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PhD Studentships

We offer a variety of funded places and financial support for our Postgraduate Research and PhD students. 

The University of Salford is a member of selected Doctoral Training Partnerships, which aim to equip researchers with world-leading knowledge and skills appropriate to meeting the academic, professional and socio-economic demands of the twenty-first century. Students joining our Doctoral Training programmes will be active partners in shaping their own training and development as researchers and future leaders. They will enjoy access to outstanding resources and training provision within a collegial environment supporting them to produce excellent research. In turn they will contribute to a world class research environment and engage in mutually beneficial knowledge exchange relationships.

Funded places on our Doctoral Training Partnerships are highly competitive – we advise you to check carefully the application criteria, and to contact potential supervisors at the earliest opportunity so that we can support you as fully as possible throughout the selection process.

Research Funding

Widening Participation Scholarships

Open to UK students in any research area, these scholarships support students with the cost studying. 

PhD Studentships

Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and North West Consortium Doctoral Training Partnership (NWCDTP) offer funded PhD Studentships for those starting in the 2025/26 academic year.

Funding in a specific research areas

We currently offer funding in aural diversity and sound.

Widening Participation Scholarships

We currently offer two Widening Participation Scholarships:

  • Masters (MPhil or MSc by Research) Widening Participation Fee Scholarship - covers tuition fees for the year (UK tuition fees) for any research area.
  • PhD Widening Participation Scholarships - covers tuition fees (UK tuition fees), a stipend for 3.5 years of £21,611, and an annual research budget of £1,000 (years 1-3) for September 2026 entry. We have 10 PhD scholarships available for UK candidates.
Application criteria
Eligibility
  • Masters (MPhil) Widening Participation Scholarship - University of Salford graduates who are UK applicants (i.e. eligible for UK fees) who are applying to start a research degree for the first time.
  • PhD Widening Participation Scholarships - any UK candidates (or eligible for UK fees) can apply. Priority will also be given to University of Salford graduates.  

All research areas are eligible, however some research areas, such as laboratory work, come with additional costs that will need to be funded separately. 

These scholarships are targeted at increasing participation from groups currently underrepresented within research. Therefore, priority will be given to students that meet one or more of the below criteria:

  • Your home postcode (i.e. the postcode you used to apply to university through UCAS) is listed as a ‘1’ or ‘2’ in the POLAR4 column on the POLAR checking tool.
  • You are from an ethnic group that is underrepresented in research careers (Black, Asian, or Minority Ethnic).
  • You identify as having a disability. The term ‘disability’ is quite broad, and further definitions of what might be considered a ‘disability’ can be found under the Equality Act 2010.
  • You are a first-generation student (you are the first person in your family to go to university).
  • You are a mature student (you were aged 21 or over when you started your first undergraduate course).
  • You are care-experienced or an estranged student.
How to apply
  • Ensure you've submitted your application to one of our research degree programmes by 30 January 2026.
  • We will then send you a scholarship application form to complete by 27 February 2026.

Please note: You need to be accepted on to one of our research degree courses (have received an offer) before you can be considered for a scholarship.

Your completed scholarship application form will be considered in conjunction with your research programme application. The first stage will be a school level shortlisting process which will take place in April/May 2026. Candidates shortlisted by each school will be invited to meet the central selection panel in late April (PhD applications) and late May (for MPhil/MSc by Research applications) about the motivation for applying and aspirations for the programme. The panel will then meet the following week to make a final decision on awarding the scholarships.

We're running an online one-hour postgraduate research application workshop, designed for those who are interested in applying for these scholarships. Book your place on Eventbrite now.

 

Ring-fenced Studentships 

  • Global Majority or Global Majority Heritage Studentship – open to global majority or global majority heritage candidates, including both home and international candidates.
     
  • Broken Pipeline Studentship – open to candidates who feel that they are from groups or backgrounds that are underrepresented within UK higher education and experience barriers to access and participation. Many of these groups or backgrounds intersect and overlap and can pose barriers to equality of opportunity.

To apply please contact your Pathway Representative and prospective supervisors before submission of a formal application to the University and the North West Consortium. 

For general advice concerning these studentships, please contact pgr-supportsam@salford.ac.uk.

Contact a Pathway Representative
List of Representatives

Funding in a specific research area

Aural Diversity

The Leverhulme Trust Aural Diversity Doctoral Research Hub (LAURA) provides inter-disciplinary PhD and master's training in the study of hearing and listening differences. Applications for several fully-funded 4-year PhD scholarships are open now for those starting in September 2025. This provides:

  • A stipend of £19,237 per year (matching the UKRI rate)
  • Tuition fees cover
  • Access to up to £10,000 for research and professional development costs. 

The application deadline is 28 February 2025. Find out more on our dedicated LAURA webpage.

Sustainable Sound Futures

Launching in autumn 2025, our Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) will train 70 PhD students who have the skills and knowledge to reduce the harms caused by noise and poor acoustics and forge a more positive sounding future. Students will be fully-funded for four years including tuition fees, stipend and bench fee covers.