Fees and funding
Students can apply for bursaries, loans, awards, scholarships and funding to support their studies.
Taught master's funding
As well as the Postgraduate Loan Scheme offered by the UK government to eligible UK/EU students, we offer a range of awards for both Home/EU and International students at master's level.
Postgraduate research funding
We offer a range of awards for both Home/EU and International students at PhD level. It is important to apply for funding for your PhD as early as possible as most deadlines for a September start close early February.
Research proposal
Before applying, you need to develop a proposal which has received feedback from a proposed supervisor who is willing to supervise your project. All applications for funding will be judged on the feasibility of the study, the extent to which it addresses a gap in the field and the quality of the proposal. We would advise you to apply for as many competitions as possible, but also highlight the importance of developing a strong proposal with a potential supervisor before any application. For details on how to write a proposal, please see:
Funding for UK/EU applicants only
The best source of funding comes from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), this requires you to complete a separate application to your main University application and is usually the earliest deadline. Ideally, you should be in possession of or expecting a Distinction at Masters level.
Funding for applicants of any nationality
The School of Arts Languages and Culture Studentships, Presidential Doctoral Competition and HCRI funding awards are available, with slightly different levels of remuneration. If you are an international applicant, it is worth seeing what your own home country research councils offer or investigate Commonwealth Scholarship awards. If you are an alumnus of the University of Manchester, the Research Impact Scholarships are also open to you as an additional option.
Further details of all the funding including how to apply, eligibility criteria and application deadlines can be found at: