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May 29, 2022

The Myth of the Fully-Funded PhD: Using Scholarships to Mitigate the Financial Realities of Research Degrees

When you decide to go to graduate school of any kind, you are making a financial decision that will dramatically affect your earning capacity for the duration of the program and throughout your life. While the caliber of school, available mentorship opportunities, and research resources are important factors to consider when making a decision about which university to attend, students often forget to carefully assess the financial realities associated with each opportunity.

The financial decision surrounding attending graduate school

Unlike students in professional graduate programs, most PhD students do not plan to pursue high-paying careers, and they depend on the fact that doctoral programs automatically include “full funding” to offset the cost of long-term research degrees. Though many graduate students receive admissions offers that are referred to as “fully-funded,” such funding packages require PhD students to teach multiple years in exchange for tuition waivers and teaching stipends. Once students start to work for the university and balance their many responsibilities, they quickly realize that “full-funding” isn’t exactly the same as a “scholarship” or a “full-ride. ”

Common misconceptions about what it means to be “fully-funded”

Depending on the university and its location, the value of one’s teaching stipend in relationship to workload and cost of living can vary greatly. In reality, graduate student teaching stipends for students who live in large United States cities are not enough to cover basic necessities. As a result, most graduate students go into additional debt to complete their programs.

Since tenure-track jobs have become increasingly elusive in the United States university system, today’s doctoral students must also satisfy a growing list of requirements to be considered for well-paying and stable teaching positions upon graduation. The added responsibilities associated with producing early publications, progressing through the degree quickly, regularly attending conferences, and pursuing ongoing professionalization or certification opportunities all require significant time commitments.

However, since doctoral students must work for the university in order to waive tuition and fees, they cannot devote all of their time to academic and professional progress. To avoid burnout and set aside more time for completing research, I suggest that prospective and current graduate students continuously apply for extramural funding, research fellowships, and community-based scholarships throughout their degrees.

Accepted’s clients received over $3.5 million dollars in scholarship offers in the last application cycle.  Explore our scholarship essay services   to find out how we can help you!

How the academic culture deemphasizes the financial aspects of the work

The common phrase “no one goes into a PhD to make money” is thrown around frequently in academic settings, and seems to suggest that pursuits related to funding are selfish and “anti-intellectual.” Especially in the humanities and social sciences, there is significant cultural importance placed on the fact that academia is not about money, and that academic careers are shaped by intellectual merit, not an individual’s financial capacity to stay in school.

Historically, however, the option to waive tuition in return for a few years of university teaching was an affordable way to enable individuals to pursue intellectual projects in the not-for-profit environment of the public university. One generation ago, doctoral students transitioned into tenure-track jobs with much more ease than those currently on the market. They also entered public institutions carrying far less student debt, and upon employment, they received guaranteed state pensions and salaries commensurate with the cost of living.

In today’s public university, the labor commitments of teaching assistants have grown significantly while the pay has not caught up with the steep rise in the cost of living for most university hubs. For example, throughout my graduate program at UCLA, I received between $15,000 and $22,000 in annual pay as a teaching or staff stipend. Given that my Los Angeles rent was upwards of $1,200 per month and rising, I was unable to continue my degree without applying for extramural grants and taking on work outside of the university.

Furthermore, the number of tenure track positions is diminishing so it is unlikely that I will ever make the stable and generous income to which my advisors have access. So the cultural norms of the intellectual community, which eschew any discussion of financial wellness, are no longer sustainable for most graduate students.

Though most graduate programs do not emphasize the financial aspects of navigating life as a student researcher and university employee, I have found that the pursuit of additional funding is neither a greedy nor an “anti-intellectual” use of my time in graduate school. Rather it is a great way to empower myself to set aside more time for conducting critical research and preparing for a successful career.

Strategies for applying for funding throughout your doctoral degree

In addition to my own efforts to build funding applications into my graduate studies, as a Student Affairs Advisor at the UCLA Scholarship Resource Center, I have worked with graduate students to generate strategies for incorporating annual cycles of grant writing into their studies.

