Carnegie Trust offers Carnegie-Caledonian PhD scholarships to pursue three years of postgraduate research leading to a PhD at a university in Scotland. UK/EU students (First-Class Honours undergraduate degree from a Scottish university) and Non-UK/EU domiciled students with a First-Class Honours undergraduate degree from a Scottish university can apply for these PhD scholarships.

A First-Class Honours undergraduate degree from a Scottish university is a prerequisite for consideration for Scholarships. Final year students of a Scottish university who expect to achieve a First-Class Honours degree are eligible for nomination but will be disqualified from the competition if they do not achieve a First-Class.

Scholarship Description

• Application Deadline: 28 February 2021
• Course Level: Scholarships are available for pursuing postgraduate research leading to a PhD at a university in Scotland
• Study Subject: Scholarships are open for doctoral study in any field.
• Scholarship Award: The Carnegie PhD Scholarship funding package includes: Stipend: currently £16,800 for the academic year 2021-2022, adjusted annually for inflation. Tuition Fees: The Trust will cover tuition fees at the Research Councils UK (RCUK) Indicative Fee Level for the relevant academic year (universities are expected to waive any outstanding balance). Research Allowance: £3,000 for the whole tenure.
• Nationality: UK/EU students (First-Class Honours undergraduate degree from a Scottish university) and Non-UK/EU domiciled students with a First-Class Honours undergraduate degree from a Scottish university can apply for these PhD scholarships.
• Number of Scholarships: A total of 16 scholarships are available for doctoral studies starting in 2021-2022
• Scholarship can be taken in the UK

Eligibility 

Eligible Countries:  UK/EU students (First-Class Honours undergraduate degree from a Scottish university) and Non-UK/EU domiciled students with a First-Class Honours undergraduate degree from a Scottish university can apply for these PhD scholarships.
Entrance Requirements: Applicants must meet the following criteria:

1. A First-Class Honours degree from a Scottish university is a prerequisite for consideration for Scholarships. This First Class Honours degree must be in a subject related to the field of the proposed doctoral studies. Alongside existing graduates, final year undergraduate students expecting to achieve a First-Class Honours degree are also eligible for nomination. Please note that no exemptions are made to this requirement and nominations for students who do not hold a First Class Undergraduate Honours degree will not be accepted, except in faculties which do not award Honours, e.g. Medicine, where the equivalent standard will be expected Where an award is made in advance of graduation, it will be conditional on obtaining a First Class Honours degree.
2. A student who has already commenced study for a research degree (MPhil, PhD or equivalent) is not eligible.
3. The candidate must be nominated by the prospective supervisor of the PhD project and can only be submitted for consideration for a Carnegie or Caledonian PhD Scholarship by one Scottish university.
4. The number of submissions per Scottish university is subject to a quota (announced annually by the Trust). Each university must select its preferred candidates, according to its quota, insufficient time to permit the submission of the online application and endorsement forms ahead of the Trust’s deadline. The current quota for nominations is available in the appendix to these Regulations.
5. The university selected candidates must register their details on the Trust’s online application system and complete an online application form. The application portal will open 4 weeks before the closing date for submissions and will be made available to the selected candidates by the administrator in charge of the selection process for the scholarships at their university. The name of the university contact is listed in the regulations for the scheme and applicant guide downloadable under the Guidelines and Regulations tab.
6. Ahead of the submission deadline, the PhD candidate’s application must be endorsed online by their prospective supervisor. As part of the nomination process, the prospective supervisor must also upload an Institutional Statement of Support completed by a senior academic in the relevant Departmental/School: Head, Deputy Head, Research Director, Postgraduate Studies Director or Dean. The institutional statement of support must also include the signature of a university representative who can confirm the nominee is one of its chosen candidates. The form is available from the university contact listed in the appendix to the Regulations and under the Guidelines and Regulations tab.
7. The full online application and endorsement by the prospective supervisor for the selected candidates must be completed and submitted online to the Trust by 28th February 2021, 5:00 pm. The awards are announced by the end of May each year.

•  English Language Requirements: Applicants must meet the necessary language proficiency requirements of the host institution.

International Scholarship

Application Procedure: 

How to Apply: Nominations submitted to the Trust are reviewed by independent subject advisers recruited outside the Scottish academic community and represent different areas of research undertaken in the Scottish universities. The Advisers have been selected on the basis of their expertise in reviewing and their in-depth knowledge of their subject field.

To apply for a Carnegie PhD Scholarship you must be nominated by one of the 17 eligible host organisations.  Each institution has a limited quota of nominations that it is permitted to submit. The Carnegie PhD Scholarships are tenable at the following institutions:

• Universities: Aberdeen, Abertay, Dundee, Edinburgh, Edinburgh Napier, Glasgow, Glasgow Caledonian, Heriot-Watt, Highlands and Islands, Queen Margaret, Robert Gordon, St Andrews, Stirling, Strathclyde, West of Scotland;
• Glasgow School of Art;
• Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

Contact the Scottish institutions where you wish to do your PhD in the first instance to enquire about the selection process. You can find the contact details for each eligible institutions under Downloadable documents. You can only be nominated by one university for this scheme.

Download Documents:

• Contacts in each host organisation
• Regulations and eligibility criteria
• Guide for applicants
• Application form template (for info only)
• Statement of Institutional Support form

Scholarship Link