This funding is available to all nationalities.   

You must meet the academic requirements of your programme. For most programmes in the School of Environment, Education and Development, this is:

• Bachelor's (Honours) degree at 2:1 or above (or overseas equivalent).
• Master's degree in a relevant subject - with an overall average of 60% or above, a minimum mark of 60% in your dissertation (or overseas equivalent)

Please note this funding is not available to current PhD students. 

Applicants must provide evidence of English language proficiency with their application. If English language is an outstanding condition of your offer, you must meet this by 19 January 2026. If you do not meet this, we cannot include your application in the competition.

Acceptable evidence includes:

• IELTS test minimum score - 7.0 overall, 7.0 in writing, 6.0 in other sections.
• TOEFL (internet based) test minimum score - 100 overall, 25 in all sections.
• To demonstrate that you have taken an undergraduate or postgraduate degree in a majority English speaking nation within the last 5 years.
• Other tests may be considered.

You must submit your online application for a place on your chosen postgraduate research programme by 19 January 2026. Your programme application should contain all necessary supporting documents.

Section 9 of the application asks for your funding intentions. In this section, you should detail fully all the competitions in which you would like to be considered. There is no limit to the number of competitions you may enter, but all must be detailed in your online application form to ensure you are included. Please add a funding source, and populate the fields as below:

• Type of Funding: Uni of Manchester Scheme
• Awarding Body (free text): SEED School Studentships
• Status of Funding: Intend to Apply

Please note that there is no separate funding application form for School of Environment, Education and Development Studentships. All decisions are based on the online programme application and supporting documents.

Application form: https://www.manchester.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-research/admissions/how-to-apply/

Additional documentation

• Your full online application must include;
• A 1,500 word PhD research proposal. Times New Roman, Font 12 (exclusive of references). Please state the word count on page 1 of the document.
• A copy of your Bachelor's and Master's academic transcript and certificate. If your Master's degree is pending, please provide an interim transcript.
• An up-to-date academic CV summarising your academic record, employment history, publications and highlighting experience demonstrating your research potential.
• The names of two academic referees, including one from your most recent institution. Your referees will be contacted directly via the Referee Portal following the submission of your application form.
• A certificate or evidence demonstrating your English language ability and proficiency.

Successful candidates will be chosen on the basis of:

• Academic merit and preparedness for research
• Quality and feasibility of research proposal
• Consideration of ethical responsibility

This award will cover:

• Fees (home or overseas) for 3.5 years.
• Annual maintenance stipend (this was £20,780 p/a 2025/26).

This award does not cover:

• Any costs incurred through a visa application (including the immigration health surcharge).
• Any costs incurred through travel or relocation.

Your complete online application for your preferred PhD programme must be submitted by 19 January 2026.

Please note that this is a strict deadline and late or incomplete applications will not be included in the competition.

If you have any questions about this studentship, please contact hums.doctoralacademy.admissions@manchester.ac.uk