Here are some of the most important takeaways from that work:

Most applicants are so anxious about whether or not they will be accepted to their desired PhD program that they don’t think about funding until after they’ve found out where they have gotten in. But there are a number of organizations, like the Ford Foundation , the Paul & Daisy Soros Foundation , the Stanford-Knight Hennessey Scholars Program , the National Science Foundation, and the Fannie and John Hertz Foundation , that offer funding for prospective graduate students.Like university admission applications, these also run on an annual cycle that requires students to apply one year before they plan to enroll in school. So, if you are planning to spend this fall putting together applications for graduate school, it is well worth it to add a number of fellowship applications to your list as well. Even if you aren’t successful with your first round of applications you will be well prepared to add scholarship applications to your graduate school routine. This is an activity that you should engage in throughout your entire degree, and you have to start somewhere!

Below are some questions that you should be able to answer by carefully analyzing your letter of admission. If you can’t answer them, try to find out the answers before you make your decision.• How many years of teaching assistantship does the university commit to you? How many students are you responsible for teaching, assessing, and holding office hours with for each term?• Are there stipulations related to your progress through the degree that may create limitations on your access to university funding or campus work opportunities?

• Does your status as university student or staff come with health benefits?

• Does your university have a union for teaching assistants? If so, what employee rights do you have through your union membership? Pay close attention to issues of pay related to maternity leave, medical leave, absence in the case of the death of a family member, and access to childcare.

• Is there an employee handbook for student staff and teaching assistants?

• What is the pay scale associated with the teaching positions that the university has offered you?

Before you decide where to go to school, do the research about your housing options. How much does university housing cost? Are there other options?Some universities offer annual budgets on their websites that include the cost of housing, but you have to analyze these carefully to understand how these budgets translate to your degree. For instance, UCLA’s estimated cost of attendance for graduate students only lists the annual budget for the academic year, which consists of 8 months. So you’d have to add four months of summer expenses in order to get a true sense of the living costs associated with each calendar year.

Once you’ve chosen a university, I would suggest that you map out the various phases of the program, the skillsets that you wish to build, and the accomplishments that you will achieve as you progress through the degree. There are different types of funding for every step of progress that you make, and if you are intentional about identifying related funding you can apply for specific opportunities throughout.Here are some examples of different achievements or degree phases associated with specific funding opportunities:• 2-3 years of coursework

• Conference travel

• Master’s exam period

• Master’s thesis writing year

• Language study

• Building a technical or quantitative analytical methodology

• Preliminary fieldwork or archival research

• Prospectus development

• Qualifying exam period

• Preliminary dissertation research

• Primary fieldwork or archival research

• Dissertation writing year

Most research-related funding opportunities do not pay out until a full academic year after the application submission period. This means that you should plan out your goals an entire year in advance, and apply for funding in the year before you carry out the projects and goals that you propose in your application materials. If you can continuously conceptualize your degree in the long-term, you will be able to anticipate the types of funding that will support your progress.

Whether you work for the institution or not, it will likely be up to you to cover the cost of your summers during graduate school. Rather than wait until summer starts to figure out how you’re going to pay the bills, start making plans the preceding fall. You may find paid opportunities to conduct research, fieldwork, or language study during your summer. But you also have the option to take on paid internships in a number of research fields in both the public and private sectors.

Do you need help with your PhD admissions or PhD funding applications? Our expert advisors are here to walk you through the PhD application process, from strategy-building to final send-off. Check out our Graduate School Admissions Consulting & Editing Services for more information on how we can help you GET ACCEPTED…with funding!

Student Affairs Advisor and scholarship expert, Rebecca has six years experience reviewing and editing large grant applications, research-based proposals, statements of purpose, personal statements and fellowship materials. Want Rebecca to help you get accepted? Click here to get in touch!

Related Resources:

• 5 Fatal Flaws to Avoid in Your Grad School Statement of Purpose , a free guide
• How to Write About Your Research Interests
• The Personal Statement That Got Me a Large Scholarship to Cambridge

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The Top 9 Fully Funded PhD Programs

If you’re concerned about grad school costs, you’re not alone. Even with financial aid, many students find themselves taking on large amounts of debt. However, there are a number of options that can cover most – if not all – of your doctorate costs.

Table of Contents

What Is a Fully Funded PhD Program?

“Fully funded” means that the university offers sufficient funding to cover tuition fees and even a stipend to cover other grad school expenses . To cover gaps, many institutions offer additional support in the form of grants, scholarships, loans, and employment opportunities.

