St Andrews and Stirling are both committed to helping as many students as possible continue in higher education through scholarship opportunities. There are a wide range of postgraduate scholarships available for you to apply to either via the University of St Andrews, the University of Stirling or directly via charitable organisations.
MLitt Funding
There may be a possibility of funding for MLitt students in the future. If it becomes available then it will be offered on a competitive basis. Applicants will be automatically considered for funding, should there be any available.
PhD Funding
The deadlines for 2024/25 entrant students are:
- For SGSAH funding: 30 November 2023
- For SASP funding: 15 January 2024
Please see below for more information about these sources of funding.
SASP Funding
If you wish to be considered for SASP funding, please indicate this clearly on your application and include whether you are a Home, EU or Overseas applicant. Only applications received by 15th January 2024 will be considered for funding. You can apply for entry to the PhD after this date, however you will not be considered for this funding. Please note this deadline is for receipt of all supporting documents – it is your responsibility to ensure that your referees meet this deadline. There is no separate application for the SASP funding, applicants will automatically be considered. We hope to allocate funding in late March.
SASP is offering a number of fee waivers for selected 2024/25 entrant students lasting the duration of your PhD studies. We plan also be able to offer a doctoral studentship funded by the Philosophical Quarterly (PQ), which covers both maintenance at the AHRC rate and a full fee waiver for 3.5 years. Overseas students are eligible for these awards.
SGSAH Studentships
If you wish to be considered for a SGSAH/AHRC Studentship, please indicate this clearly on your application and include whether you are a Home, EU, or Overseas applicant. Only applications received by 30th November 2023 will be considered for nomination. You can apply for entry to the PhD after this date, however you will not be considered for this nomination. Please note this deadline is for receipt of all supporting documents – it is your responsibility to ensure that your referees meet this deadline. The department will nominate selected applicants to the Scottish Graduate School for Arts and Humanities for consideration for an AHRC award. We hope to announce outcomes by early April. A full award includes a stipend to support living costs, and fees at the UK rate. More information can be found on the SGSAH webpages.
Katherine Hawley Scholarship
In remembrance of our late colleague Prof. Katherine Hawley, the Department of Philosophy together with St Leonard’s College have offered a scholarship to support world-leading PhD research. The scholarship covers both maintenance at the AHRC rate and a full fee waiver for 3.5 years. The Katherine Hawley Scholarship is currently held by Giulia Schirripa and is expected to be offered again to 2026/27 entrants.
University-Wide Funding
A number of university-wide funding opportunities are available through the University of St Andrews. For details, see Postgraduate Scholarships.
Carnegie Studentships
If you have a First-Class Honours degree from a Scottish university, you may be eligible for a Carnegie Studentship. Alongside existing graduates, final year undergraduate students expecting to achieve a First-Class Honours degree are also eligible for nomination. More information about eligibility and the application process is available here.
The Carnegie Studentships cover both maintenance at the AHRC rate and a full fee waiver at the UK rate for 3 years. If you wish to be considered, please indicate this clearly on your application and include whether you are a Home, EU, or Overseas applicant.
Postgraduate Research Discount
In an initiative designed to recognise the loyalty of our students, the University offers a 10% discount in postgraduate research tuition fees to certain groups of former students starting a postgraduate research programme with the University of St Andrews.
Students who have attended the University within the last three academic years, who have graduated from an undergraduate or postgraduate taught programme at the University of St Andrews, or completed a Global Summer School, Study Abroad or Exchange programme at the University of St Andrews and are returning to start a Postgraduate Research programme with the University of St Andrews are eligible for the 10% tuition fee discount.