South Coast Doctoral Training Partnership Social Science (SCDTP) PhD studentships

The University of Southampton and 3 other universities make up the South Coast Doctoral Training Partnership (SCDTP). This collaboration is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). 

Up to £20,780, tax free for a Research-in-Practice placement, tuition fees and a stipend (living allowance) is available for students applying for a wide range of disciplinary pathways for the following awards:

  • 1-year MSc and 3.5 years PhD
  • 3.5 years PhD
  • 4.5 years Interdisciplinary award
  • 4.5 years Integrated PhD in Economics, Education or Gerontology at Southampton

There are also additional funding opportunities to support your research as part of this award.

For more information about masters programmes under each eligible pathway, please contact the pathway leads for more information.

Deadline: 5pm on Friday 16 January 2026

Eligibility

Up to £20,780, tax free for a Research-in-Practice placement, tuition fees and a stipend (living allowance) is available for students applying for a wide range of disciplinary pathways for the following awards:

  • 1-year MSc and 3.5 years PhD
  • 3.5 years PhD
  • 4.5 years Interdisciplinary award
  • 4.5 years Integrated PhD in Economics, Education or Gerontology at Southampton

There are also additional funding opportunities to support your research as part of this award.

For more information about masters programmes under each eligible pathway, please contact the pathway leads for more information.

Deadline: 5pm on Friday 16 January 2026

Elibility

To get this scholarship you must have an offer to study for a masters degree or PhD in one of the following disciplinary pathways:

  • business and management
  • criminology
  • demography
  • economics
  • education
  • gerontology
  • human geography
  • linguistics
  • politics and international relations
  • psychology
  • science and technology studies
  • social science methods for health research
  • social policy
  • Social Statistics
  • sociolegal studies
  • sociology

Residency requirement

SCDTP accepts applications from UK and International students. 

UK students must meet one of the following: 

If you don't meet these criteria you are classed as an International student. To comply with visa condtions, international students can only apply for full-time courses. The SCDTP does not provide any funds to cover visa costs. You can find more visa information from The Student Hub and the SCDTP.

How to apply

Before applying, you should read our guidance on How to Apply for a Research Degree.

  1. Find a potential PhD supervisor and create your own PhD proposal
  2. Apply for your chosen PhD course using the links under Programme application links
  3. Apply for the South Coast Doctoral Training Partnership studentship

If you are not sure of the course to apply for, please contact the pathway lead.

Apply using the programme application links

How we award scholarships

This is a competitive process - not all applications will be successful. 

There are 4 stages to the shortlisting process: 

  1. Eligibility: we check your application to make sure you meet the eligibility criteria.
  2. Applications: we review your research degree and funding applications, to gain a complete picture of your academic qualifications and your motivations for undertaking a PhD.
  3. Interview: if you're invited for interview, we'll provide details when we contact you.
  4. SCDTP Selection Committee: we review nominated applications from each disciplinary pathway.

The decision of the scholarship panel is final.

We will contact you with the outcome of your application by the end of April, before the academic year starts in September.

Conditions of the SCDTP scholarship

Contact us

If you have any questions, contact the South Coast Doctoral Training Partnership Social Science (SCDTP).
scdtp@soton.ac.uk

Useful links