financial support not in excess of an ESRC award, they can apply for ESRC funding from their second year, i.e. they must be in their first year when applying. The precise length of award will be determined by SGSSS based on the stage of progress (but may be +2.5 or +3.5).

Part-time awards are permitted and the funding and award lengths are pro-rated accordingly, in accordance with the ESRC Postgraduate Funding Guide.

As announced in August 2020, UKRI are opening up their studentships (including ESRC-funded studentships) to international students from academic year 2021/22. All students will receive a full award, to include a stipend and fees at the home level. However, the proportion of international students appointed each year is a maximum of 30% of the total studentships. In SGSSS, this accounts to approximately 16 awards across the supervisor-led and open competitions. As such, some highly ranked international students may not be able to receive an award due to the 30% cap.

The full residential eligibility guidance is available within the ESRC Funding Guide, which also covers the full studentship package. To be classed as a home student, applicants must meet the following criteria:

• Be a UK national (meeting residency requirements), or
• Have settled status, or
• Have pre-settled status (meeting residency requirements), or
• Have indefinite leave to remain or enter.

If an applicant does not meet the criteria above, they would be classed as international.

For a more detailed version of student eligibility criteria, please see the UKRI guidance published in October 2020.

Further Information for International Applicants

SGSSS studentship awards include funding which covers home fees.

Please be aware that if you are categorised as liable for international fee status, the following universities will likely charge you (the student) the difference between the home and international fee level:

• University of Dundee,
• Glasgow Caledonian University,
• University of Stirling.

That means if you accept a studentship at one of these universities, you will be liable to pay additional fee costs, and funding will not be available from SGSSS beyond the home fee level already covered. Please note that for visa purposes, you will have to demonstrate that you can pay the difference in fees (the exact amount will vary by university, but this could be around £15,000 per annum).

If you are considering applying for your studentship through one of these listed universities and think you may be liable for international fee status, please be aware of this potential additional cost and the implications for the financial requirements aspect of any visa application. If necessary, please contact the university in advance to discuss this. Contact the Administrative Lead at that institution, their contact details can be found here.