The Research Development Fund Studentship Scheme provides funding to a wide variety of research projects across all Faculties:
- Arts, Design and Social Sciences
- Business and Law
- Engineering and Environment
- Health and Life Sciences
For further details of all of our studentships please see our research degree opportunities page.
Successful candidates will be academically excellent , having an upper second class Honours degree (or equivalent GPA from non-UK universities, with the preference being for 1st class Honours) or a Masters (preference for Merit or above), or evidence of substantial practitioner achievement.
For applicants whose first language is not English, you will need to meet our minimum overall and component scores for research programmes. For applicants to all Faculties this is the equivalent of an IELTS overall score of 6.5 with no component below 6.0. For Newcastle Business School you will also need to achieve a score of 6.5 in the writing component of IELTS.
Please note that applicants cannot apply for this funding if currently engaged in Doctoral study at Northumbria or elsewhere or if they have previously been awarded a PhD.
Funding Notes
The projects advertised, unless otherwise stated, are in competition for funding with other advertised projects for funding in the Faculty.
Each studentship supports a full stipend, paid for three years at UKRI rates (for 2024/25 full-time study this is currently £19,237 per year) and full tuition fees. UK and international (including EU) candidates may apply.
Studentships are also available for applicants who wish to study on a part-time basis over 5 years (0.6 FTE, stipend £11,542 per year and full tuition fees) in combination with work or personal responsibilities. International applicants (including EU) need to have their own valid immigration permissions to live and study in the UK if they wish to study on a part-time basis as Northumbria University does not sponsor part-time Student Visas.
Please note: to be classed as a Home student, candidates must meet the following criteria:
• Be a UK National (meeting residency requirements), or
• have settled status, or
• have pre-settled status (meeting residency requirements), or
• have indefinite leave to remain or enter.
If a candidate does not meet the criteria above, they would be classed as an International student. Applicants will need to be in the UK and fully enrolled before stipend payments can commence, and be aware of the following additional costs that may be incurred, as these are not covered by the studentship.
Immigration Health Surcharge https://www.gov.uk/healthcare-immigration-application
If you need to apply for a Student Visa to enter the UK, please refer to the information on https://www.gov.uk/student-visa. It is important that you read this information very carefully as it is your responsibility to ensure that you hold the correct funds required for your visa application otherwise your visa may be refused.
Costs associated with English Language requirements which may be required for students not having completed a first degree in English, will not be borne by the university. Please see individual adverts for further details of the English Language requirements for the university you are applying to.
