Ultimate Guide to UKRI Scholarships

Are you dreaming about pursuing a PhD in the UK? What a fantastic start! 

But that thrill of pursuing a PhD can quickly turn into stress over one important question: How are you going to pay for it?

Navigating doctoral funding can feel like wading through a maze of confusing acronyms and hidden rules, leaving you wondering if your academic dreams are financially achievable. It is! 

The trick is to know about UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funding, which is the gold standard of funding PhD students in the United Kingdom. 

This guide will take you through all that you need to know. We will break down the mystery of how it works, what a funding package entails, and provide you with a step-by-step guide on how to transform your research dreams into a full-fledged funded reality.

What is UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding?

The UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is the primary governmental organization that guides the funding of research and innovation in the UK. 

Imagine it as the umbrella body of seven other Research Councils, each with a wide field of academic interest. When you talk about research council funding, you mean a grant from one of these UKRI organisations.

The first thing to note is that you will not apply to UKRI directly. Rather, UKRI grants universities, which in turn give the grants to doctoral students such as yourself.

The 7 Research Councils: Finding the Right Fit to Your Subject

Every research council has a particular scope of academic interests. The initial step in your funding process is to choose the appropriate one to use in your research.

Read more: PhD vs. Professional Doctorate

What is the difference between Applicant-Led and Targeted Funding?

As of 2025, UKRI has streamlined its terminology for how funding is offered. There are two kinds of opportunities that you will primarily see:

• Applicant-Led Funding: This is the new name of the previous responsive mode. These plans remain open throughout the year, and you can suggest a research project in any area within the remit of a council.

• 
  

• Targeted Funding: These are research calls in particular strategic areas that UKRI has defined as priorities. They run for a limited time.

Read more: PhD Application Requirements

What is a "PhD Studentship"?

When you are searching for UKRI funding, you will come across the term studentship frequently. A studentship is merely a UKRI PhD funding package. It is not a scholarship that pays fees only, but a complete award that includes a living allowance, allowing you to pursue research on a full-time basis.

What Your Funding Package Typically Covers

When you secure a UKRI studentship, it generally includes three main parts:

• Tuition Fees: You are charged the full UK home student tuition rate.

• Living Stipend: You are given an annual payment of tax-free money to pay your living expenses like rent, food, and transport.

• Research Training Support Grant (RTSG): Your department receives an additional fund to help pay for your specific research expenses. This could include fieldwork, conference travel, or special materials and equipment.

The 80 percent Rule: Full Economic Costing (fEC)

You may hear about "Full Economic Costing" (fEC) and the "80% rule," which can sound confusing. It is a calculation that occurs between UKRI and the university, but it is good to know what it entails.

The university estimates the overall price of your PhD project- your stipend, fees, lab space, supervision, and administration. UKRI (via its councils such as the AHRC) subsequently agrees to pay 80 per cent of that sum. The remaining 20% is covered by the university itself.

This 80/20 division does not have a direct impact on you. You pay your full tuition and still get your full stipend. It is simply the financial arrangement that makes your funded position possible.

What are the Costs that are not typically covered?

While the funding is comprehensive, it doesn’t cover everything. UKRI grants typically do not pay for:

• Publication Fees: Publication fees in peer-reviewed journals or books are not included in your project grant. UKRI instead offers universities a distinct block grant on open access publishing. This implies that you, the student, do not have to pay these fees directly; the university does it on this special fund, and your dissemination of research is free and easy on your part.

• 
  

• Standard Equipment: The department of the university is typically expected to provide non-specialist computers or laptops.

• Patent Costs: Fees related to filing patents for your research are not eligible costs.

• 
  

The UKRI PhD Stipend: How Much Do Students Get Paid?

This is usually the most urgent question for the applicants. The UKRI stipend is meant to be your main source of income, and you can treat your PhD as full time employment.

How Much is a PhD Stipend? (2025/2026 Rates)

The national minimum stipend is £20,780 per year in the 2025-2026 academic year. This rate is determined by UKRI and is usually slightly raised every year to reflect inflation.

Is the PhD Stipend Taxable?

No. The UKRI stipend is tax-free.

London Weighting: An Increased Stipend in the Capital

UKRI is aware that it is much more costly to live in London. When you study at a university in London, you are paid a higher stipend, which is called London weighting. For 2025-2026, the minimum London stipend is £22,780 per year.

How to Get PhD Funding: Step-by-Step Guide to the Application Process

Obtaining a UKRI studentship is a procedure. By applying to a university, your application will be compared to the high standards of UKRI. Here is a summary of the major steps and how to succeed:

Using the UKRI Funding Service (TFS)

The application environment is evolving. UKRI is relocating the majority of funding opportunities, such as studentships, off the older Je-S portal to a new online system known as the Funding Service (TFS). When you get an opportunity, use the instructions of the university to get to the right portal.

The Peer Review Process and Your 'Right to Reply'

Your application will not be read by a single professor. It goes through a formal assessment process.

1. Peer Review: First, independent experts in your field will read and score your proposal.

2. Applicant Response: In case your application passes this initial step, you will get the comments of the anonymous reviewers. Then you get the right to reply, a limited period (e.g. 14 days) to rectify factual mistakes or misconceptions. You cannot use this to change or rewrite your proposal.

3. Panel Decision: Lastly, a funding panel sits to deliberate on your application, the expert reviews, and your response and then makes a final decision.

A Word of Caution: UKRI Resubmission Policy

UKRI is very strict on resubmissions. In case your application is subjected to the entire assessment procedure, peer review, or panel, and is rejected, you are not allowed to resubmit the same project or a closely related one. This prohibition is not limited to the original UKRI funding scheme. So you have to make your initial application as good as possible.

