University Of Edinburgh Doctoral College Scholarships 2027 In The Uk: Fully Funded Phd Study For International Students — Deadline 2 February 2027

University of Edinburgh Doctoral College Scholarships 2027 in the UK: Fully Funded PhD Study for International Students — Deadline 2 February 2027

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If you are planning a PhD in the UK, the University of Edinburgh Doctoral College Scholarships 2027 are among the most generous doctoral awards on offer: they cover full tuition fees plus a living stipend for three and a half years. Applications are open now, and the scholarship deadline is Tuesday 2 February 2027.

Key deadline: submit your scholarship application by Tuesday 2 February 2027 at 23:59 GMT. But do not leave it to the last day — you can only access the scholarship form after you have applied for admission to a PhD programme, and it can take up to five working days for the system checks to complete. Crucially, PhD admission deadlines vary by School: some Schools require your completed PhD application by Monday 9 November 2026, while others accept them until Monday 19 January 2027. Check your School's deadline first — missing it means you cannot be considered for the scholarship at all.

What the scholarship offers

According to the University of Edinburgh's official scholarship pages, each Edinburgh Doctoral College Scholarship covers:

  • Full tuition fees for the duration of the award
  • A stipend at the UKRI minimum rate — for reference, the 2026/27 UKRI stipend is £21,805 a year for full-time students (the 2027/28 rate will be confirmed by the University)
  • Duration of 3.5 years (pro-rata for part-time students), subject to satisfactory progress
  • A training and development package covering teaching, public engagement, entrepreneurship, data science and other career skills

This is a fully funded PhD award: tuition and living costs are both covered. One point to note — the scholarship cannot be held at the same time as another fully funded scholarship, but it can be combined with a partially funded award, in which case it is reduced pro-rata.

Who is eligible?

The scholarships are open to UK and overseas students starting the first year of a PhD research degree in the 2027/28 academic session, on campus or by distance learning. The key eligibility rules are:

  • Study level: You must be applying to start the first year of a PhD research degree — current PhD students and MSc by Research applicants are not eligible
  • Academic standard: You must have, or expect to obtain, a UK first class or 2:1 honours degree (or the international equivalent), with outstanding academic merit and research potential
  • No previous PhD: The University will not generally consider candidates who have already obtained a PhD, or a formal equivalent, through direct research training
  • Admission first: You must have already applied for admission to a PhD programme at Edinburgh before you can access the scholarship application
  • Nationality and finances are not considered: Selection is based on academic merit and research potential — not on financial status, nationality or field of study

Important differences between Schools

The Doctoral College Scholarships are allocated across the University's Schools, and the process is not identical everywhere — read your School's page carefully:

  • Most Schools: Apply for PhD admission first, then submit a separate scholarship application through MyEd/EUCLID by 2 February 2027
  • School of Informatics and School of Physics & Astronomy: You are automatically assessed for the scholarship when you apply for admission — there is no separate scholarship application
  • School of Biological Sciences: Applications are made directly to the School, not through MyEd/EUCLID
  • PhD admission deadlines differ by School: For example, the School of Health in Social Science requires completed PhD applications by 9 November 2026, while the School of History, Classics & Archaeology and Edinburgh College of Art set theirs at 19 January 2027

Key dates for 2027/28 entry

  • Scholarship applications: Open now — the scholarship application system for 2027/28 is live
  • PhD admission application deadline: Varies by School — 9 November 2026 in some Schools, 19 January 2027 in others; check your School's page
  • Scholarship application deadline: Tuesday 2 February 2027 at 23:59 GMT (late applications are not accepted)
  • Outcomes: Applicants are notified by the end of May 2027; shortlisted candidates should expect an interview

How to apply

  1. Apply for your PhD programme at the University of Edinburgh through its online application system (EUCLID), well before your School's admission deadline — remember it can take up to five working days after you apply for admission before you can access the scholarship form.
  2. Log in to MyEd with your University User Name and password, and open the online scholarship application form in EUCLID.
  3. Complete the scholarship application by 2 February 2027. The University will assess your scholarship application together with the reference and academic transcript you submitted with your admission application — so make sure those are strong and submitted on time.
  4. Check your School's page for any extra requirements — for example, Informatics and Physics & Astronomy applicants are assessed automatically, and Biological Sciences applicants apply directly to the School.

Why this one is worth noting

Edinburgh is one of the UK's leading research universities, and this is its flagship doctoral funding scheme for international researchers — full fees plus a stipend, open to overseas students in every discipline, with no nationality or financial-status filter. The trade-off is that it is fiercely competitive: in the 2026/27 cycle, the School of Social and Political Science alone received 224 applications for a single award. If Edinburgh is on your list, the single most important thing is timing — apply for PhD admission now, before your School's deadline, so you can reach the scholarship form well ahead of 2 February 2027.

Official links

Details verified against the University of Edinburgh's official Registry Services and School scholarship pages on 5 November 2026. Award values, deadlines and requirements vary by School and can change, so always confirm them on the official pages before you apply.


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