Though rare, some PhD programs offer full funding for all accepted students. Understandably, the admission process is highly competitive for fully funded PhD programs.

Students who don’t meet strict criteria – and aren’t offered full funding – will be expected to pay for their tuition and other study expenses. Most take some form of government funding to do so.

The Top 9 Fully Funded PhD Programs in the US

1. the university of chicago, the department of anthropology, phd in anthropology.

• Courses : Development of Social/Cultural Theory, Archeological Theory & method, and archeological data sets.
• Credits : 18 courses
• Delivery : On-campus
• Full funding : Full tuition, health insurance, and stipend (up to 9 years).
• Other support : Grants, fellowships, and teaching opportunities.
• Acceptance rate : 2.5%
• Location : Chicago, Illinois

With a culture that encourages independent thinking, the University of Chicago has produced more than 90 Nobel Prize winners and produced defining research in several fields. In this interdisciplinary PhD in Anthropology program, students can study with many of the university’s other departments, including: Political Science, History, and Comparative Human Development.

2. Harvard University, T. H. Chan School of Public Health

Phd program in biological sciences in public health  (bph).

• Courses : Biological sciences communications, principles of biostatistics & epidemiology, and computing environments for biology.
• Duration : Approximately 6 years
• Full funding : Stipend, tuition, and health insurance.
• Other support: Fellowships, awards, and grants.
• Acceptance rate: 6%
• Location:  Boston, Massachusetts

As the third-best university in the US , Harvard’s T. H. Chan School of Public Health has incredible prestige. With several specialized public health departments (e.g., Environmental Health, Health & Population, Epidemiology), this program also offers incredible flexibility. Students can courses from the Department of Public Health, Harvard Integrated Life Sciences (HILS), and even MIT.

3. Stanford University, Graduate School of Education

Phd in curriculum studies and teacher education  (cte).

• Courses: Introduction to statistical methods in education, research in curriculum & teacher education, and statistical analysis in education.
• Credits:  135 units
• Duration: 4-5 years
• Delivery:  On-campus
• Full funding : Tuition aid, assistantship salary, and fellowship stipend (for 5 years).
• Other support : Grants, travel fellowships, and emergency funds.
• Location: Stanford, California

Stanford University tops the list  of the best universities for Education Policy Studies, making this one of the best options if you want to earn a PhD in Education. This doctorate is one of the top fully funded PhD programs in education and offers six specializations, including elementary education, teacher education, and science & environmental education.

Note : In addition to this on-campus PhD program, many recognized institutions also offer free online PhD programs in education .

4. Duke University, Trinity College of Arts and Sciences

Phd in literature.

• Courses: Wide range of literary topics, including African American Studies, modern European short fiction, gender studies, and more.
• Duration: 6-7 years
• Delivery: On-campus
• Full funding  includes: Tuition, fees, stipend, and health insurance.
• Other support: Grants, loans, childcare subsidies, and financial hardship aid.
• Location:  Durham, North Carolina

As one of the country’s most renowned private research institutions, Duke University has ten Nobel Laureates under its belt. Their PhD in Literature program encourages students to pursue both independent studies and inter-institutional courses from other affiliated universities. Students are able to take as many programs outside literature as they wish. Typically, all PhD students receive a “stipend, tuition, and fees support, plus six years of full coverage for health and dental insurance premiums.”

5. Rice University, Jones Graduate School of Business

Phd in business.

• Courses:  Microeconomics, econometrics, theory, and dynamic optimization.
• Duration:  4 years +
• Full funding : Tuition waiver and $40,000 yearly stipend (earned as a research/teaching assistant).
• Other support:  Scholarships, grants, loans, and student employment.
• Location: Houston, Texas

Rice University is a well-known institution and is regularly recognized as one of the best business schools in the country. As part of its PhD in Business program, students can choose between one of four different concentrations: accounting, finance, organizational behavior, and strategic management.

Northwestern University, McCormick School of Engineering

Phd in biomedical engineering.

• Courses:  Experimental design & measurement, biological performance of materials, and advanced physical & applied optics.
• Duration: 5-6 years
• Full funding : Tuition scholarship and stipend.
• Other support: Fellowships, grants, assistantships, loans, and veteran benefits.
• Acceptance rate: 15%
• Location: Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University is renowned for excellence across numerous disciplines, and its biomedical engineering (BME) program was among the first of its kind. The school offers a wide range of courses, from cell and molecular engineering, medical devices and instrumental, neural engineering, and more.

