Other Funding

Aberystwyth University is one of a number of institutions in the South, West & Wales Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) and has successfully secured funding for PhD scholarships in the arts and humanities. Successful students may benefit from potential supervision and training opportunities available at more than one university within the DTP.

Please note that these awards are only available to UK students and are for new PhD students rather than current PhD students.

Please visit the South, West & Wales Doctoral Training Partnership website for further information.

BBSRC grants studentships for research courses in the field of biological sciences. Studentships at Aberystwyth University are currently available for studies leading to the award of MPhil or PhD at the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences.

Full awards will cover tuition fees and a maintenance allowance set at the Reseach Councils UK level. Fees only awards may also be available and will cover tuition fees.

For further information on application procedures and eligibility please contact the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (ibers@aber.ac.uk) or refer to the BBSRC's website.

Aberystwyth University, and other universities in Wales, are part of the ESRC Wales Doctoral Training Partnership.  

The ESRC provide studentships for students to undertake a year Research Training Masters and a 3 year PhD research programme. Studentships can therefore cover a period of 4 years, subject to satisfactory academic progress. These studentships are offered on a competitive basis. Successful applicants receive a studentship which covers their tuition fees and provides a subsistence allowance. 

ESRC Studentships may be available for PhD courses in the Department of International Politics and the Department of Geography & Earth Sciences. Please contact the relevant academic department for further information. 

• ESRC Wales DTP General studentships at Department of Geography and Earth Sciences

Further information is available at the ESRC Wales Doctoral Training Partnership website.

EPSRC Research Studentships may be available at the following departments:

• Department of Physics    (Material Science only)

The Department of Physics is part of the Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Diamond Science and Technology. Students will study for a funded MSc at the University of Warwick before embarking on a specific PhD project based at one of the partner universities.

The 4-year Scholarships for a 1-year MSc followed by a 3-year PhD will cover UK/EU tuition fees and a maintenance allowance comparable to the Research Councils UK level (full-awards for UK students only; fees-only awards for EU students).

Please contact the Department of Physics [phys@aber.ac.uk] in the first instance regarding any particular research projects and also visit the CDT's website.

DEFRA awards studentships for research in the area of agricultural studies. At Aberystwyth studentships are sometimes available for MPhil and PhD courses at the Institute of Biological, Environmental & Rural Sciences.

Please contact the Institute for further information.

Disabled Students' Allowances (DSAs) are grants to help with the extra costs a student may face because of a disability. Conditions covered include long-term illnesses, mental-health conditions or specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia.

Application for DSA can be made after the course application. Please see the Direct Gov website for information.

Quotas are usually allocated to departments to distribute to suitable applicants. Although we do not hold any quotas currecntly, the following departments at Aberystwyth have held quotas of NERC awards in the recent past:

• Department of Geography and Earth Sciences (PhD)
• Institute of Biological, Environmental & Rural Sciences (PhD)

Further information about applying for these awards can be obtained from the departments listed above or from the (NERC website).

Quota STFC research studentships are available for applicants for research degrees (space/planetary physics only) in the Department of Physics. Please refer to the STFC website for more detailed information or contact the Department: phys@aber.ac.uk 

If you’re starting a full-time or part-time postgraduate Doctoral course (such as a PhD) you can apply for a Postgraduate Doctoral Loan. A Postgraduate Doctoral Loan will be available if you don’t already hold a Doctoral degree or higher qualification. If you have a lower level qualification and are ‘topping up’ to a Doctoral degree, you won’t be eligible for the loan, as you can only get a Postgraduate Doctoral Loan for a full postgraduate Doctoral course. Postgraduate Doctoral Loans are not based on your household income

How to apply:

Students domiciled in Wales or other countries of the E.U. (excl. the UK) should apply via Student Finance Wales

Students domiciled in England should apply via Student Finance England 

Deadlines: Please contact Student Finance Wales or Student Finance England as appropriate.

Eligibility:

Please see either Student Finance England (if domiciled in England) or Student Finance Wales  (if domiciled in Wales or any E.U. country (excl. U.K.)).

Further information:

Student Finance Wales

Student Finance England

UK Food Systems-CDT Studentships

Aberystwyth University is a member in the UK Food Systems Centre for Doctoral Training (UKFS-CDT). This will train over 65 doctoral students from 2021-2027. The UKFS-CDT will create cohorts of future food systems leaders and innovators who can lead the UK towards a resilient, healthy and inclusive food future. 

Research will be fundamentally interdisciplinary and combine natural sciences and social sciences approaches, and methods. All students will work with food systems stakeholders in their studies. Research can encompass (but is not limited to) the following topics:

• Environmental sustainability, climate change (Healthy Environment)
• Food production, distribution, manufacturing and waste (Healthy Economy)
• Food Environment, Consumer Behaviour, Diets, Nutrition and Health (Healthy People)
• Food System Governance and Resilience (Healthy Society)
• Livestock health and welfare (Healthy Animals)

The UKFS-CDT brings together the Natural Resources Institute of the University of Greenwich (lead institution), University College London, Royal Veterinary College, Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences at Aberystwyth University, Centre for Food Policy at City University, University of Sussex, and Brunel University London; and two leading agricultural research institutes, NIAB EMR and Rothamsted Research, plus over 50 partners from business, government and civil society. We offer over 350 potential supervisors to support interdisciplinary food systems training in collaboration with the UK Food Systems Academy (more details at www.foodsystems-cdt.ac.uk).

Understanding that food system challenges are complex, UKFS-CDT values equality, diversity, inclusion and justice.  The UKFS-CDT encourage individuals who have had career breaks due to, for example, caring responsibilities, work in relevant sectors, or a change in disciplines or career paths to apply.

Further Information

Further information about the UKFS-CDT, and the opportunities available, can be found at www.foodsystems-cdt.ac.uk. 

How to Apply

To apply for a UKFS-CDT studentship, please visit www.foodsystems-cdt.ac.uk and follow the instructions online. 

For general enquiries, please contact info@foodsystems-cdt.ac.uk.

Deadline

Applications should be made via www.foodsystems-cdt.ac.uk. 

The James Pantyfedwen Foundation distributes grants to postgraduate students from Wales studying for a Masters or PhD award. Grants will be offered towards the payment of tuition fees only, up to a maximum of £5,000 in each case.

The closing date for any applications for the 2025-26 academic year is the end of May 2025. Details and application forms can be downloaded from the James Pantyfedwen website on www.jamespantyfedwen.cymru.