These scholarships include a doctoral stipend (equivalent to the Research Councils UK National Minimum Doctoral Stipend, £20,780.) Tuition fees at the home rate and access to further research funding. If you are applying as an international candidate, Kent will waive the difference between Home and International fees. SEDarc studentships also provide access to a wide range of training and placement opportunities.
The deadline for this scholarship has now passed.
In order to receive ESRC studentship funding you must have qualifications/experience equal to the standard of a good honours degree at a first or upper second class level from a UK academic research organisation. Degree qualifications gained from outside the UK, or a combination of qualifications and/or experience that is equivalent to a relevant UK degree, may be accepted.
SEDarc offers both full-time and part-time study.
This award is open to both UK residents and international (this includes EU) candidates.
To be classed as a home student, candidates must meet the following criteria and the associated residency requirements:
If a candidate does not meet the criteria above, they would be classed as an international student.
If you are applying as an overseas student (this includes EU nationals) and successfully secure a scholarship, Kent will waive the difference between the Home and Overseas fees. Please be aware that there is a 30% cap on international studentships across the consortium.
The cost of applying for a Student Visa, as well as any Immigration Health Surcharges (IHS), are not included in this funding. These expenses must be paid directly by the candidate.
SEDarc is offering fully-funded 3.5 year PhD studentships and a limited number of 1 year Masters + 3.5 year PhD studentships. Each awarded student will benefit from a broad range of research skills training across the lifetime of their PhD. It also offers opportunities to use research in practice through a placement in academia, public sector, or industry. Placement travel expenses of up to £1,000 is available to all. Research skills training and research in practice (not including the placement) will comprise approximately 200 study hours per year. For further details visit our dedicated SEDarc webpage.
Eligible disciplines:
Geography & Environmental Studies
Politics and International Relations
Anthropology and Development Studies
Cybersecurity (Social Sciences)
SEDarc:
The University of Kent is part of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Doctorial Training Partnership (DTP); South-East Doctoral Training Arc for the Social Sciences (SEDarc).
SEDarc will develop world-class social science researchers from all backgrounds who thrive in challenge-led, collaborative and interdisciplinary contexts. Kent is proud to be one of six partner research-intensive institutions supporting future leaders of social science in academia, public services and industry.
Further information is available on our SEDarc Webpages.
To be considered for a SEDarc studentship at Kent you must follow the below steps carefully. You will only be considered for a studentship if you complete each step by the Kent deadline of 23:59 on Sunday 23 November 2025 GMT:
Step 1: Apply for a PhD at Kent through one of the eligible disciplines. Consult with a primary supervisor when applying. If you have already applied to Kent and hold a deferred offer move to step 2. If you are applying for a Masters + PhD, you must apply to both the Master's programme and PhD programme.
Step 2: Download the Kent/SEDarc application and complete the form with the support of your potential primary supervisor. You will need to ask the supervisor to complete Section 8 of the application form before submitting.
Step 3: Submit the Kent/SEDarc application form to the Graduate and Researcher College by emailing: kentgrc@kent.ac.uk by the deadline. You MUST complete this step to be considered for a SEDarc studentship at Kent. Please enclose the following information in your email submission:
Visit our SEDarc Studentship webpage for further details on how to apply, eligible disciplines and programme structure.
Due to the nature of the PhD, students who have already started their PhD will not be eligible.
There will be two online briefing sessions for applicants during October. Visit our 2026 Competition Timeline to register your interest.