7. Columbia University, Teachers College

Phd in clinical psychology.

• Courses:  Brain & behavior, social problems for clinical psychologists, and personality & behavior change.
• Credits: 95
• Duration: 5 years (at least four years of residency)
• Full funding : Tuition, stipend, and health fees (up to 4 years).
• Other support:  Scholarships, grants, fellowships, federal work-study, assistantships, and loans.
• Acceptance rate:  7%
• Location:  New York City, New York

Columbia University offers a leading clinical psychology PhD program that focuses on the intersection between education, psychology, and health. Their fully funded, need-blind “Doctoral Fellowship” is given to incoming students for three years, in addition to financial aid in the fourth year (i.e., a $25,000 stipend). PhD students who receive this scholarship may be asked to work as research assistants or graduate teachers.

8. California Institute of Technology, Division of Engineering & Applied Science

Graduate degree in computer science.

• Courses:  Functional programming, computability theory, and advanced digital systems design.
• Credits: 54 units
• Duration: 3+ years of residence
• Full funding : Tuition charges and stipends.
• Other support: Grants, scholarships, loans, and work-study.
• Acceptance rate: 7%
• Location: Pasadena, California

Caltech is a huge name in technology education, with over fifty cutting-edge research centers and laboratories. This includes NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and astronomical observatories around the globe. To manage their rigorous course load, graduate students of the computer science program receive full tuition and a stipend of $45,000 .

9. Emory University, College of Arts and Sciences

Ph.D. in Economics

• Courses: Microeconomic theory, health economics, and market structure & imperfect competition.
• Credits: 55
• Duration: 4-6 years
• Full funding : Tuition, stipend, health insurance subsidy, and professional development support.
• Other support:  Grants, scholarships, loans, and student employment.
• Acceptance rate: 19%
• Location: Atlanta, Georgia

Emory University provides a liberal arts college’s atmosphere and opportunities combined with an urban research university’s facilities. This cross-registration program allows students to take classes at the university’s partner institutions, including Georgia Tech and Georgia State University, alongside their in-house courses.

Can I Earn a Free PhD Degree Online?

If you aren’t eligible for a fully funded program, that’s okay! We’ve written an article outlining the most affordable online PhD programs , the benefits, and how to apply to them!

Key Takeaways

Many US universities – including some of the country’s top institution – offer fully funded PhD programs and tuition-free online programs across various disciplines. You’ll just need to demonstrate that you’re eligible for the program through your academic performance and merit.

Once you qualify for full PhD funding, congratulate yourself on a job well done!

If you’re still weighing your options, did you know there are 1-year PhD programs online ?

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a phd be free.

Yes. Eligible students can obtain a doctorate for free if a university offers fully funded PhD programs.

How Do I Get a Fully Funded PhD?

To qualify for a fully funded PhD, you’ll be required to meet certain criteria and put together a strong application. You’ll also need to have an excellent undergraduate academic record, recommendation letters, persuasive personal essay, and graduate school entry exam scores .

Fully funded PhDs are incredibly competitive, so it’s important to plan ahead. As an undergraduate student, identify your dream school, and be sure to check the requirements and eligibility criteria. Next, work hard to meet these requirements – and set yourself apart – throughout your undergraduate studies.

Can I Study a PhD in the USA for Free?

Yes. Many US universities offer opportunities to obtain a PhD for free. For example, fully funded doctoral programs will cover your tuition and expenses. Free PhD programs don’t have tuition fees but students are responsible for covering their own expenses.

However, if you aren’t successful in securing a fully funded PhD and don’t like the free options, there are plenty of other ways to pay for grad school .

Lisa Marlin

Lisa is a full-time writer specializing in career advice, further education, and personal development. She works from all over the world, and when not writing you'll find her hiking, practicing yoga, or enjoying a glass of Malbec.

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How Does PhD Funding Work?

To understand how funding works for PhD programs, you first need to understand the different possible funding scenarios. Here is a breakdown of the different ways PhD candidates are funded by their universities.