Creating a Winning Application that Stands Out

The competitive aspect of funding, coupled with the resubmission policy, implies that your application materials should be impeccable. Make your CV and Statement of Purpose (SOP) project and professor-specific. 

Tools like KiteAi that help you personalize your application documents, such as CVs, SOPs, and outreach emails based on a professor's profile, can be a useful resource in this process.

UKRI PhD Funding International Students: What You Need to Know

Until recently, only UK and EU students were fully funded by UKRI. That is no longer the case, and it has created a wonderful prospect of talent worldwide.

Can International Students receive Full UKRI Funding?

Yes. International students are now eligible to apply for and receive full UKRI studentships since 2021. This includes the entire living allowance and tuition fees charged at the home (UK) student rate.

However, there is one significant condition: the number of awards is limited. A university or research partnership may grant up to 30 percent of its overall UKRI studentships to international students. This renders the competition for these spots to be extremely high.

International Co-Leads and the 30% Cost Rule

The UKRI rules of international collaboration are also adhered to when universities and professors design the research projects you apply to. When a UK project has a senior researcher (a so-called Project Co-Lead) from a different country, the project costs are typically limited to 30 per cent of the total grant.

Exception of Fair Partnerships: Increasing International Cooperation

UKRI makes a significant exception to promote collaboration with low- and middle-income nations. The 30 percent cost cap is not applicable to project co-leads located in countries on the OECD DAC list (except India and China). This policy is in place to support more equitable and sustainable global research partnerships.

A Note on Tuition Fees: Home vs. International

This is the most important fact to foreign applicants. The UKRI studentship will cover your tuition fees at the UK home student rate. A significant number of UK universities impose a higher fee on international students, which forms a fee gap. Other universities do not charge this difference to their successful UKRI scholars, so you pay nothing, whereas others might require you to pay. Before applying, you have to verify the policy of the particular university.

Finding a PhD Program with UKRI Funding

You have two main paths for securing a UKRI-funded PhD. The direction you take will be determined by your discipline, the university, and whether you are submitting a pre-determined project or a proposal.

Method 1: Applications to advertised PhD projects

It is the most widespread method, particularly in the sciences (e.g., BBSRC or NERC) and in programmes that are members of Doctoral Training Partnerships (DTPs).

In this model, a university or a consortium of universities advertises a particular PhD project that already has funding attached to it. You submit an application to the project in the same way that you would submit an application to a job, including your CV, a personal statement, and references. You will be competing with other candidates for that particular position.

Method 2: Suggesting your own research to a supervisor

This approach is more common in the Arts and Humanities (AHRC). You come up with a special research proposal and then identify a professor in a qualified university who is willing to guide you.

The proposal is then submitted to the internal funding competition of the university by you and your prospective supervisor. In case the project is chosen, the university grants you one of its UKRI studentships. This route requires much initiative- you have to find and reach out to supervisors on your own.

To find academics who align with your research interests, you can use Applykite’s Supervisor and Professor search engine. 

Interdisciplinary Research: Crossing Council Boundaries (e.g., AHRC and ESRC)

What happens when your research does not fit into one discipline? For example, your project might be 60% law (AHRC) and 40% sociology (ESRC).

UKRI has systems to facilitate interdisciplinary proposals. In your application, you should select a primary council (e.g., AHRC) and also a secondary council (e.g., ESRC). The councils have arrangements that ensure that your proposal will be evaluated by professionals in all the fields of interest, and therefore, you should not be disadvantaged by the cross-disciplinary working.

Where to Find PhD Opportunities in the UK

Locating advertised positions may be like a needle in a haystack. They are dispersed on university websites, funding portals, and academic job boards. Applykite’s search feature is a centralized search tool that consolidates all these listings and can be used to quickly locate open PhD positions that are in your field.

Final Words

It is not an easy but a possible task to get a fully funded PhD in the UK. UKRI studentships are the most prestigious and most comprehensive in that they cover tuition fees as well as a tax-free living allowance.

The process of application is very competitive, particularly among international students, and the regulations, including a strict resubmission policy, demand an impeccable application. 

You can be in a position to succeed by knowing the system, selecting the appropriate research council, and writing a perfect proposal. There are opportunities, and with proper planning, you can be one of the numerous bright researchers who can enjoy this world-class program.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What are Doctoral Training Partnerships (DTPs) and Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs)?

UKRI provides its studentships in the form of DTPs and CDTs. Instead of granting individuals funding, UKRI gives large grants to university groups, or occasionally individual universities, known as DTPs or CDTs. These centers then advertise and recruit for a set number of funded PhD positions, often with a focus on cohort-based training.

Can I work part-time while receiving a UKRI studentship?

A UKRI studentship is a full-time scholarship, and therefore, your research must be your main focus. You can work part-time, but the number of hours is stipulated by your university or DTP. Check their specific policy.

Do I need a Master's degree to get UKRI funding?

A Master's degree is optional but strongly recommended, particularly in Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (AHRC/ESRC). In such places, it tends to show the research capabilities required for a PhD. In the sciences (e.g., EPSRC/BBSRC), a large number of students are taken directly after an undergraduate degree, particularly a 4-year integrated Master’s degree (e.g., an MEng or MSci).

What are the typical application deadlines?

The deadlines are not fixed, but in the case of DTPs and CDTs, which begin in October, the deadline is typically between October and January. When you suggest your own project, as with the AHRC, you need to look at the dates of the university's internal funding competition, which also usually fall in December or January.

Can I get funding with a lower GPA or no publications?

It is more difficult but not impossible. A good application is based on the entire package. The low GPA may be compensated for by a significant amount of relevant research experience, excellent letters of recommendation, and a brilliant research proposal.