Studentship recruitment

The SWDTP has an annual allocation of 34 ESRC-funded studentships. A minimum of 6 must be collaborative (see below) with a non-academic organisation in the public, business or civil-society sector, and up to 10 can be awarded to international students. Some places are also allocated to strategic steers directed by the ESRC.

Eligibility

Scope of research

We do not set restrictions on the types of research that are eligible for funding (e.g. quantitative or qualitative, or empirical or purely theoretical), provided they meet the remit of the social sciences. This does not preclude the possibility of research that is interdisciplinary in nature, but it must always have a clearly identifiable and substantial social science component. All proposals must be at least 50 per cent social science.

International students

Up to 10 international students can be awarded each year. The full award does not cover the difference between the UK rate and the international fees set by universities but we anticipate that this difference will be waived by our partner institutions at no cost to international students.

Applying if student has already started a PhD

The default rule is to not allow applications from candidates who have already started a PhD programme, either presently or in the past. If you feel you have a case for which an exception might be made, then this must be discussed with the SWDTP Director well in advance of preparing an application by contacting swdtp-enquiries@bristol.ac.uk. Please note that the circumstances would have to be exceptional (for example, one week into a PhD, you were forced into an unexpected caring responsibility and had to immediately withdraw from the programme).

It is important that applicants also refer to the specific entry requirements/application process for their programme of study at their home institution.

Submitting an application

The SWDTP’s recruitment process runs in parallel with each institution’s ‘Application to Study’ process, with the application open usually being open from early October to mid January. Click here to refer to local procedures.

None of our institutions offer admission to all of our pathways but instead contribute to those where they have proven research success and expertise. Again, you can view our website to see which institutions offer which pathways.

To be considered for an SWDTP studentship an applicant needs to have done four things:

1. Written a research proposal and completed the Studentship Application form (Annex A).
2. Gained the support of a prospective PhD supervisor for their proposal, who needs to complete the Supervisor Supporting Statement (Annex B).
3. Submitted their application for a studentship and all the accompanying material by no later than the deadline.
4. To be accepted on to a PhD programme at the institution to which they are applying, for which that institution’s application process for a PhD should be followed.

Keep in mind that, for the University of Bristol, an applicant needs to be accepted on to a PhD programme before they can apply for an SWDTP studentship so they may need to have applied for a PhD with that institution by early December. At other institutions, an applicant can usually apply for a PhD programme and a studentship simultaneously, but please check locally.

Number of applications permitted

Most applicants will make one application to the SWDTP each year. However, where a research proposal crosses disciplinary or interdisciplinary boundaries and it remains unclear after the advice of potential supervisors have been sought, applicants are allowed to make separate applications to a maximum of two different pathways. The two applications must be made to different pathways, either at the same institution or two different ones. They need not be identical, but they should display recognisable overlap in the research questions, topics, theories, concepts and/or ideas they employ.

Collaborative studentships

There are no prescribed boundaries determining the nature of collaboration, but DTPs should demonstrate that studentships are developed in collaboration with other organisations and should involve substantive user engagement and knowledge-exchange activity as part of the award.

Collaborations must be with a non-academic organisation in the public, business or civil-society sector. Collaborations do not need to be co-funded, though there are clear benefits to securing funding.

Potential supervisors

The proposed lead supervisor provides information that is primarily about the academic, pastoral and institutional support available to the applicant (Annex B) and helps to ensure that the application meets our overarching criteria and principles (see ‘Studentship Recruitment Process for 2025 Entry‘). We allow potential supervisors to read, comment and provide feedback on draft research proposals, if they are willing and have the time to do so.

It is the role of the lead supervisor or their institution, not the applicant, to find a second suitable supervisor; this person need not a be named at the point of application (see Annex B).

Selection

The selection process is subject to revision each year, but generally commences immediately following the application deadline and concludes by late March. For the 2025 intake, the selection process will take place in the following stages:

Research conversations

The SWDTP requires that all prospective students who are shortlisted for a studentship have had a research conversation (‘interview’) before they progress to the cross-institutional shortlisting stage. Treating the interview as a research conversation recognises that it is neither a progress nor viva examination. It should be a welcoming conversation, not an interrogation.

The purpose of the research conversation is to ascertain, insofar as it is possible, that: (a) the applicant has the skillset, aptitude and understanding to do a PhD; (b) that their knowledge of their subject and proposed research topic suggests ownership of the research proposal and neither contract cheating (including using AI tools) nor plagiarism; and (c) that the applicant has the basis of a viable PhD topic.

Research conversations with applicants should be completed by the institutional shortlisting stage and before a deadline set by the SWDTP, but it is up to institutions when they take place.

See guidance on the use of research conversations for further details.