Full Funding

Students are said to be “fully funded” if their tuition has been waived by the university and they receive a stipend to cover living expenses. Full funding can come with a variety of responsibilities, and often includes a certain number of semesters as a teaching assistant, a research assistant, or an instructor. Full funding is usually guaranteed for a period of four to six years. The amount of the stipend varies wildly from school to school, and even from department to department within a school; Gradpay.org has done some useful work at collecting stipend data from a variety of schools and disciplines, and can give a good sense of the range of available stipends. It’s worth noting that more prestigious universities and STEM departments generally offer higher stipends.

Competitive Funding

Some departments only guarantee funding to their students for the first year or two of a doctoral program, after which the funding becomes competitive. In the case of competitive funding, students in a department compete against one another for a limited number of stipends. Students who fail to qualify for the funding are often encouraged to get a terminal Master’s degree (that is, to write a thesis, be awarded a Master’s, and leave the program), instead of completing their doctorate.

Guaranteed Funding

This simply refers to the period of time for which funding is guaranteed. After students run out of their guaranteed funding, they have to find independent sources of funding to cover expenses.

An unfunded student has not been promised any funding by the university and will, in most cases, be asked to pay tuition and fees to attend the school.

What the Funding Plans Tell You About a Department

The world of PhD programs can be divided into two camps: those programs that fully fund all students they accept, versus those that don’t. And the differences between the two groups are significant.

In a department where all the students are fully funded, it’s easier to create a collegial atmosphere between graduate students. While it’s possible that two of the attending students will be on the job market at the same time for the same specialty within their discipline, that competition will only affect a few of the students, and it will be many years away from when they start the PhD process. As a result, departments with full funding for all students tend to be more collaborative, more supportive, and provide better social environments for students.

In a department where not all students are fully funded, two significant problems are created:

First, it’s likely that some of the students will be fully funded, which will create something of a two-tiered system. The students who are fully funded are the ones in whom the department has invested more resources, and in and whose success the department believes most strongly. So the department is likely to provide more ongoing support and resources for those students, which can result in resentment between fully funded students and their unfunded peers.

Second, the students who have to compete for funding will find it challenging to create a collegial, friendly atmosphere. There will be increased anxiety — as the students will be fighting for limited resources — combined with a poor social support system, all of which may make it harder for students to form close friendships with one another.

What Your Funding Offer Says About Your Relationship With the Department

If you are offered something short of full funding by a PhD program, this is an indication that the department has some doubts about your eventual success as a candidate. The department clearly views its fully funded candidates as being promising, and will devote resources accordingly. It’s not impossible to succeed as a non-fully funded candidate, but you should go into the program with your eyes wide open — understanding that you’ll be working at a substantial disadvantage.

The common bottom line advice is: if you’re not fully funded, don’t go. Improve your application and reapply next year. This advice — always reasonably sound — is particularly true when you’re dealing with degrees that have little use outside of academia, such as PhDs in History or English.

When applying to PhD programs, you ideally want to be fully funded and to be in a program where all of the other students are fully funded. This will reduce stress for you, indicate that the department is committed to the success of all of its students, and facilitate a more collegial environment.

If you aren’t fully funded, you need to be aware of your disadvantaged position relative to other students. Ask very direct questions about how many lines of funding are available, what percentage of students receive funding, and what you’ll need to do to secure funding. Ask how long the funding is guaranteed once you secure it. Do you only have to prove yourself once, or will you have to do it year after year?

Finally, it’s generally a poor idea to go into substantial debt while pursuing a PhD. While you may need to take out small loans to supplement your stipend or supplement research funding, your debt load should be minimal. Any program that is setting you up for a substantial load of debt is a program you should avoid.

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PhD in Management Program

A phd in management: where business research and education intersect.

Become an industry thought leader while preparing tomorrow’s business leaders.

Our fully funded PhD in Management is designed for ambitious students and professionals interested in a career in university teaching and research.

This residential program, based at the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management in Ithaca, NY, combines Ivy League rigor and real-world relevance to prepare you for successful careers in academia.

Why Get a PhD in Management?

With a strong focus on management science and applied research, this doctoral degree is ideal for someone looking to teach at the university level and contribute to the greater body of industry knowledge. Pursuing a PhD in Management is also an ideal next step for executives and senior managers who want to make a transition to academia or enhance their research skills for a successful consulting career.

