Funding for PhD applicants is available from a range of sources on a competitive basis.
Follow the links in the table to find full details regarding eligibility, available finance, application methods and closing dates. Follow us on X and Facebook to hear when we have added new studentship opportunities.
Download our comprehensive guide to PhD study
| Funding opportunity | Subject area |
Application deadline | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| PhD Studentship in Psychology - Exploring the role of emotional wellbeing and health information delivery in uptake and engagement with enhanced rapid urinary tract infection testing |
School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences |
17 February 2025 |
Open to UK/Republic of Ireland candidates |
| PhD Studentship: DIVIDED: Inequality and Polarization Prevention | Politics | International Relations | 28 February 2025 | Open to UK/Republic of Ireland candidates |
| University Sanctuary PhD Studentships | All disciplines | 28 February 2025 | Please check eligibility criteria |
| PhD Studentship in Analysis of PDE: Topological and Geometric Properties of Laplace Eigenfunctions |
Mathematics | 28 February 2025 | Open to UK/Republic of Ireland candidates |
| PhD Studentship in Biomedical Engineering - Remote Monitoring in Urology Using AI | School of Biological Science |
1 March 2025 |
Open to UK/Republic of Ireland candidates |
| PhD Studentship: Developmental and genotypic determinants of macro and micronutrient distribution across faba bean seed tissues |
Agriculture | Crop Science | Plant Sciences |
7 March 2025 | Open to UK/Republic of Ireland candidates |
| EPSRC Mathematics for our Future Climate Centre for Doctoral Training |
Mathematics |
9 March 2025 | Open to applicants worldwide |
| PhD Studentship in the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in the Mathematics for our Future Climate: Theory, Data and Simulation | Mathematics |
9 March 2025 |
Open to UK/Republic of Ireland candidates |
| PhD Studentship in the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in the Mathematics for our Future Climate: Theory, Data and Simulation | Mathematics |
9 March 2025 |
Open to UK/Republic of Ireland candidates |
| PhD in Criminology Studentship | Law |
17 March 2025 | Open to applicants worldwide |
| PhD in Law Studentship | Law | 17 March 2025 | Open to applicants worldwide |
| PhD Studentship in Law and Climate Change: Towards Greener Wars | Law | 19 March 2025 | Open to applicants worldwide |
| Wilkie Calvert PhD Studentships (for part-time study) | All disciplines |
11 May 2025 | Open to UK/Republic of Ireland candidates |
| Henley Business School PhD Scholarships |
Digitalisation, Marketing and Entrepreneurship | Finance and Accounting | International Business & Strategy | Leadership, Organisations, Behaviour and Reputation | Real Estate and Planning |
Open for applications, please check individual department websites for details |
Open to applicants worldwide |
|
Apply for a loan of up to £29,390 for 2024/25 |
All disciplines Full or part-time study, including by Distance |
Ongoing | Open to UK nationals, Irish citizens and EU nationals settled under the EU settlement scheme |
| School of the Built Environment PhD Scholarships | Architecture | Built Environment | Construction Management Engineering | Ongoing | Open to applicants worldwide |
| Department of Meteorology PhD Scholarships | Meteorology | Ongoing | Open to applicants worldwide |
| Alumni Discount |
Current undergraduate and master's students at Reading Alumni of the University |
Ongoing | Open to University of Reading alumni |
| Any discipline (see external website for further details) | Please check external website for details about scholarships | Open to applicants from low and middle income Commonwealth countries | |
|
Schlumberger Foundation Faculty for the Future Fellowships
|
Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines (Awards in biological sciences are limited to interdisciplinary research between physical and biological sciences) |
Please check external website for details about scholarships | Female applicants only |
| Archaeology | Climate, environmental sciences and sustainability | Food security | Human nutrition | Language, cognition and the mind | See external website for further details | Applicants from the USA | |
| All disciplines | Ongoing | Applicants from the USA | |
| Canadian grants, loans and scholarships | All disciplines | Ongoing | Applicants from Canada |
| Various | Please check external website for details about scholarships | Applicants from Canada | |
| Inlaks Scholarships | Many disciplines | Please check external website for details about scholarships | Applicants from India |
| The Alternative Guide to Postgraduate Funding | Web resource for candidates who have already applied to study at the University of Reading | Various | Varies depending in funding scheme |
| ESRC SEDarc Doctoral Training Partnership (social sciences) |
Agri-food Economics | Development Studies | Architecture and Built Environment | Business and Management | Economics | Education | Linguistics | Geography and Environmental Studies | Politics and International Relations | Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences |
Currently closed for applications. Details of the 2026/27 application process will appear here in October 2025 | Open to applicants worldwide |
| China Scholarship Council Studentships |
All disciplines |
Currently closed for applications. Details of the 2026/27 application process will appear here in October 2025 |
Applicants from China |
| University International PhD Studentships |
All disciplines | Currently closed for applications. Details of the 2026/27 application process will appear here in October 2025 |
Open to international applicants |
| AHRC SWW Doctoral Training Partnership Studentships for the Arts and Humanities |
Archaeology | Architecture | Art | Classics | Cultural Geography | English Language and Literature | Film, Theatre and Television | History | History of Art | Law and Legal Studies| Modern Languages and European Studies | Philosophy | Political Studies and International Relations | Political Philosophy | Typography |
Currently closed for applications. Details of future PhD funding in the Arts and Humanities will appear here in October 2025 |
Open to applicants worldwide |
| NERC Climate System and Biodiversity Science CROCUS Doctoral Landscape Award (DLA) |
Chemistry | Computer Science | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | Geography and Environmental Sciences | Mathematics and Statistics | Meteorology | Sustainable Land Management (Agriculture) |
Currently closed for applications. Details of the 2026/27 application process will appear here in October 2025 |
Open to applicants worldwide |
| Earth System Prediction Doctoral Training Programme with ECMWF | Meteorology, Mathematics and Computer Science |
Currently closed for applications. Details of the 2026/27 application process will appear here in October 2025 |
Open to applicants worldwide |
| NERC AI-INTERVENE Doctoral Focal Award (DFA) in AI and Biodiversity |
Computer Science | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (Biological Sciences) | Meteorology |
Currently closed for applications. Details of the 2026/27 application process will appear here in October 2025 |
Open to applicants worldwide |
| BBSRC Doctoral Training Partnership in FoodBioSystems |
Agriculture | Biological & Biomedical Sciences | Chemistry | Food and Nutritional Sciences | Geography and Environmental Sciences | Pharmacy |
Currently closed for applications. Details of the 2026/27 application process will appear here in Autumn 2025 |
Open to applicants worldwide |
| Felix Scholarships |
Many disciplines |
Currently closed for applications. Details of the 2026/27 application process will appear here in Autumn 2025 |
Open to Indian nationals |