Funding & Finance

University Funding & Fees Info

Studentships, Scholarships and Bursaries

Funding Postgraduate Study

There are a wide range of possible sources of studentships, scholarships and bursaries but competition is fierce and you will need to begin your enquiries in good time to meet deadlines. This page gives you information on the main sources of funding available to postgraduate students applying to the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Note that you will need to have received an offer of a place before your application for funding can be considered, so it is important to apply to the University as early as possible.

Postgraduate funding opportunities 2012-13

For entry in 2012-13 there is £2 million in funding opportunities available through the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and its Departments. The tables below show summaries of all the awards for 2012-13. For further details of each award and how to apply, please click on the links in blue. For general information on these awards use the links on the right hand menu.

AHRC Block Grants	No of awards	Fees	Maint-enance	Years over which award is paid	Level	Eligibility
Cultural Studies - 1 RPM award	1	yes	yes	1	MA	UK (EU fees only)
Dance, Drama & Performing Arts – 1 PGR award	1	yes	yes	3	PhD	UK (EU fees only)
Dance, Drama & Performing Arts - 1 RPM award	1	yes	yes	1	MA	UK (EU fees only)
English Language and Literature – 1 PGR award	1	yes	yes	3	PhD	UK (EU fees only)
Linguistics – 1 PGR award	1	yes	yes	3	PhD	UK (EU fees only)
Religious Studies - 1 PGR award	1	yes	yes	3	PhD	UK (EU fees only)

ESRC Studentships

Lancaster University forms part of the ESRC’s North West Doctoral Training Centre (NWDTC). 63 studentships, covering tuition and maintenance, are available for those wishing to study in areas covered by the ESRC at Lancaster, Liverpool or Manchester. Some studentships are reserved for students seeking joint supervision across two or more partner institutions. Further information about the provision and funding offered by the NWDTC is available on the NWTDC website.

Faculty Awards (fees only)	No of awards	Fees	Maint-enance	Years over which award is paid	Level	Eligibility
Faculty Research Scholarships
- PhD (Overseas)	6	yes	no	3	PhD	Overseas only
- PhD (H-EU)	7	yes	no	3	PhD	UK/EU only
Faculty 1 + 3 Scholarships (MA + PhD)	10	yes	no	1 year MA followed by 3 years PhD	MA/PhD	UK/EU only
Faculty MA Scholarships
- Masters (Overseas)	12	yes	no	1	MA	Overseas only
- Masters (H/EU)	6	yes	no	1	MA	UK/EU only

EPSRC HighWire Studentships	No of awards	Fees	Maint-enance	Years over which award is paid	Level	Eligibility
10 awards for those with a background in design, computing and management	10	yes	yes	4	MA, PhD	UK (EU fees only)
Departmental HighWire Studentship	1	yes	yes	4	MA, PhD	UK (EU fees only)

AHRC Creative Exchange Studentships	No of awards	Fees	Maint-enance	Years over which award is paid	Level	Eligibility
5 PhD studentships	5	yes	yes	3	PhD	UK (EU fees only)

Departmental Scholarships	No of awards	Fees	Maintenance	Years over which award is paid	Level	Eligibility
Applied Social Science
NHS Social Work Bursary (MA and PgDip Social Work)	45	yes	yes - means-tested	2	MA	UK only
European Languages & Cultures
Graduate Teaching Assistantship	1	yes	no, but successful applicant will be eligible to deliver hourly-paid teaching to a maximum of 6 hours per week	3	PhD	UK/EU only
History
Iredell Bursaries (MA in History)	2	yes	no	1	MA	UK/EU only
Law
LLM Programme (International): £1,000 fee reduction	limited	£1,000	no	1	MA	Overseas only
Linguistics
EAP studentship award - PhD by Research & Thesis (3 years) or PhD by Thesis & Coursework (4 years)	1	yes	yes	3/4	PhD	All (fees paid at EU level only)
Geoffrey Leech Scholarship – UK/EU fee waiver (Campus MA)	1	yes	no	1	MA	UK/EU only
Politics, Philosophy & Religion
MA Bursary	1	£1,000	no	1	MA	All
Ninian Smart Memorial Bursary (MA Religious Studies, MA Religion & Conflict, MA Religion & Diplomacy, MA Philosophy & Religion, or MA Politics, Philosophy & Religion)	1	£1,000	no	1	MA	Asia only

University funding opportunities

In addition, a number of full and partial bursaries are offered by Lancaster University. Details of all such funding opportunities are available on the University's Postgraduate Funding pages and in a searchable database on the Student Services website. There are also the following:

The Alumni Postgraduate Studentships (worth £1,000) for students who have completed a first degree at Lancaster and wish to continue to postgraduate study here.
The Alumni Opportunity Fund - UK (worth up to £250) for UK Master's and Research Students who run into unexpected financial difficulties post enrolment.
The Access to Learning Fund (worth up to £750 for postgraduates) for new and continuing UK Master's and Research Students who have made reasonable provision for their course but who face unexpected or unforeseen costs.
The Peel Studentship Trust (worth up to £2,500) is unique to Lancaster, and is reserved for applicants aged 21 or over on the first day of Michaelmas Term. Both UK and international students may apply, with applications assessed on the basis of academic merit and financial need.
The Lancaster India Centre bursary (worth £12,500) for new Masters students from India - deadline ???.
College awards (worth betwen £500 and £2,000 per annum) from Bowland, County and Grizedale.

UK students

Information about funding opportunities for UK students, including Professional & Career Development Loans and Government Funding, is available from the Student Based Services website. These include:

The Learning & Skills Council operates a Professional & Career Development Loans scheme. Applicants can borrow between £300 and £10,000 to support the cost of up to two years of learning (or three years if it includes one year's relevant unpaid practical work).
Possible sources of Government Funding include Disabled Student's Allowance, Tax Credits, and (for UK part-time students) Government (state) benefits such as housing benefit, income support and council tax benefit.