Fully Funded, Highly Flexible: What Makes Cornell’s Management PhD Different?

As you explore PhD programs’ degree requirements, faculty engagement, and campus experience, Cornell stands alone.

In Cornell’s highly flexible program, you’ll choose a specific area of study and build your own dissertation committee. Our program faculty are genuinely interested and invested in your intellectual development. In this small and highly selective program, you will get to know the faculty and your peers well.

The SC Johnson Graduate School of Management is home to leading research centers and a high-impact academic journal; these open you up to unique learning and mentorship opportunities.

Business Simulation Lab

The Debra Paget and Jeffrey Berg Business Simulation Lab facilitates in-person and online behavioral research related to decision-making and problem-solving.

Discover More About BSL

Our Three-Pronged Approach to a PhD in Management

The Johnson School’s doctoral degree in management combines the best of theory and practice, building on a three-pronged foundation:

Hands-on Experience

Develop your research and analytical skills. You’ll work with classmates to examine existing literature and theories for class deliverables, which will often include your own original research.

Customizable Curriculum

Design your own academic pathway. You’ll choose one of six primary areas of study and create your own dissertation committee.

University-Wide Coursework

Draw on the expertise from across Cornell. You’ll get to select graduate-level courses from schools and colleges devoted to law , hospitality , engineering , labor relations , and other fields.

At a Glance: Cornell’s Fully Funded PhD in Management

The fully residential, fully funded PhD in Management program includes a tuition waiver and a stipend for living expenses. Here’s a quick overview of what to expect:

Degree Awarded

PhD in Management

Program Location

Ithaca, NY, with options in New York City

Program Format

Foundational coursework, original research, and six potential areas of study

Hear from Our Community

“PhD is a marathon, not a sprint, and collaborating with great people is paramount. At Cornell, I’ve found a place where amazing people come together, supporting my research and personal growth. Choosing Cornell means joining a community that knows how important it is to work with exceptional people to excel in the program.” – Elina Hur PhD ’23

Customize Your Path: Our Areas of Study

When you apply to the Johnson School’s PhD in Management, you will select a primary area of study. Choosing a concentration allows you to gain specialized skills and knowledge while growing a portfolio of original research.

Examine the role of accounting information in firms and financial markets. PhD-level research at Cornell explores topics such as how firms report information to investors, how accounting information is used to manage firms, and the nature of auditing.

Strategy & Business Economics

Use modern tools and methodologies to gain a better understanding of the world. PhD students in this area explore many aspects of economics including industrial, behavioral, labor, and organizational.

Dive deep into the financial structure and issues of organizations. Your research might look at how conflicts of interest affect corporate policy, how investor psychology affects asset pricing, or how to detect price bubbles.

Learn how theories from operations research, economics, psychology, and sociology intersect to inform corporate and consumer decisions. Your PhD studies will explore both quantitative and behavioral perspectives of marketing.

Management & Organizations

Prepare for a research-focused career in academia or industry. This versatile concentration develops skilled, innovative, analytical researchers through a broad curriculum and close faculty collaboration.

Operations, Technology, & Information Management

Develop the technical skills and behavioral analysis knowledge you need to address high-impact managerial decisions. This focus area also offers an option to complete coursework at Cornell Tech in New York City.

Idea Generation to Publication: A Career in Teaching and Research

The majority of our PhD in Management students pursue careers in academia. After graduation, many land tenure-track teaching positions at top-tier business schools and continue to advance knowledge through original research. Johnson School PhD students often field multiple offers and see starting salaries range from $150,000 to $250,000.

Finding Your Place at Cornell: Meet Our Current PhDs

Students from around the United States and across the globe arrive at the Johnson School to earn their PhD in Management—and their diverse research interests, educational backgrounds, and professional experiences make for a vibrant, enriching learning environment.

MEET CURRENT PHD STUDENTS

Research and Placements: Making an Impact in the Management Field

After earning the PhD in Management, our alumni go on to teach and inspire future leaders at top-tier institutions. Not only do they teach and conduct research alongside some of the most brilliant minds in business, but they also advance the field through publishing in leading journals and presenting their work at industry conferences.

Recent PhD in Management Placements

• Piyush Anand, PhD ’21, assistant professor of marketing, Jones Graduate School of Business, Rice University
• Guarav Kankanhalli, PhD ’20, assistant professor, Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business, University of Pittsburgh
• Eunjee Kim, PhD ’21, assistant professor, Mays Business School, Texas A&M University
• Sarah Lim, PhD ’21, assistant professor, Gies College of Business, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
• Xuege Lu, PhD ’22, assistant professor, Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota
• Subrina Shen, PhD ’21, assistant professor, McCombs School of Business, University of Texas at Austin

Recent Research Publications

• “ Do Real Estate Values Boost Corporate Borrowing? Evidence from Contract-Level Data ” in the Journal of Financial Economics (2022) — Gaurav Kankanhalli, PhD ’20, with Murillo Campello, Robert A. Connolly, and Eva Steiner
• “ Converging Tides Lift All Boats: Consensus in Evaluation Criteria Boosts Investments in Firms in Nascent Technology Sectors ” in Organization Science (2021) — Xirong (Subrina) Shen, PhD ’21, with Huisi (Jessica) Li, PhD ’20, and Pamela S. Tolbert 
• “ Initial and Longer-Term Change in Unit-Level Turnover Following Leader Succession: Contingent Effects of Outgoing and Incoming Leader Characteristics ” in Organization Science (2020)— Huisi (Jessica) Li, PhD ’20, with John Hausknecht and Lisa Dragoni

“ Does Regulatory Jurisdiction Affect the Quality of Investment-Adviser Regulation? ” in American Economic Review (2019) — Alan Kwan, PhD ’17, with Ben Charoenwong and Tarik Umar

Our Faculty: Accomplished Researchers, Dedicated Teachers

When you join the PhD in Management program at the Johnson School, you’ll be part of a learning community comprising more than 100 accomplished academics and thought leaders. 

Not only will you take courses with renowned professors from across the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, but you also will have the opportunity to build your own faculty committee—a group that will become instrumental as you select your dissertation topic and embark on your original research.

Faculty Spotlight: Learn from Leading Thought Leaders

Throughout the PhD program—from foundational coursework to your dissertation—you’ll work closely with dedicated teacher-scholars like these:

Kristina Rennekamp

Dr. Rennekamp’s research focuses on financial accounting from a behavioral perspective. She’s widely published, with work appearing in leading academic journals such as The Accounting Review , Contemporary Accounting Research , and The Journal of Financial Reporting .

Karan Girotra

Dr. Girotra studies the digital transformation of companies, whether it’s looking at emerging tools and practices or exploring new business models. He’s frequently interviewed in an array of mainstream business media outlets, including Bloomberg BusinessWeek , Fortune , and Forbes .

Kaitlin Woolley

Dr. Woolley studies the psychological processes behind consumer motivation. She’s an award-winning educator and researcher with work published in academic journals and national media outlets including the Journal of Consumer Research , Journal of Marketing Research , and The Wall Street Journal .

EXPLORE JOHNSON SCHOOL FACULTY

What You’ll Learn: Curriculum Overview

As you pursue your PhD in business management, you’ll begin with a set of foundation courses and progress into advanced coursework in your area of interest. Through it all, your faculty committee will help make sure you’re on the right track.

Foundational Management Coursework

Early in your doctoral program, you will complete foundational coursework in management and other fields. Many of these will focus on the research process and prepare you for your dissertation.

Advanced Coursework in Your Concentration Area

As you progress in the PhD in Management program, you’ll take electives and advanced courses that align with your research area of interest; these classes can be in the Johnson School and across Cornell.

Your Dissertation: Creating Original Research

During the final part of the program, you begin work on your dissertation—the culmination of your original research. You choose the topic of research in conjunction with your committee.

VIEW PROGRAM SPECIFICS

Beyond Business: Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration and Dialogue

Tap into the experience and expertise of faculty members from across Cornell University.

Management is a broad science. Business leaders serve in a variety of roles in industries of all kinds: healthcare, consumer goods, agriculture, biotechnology, media, and consulting to name just a few. At Cornell, you can enrich your education and expand your research opportunities by taking courses and finding mentors beyond the college of business.

Explore fields like computer science, psychology, sociology, communication, engineering, and data science—and then connect the dots back to your management research.

Interact with peers and professors from other disciplines by participating in student organizations and special interest groups or by attending public lectures, workshops, and networking events.

Admissions Overview: How to Apply to the Management PhD Program

The ideal candidate for the Johnson School’s doctorate degree in management will have a strong record of academic excellence, a solid understanding of the research process, and an entrepreneurial approach to problem-solving. An MBA or master’s degree is not a requirement for admission. 

Our admissions page offers more details about program prerequisites, selection criteria, requirements, deadline information, and a checklist of materials you need to submit with your application.

Connect With Cornell Admissions

The Johnson School admissions team is available to answer your questions about the program and the application process. Stop in or reach out by phone or email today.

253-D Sage Hall Johnson Graduate School of Management Cornell University Ithaca, NY 14853-6201

Phone: 607-255-5340 Email: Graduate Research Programs Office

The Cornell Campus: Where You Will Learn, Grow, and Thrive

Learn, grow, and thrive on one of the most beautiful college campuses in the United States. As a PhD student, you’ll spend a lot of time in Sage Hall, a Gothic-style building dating back to 1875. You’ll find more high-tech learning spaces just off campus at the Breazzano Family Center for Business Education. You’ll also have access to the innovative campus of Cornell Tech in New York City—particularly relevant to students focused on technology and information management. 

Attending Cornell also means you’ll call Ithaca, NY, home for about five years. Our eclectic downtown is full of eateries, shops, activities, and all of the amenities you’d need for everyday life. When you’re not in class or studying, you can explore all that the Finger Lakes region has to offer.

PhD in Management FAQ: What You Need to Know

Before you apply to a research-focused graduate program, you’re likely to want to do some deep research of your own. For instance, how does a fully funded PhD in Management work? What’s the typical completion time?

We have a robust Frequently Asked Questions section to help you learn more about our program, the admissions process, and dissertation requirements. For our international applicants, you’ll also find specific details about earning your PhD in Management.

May I speak to someone about my interest in the program and visit?

You are welcome to reach out to any professor with whom you see a good research fit. Our website also has a wealth of information about the program.

Is an interview part of the process?

We offer interviews only to a few applicants after their first screening.

May I talk to a professor or advisor?

You are welcome to contact any professor with whom you see a research match. Faculty are more likely to respond to specific research queries.

I have questions; may I write to this program email address?

Yes. Our response time will vary. We are not able to answer detailed questions that are better assessed by faculty during the application process.

May I schedule a campus tour?

Admissions does not offer campus tours for PhD program applicants. However, you may arrange an appointment with a faculty member.

Fraud alert – beware of third-party post-doc scams.

Cornell University recently has been made aware of fraudulent activity targeting overseas students and researchers, including at least one third party website falsely stating that it is offering a postdoctoral or visiting scholar program in association with Cornell. These scams, which may seek to obtain money and/or personal details from interested applicants, are fraudulent. 

Cornell wishes to warn the public about these fraudulent activities being perpetrated purportedly in the name of Cornell, and/or its officials. Please be advised that: 

• Cornell does not, nor has it, worked in collaboration with third-party companies or organizations to offer postdoctoral or research certificate programs.
• Third parties do not collect tuition or fees on behalf of Cornell.
• Cornell does not work with or endorse such organizations including, but not limited to, Shanghai Lufei Education Technology Co., Ltd. (Chinese name: 上海璐斐教育科技有限公司) and Shenzhen Guoyan Era Education Technology Co., Ltd. (Chinese name: 深圳市国研时代教育科技有限公司).

Cornell’s postdoctoral positions are listed on the Academic Career Opportunities website and postdoctoral fellowship programs are available for viewing. If you suspect a third party of falsely advertising a Cornell program, please notify [email protected]. Victims of such scams may also report them to their local law enforcement authorities for appropriate action.

Start the Application Process Today

Ready to apply to our highly selective, fully funded PhD in Management? We look forward to learning more about you and your research goals. Start the application process today at the Cornell Graduate Admissions website. [You’ll first need to register for an account or log in to an existing one.]

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Top Fully Funded PhD Programs

Karla Ibarra is a content writer at Scholarships 360. She has worked as an English teacher and writing tutor. As a writing tutor, she has experience editing scholarships and college application essays. Karla graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in Communication and a minor in English.

Learn about our editorial policies

Maria Geiger is Director of Content at Scholarships360. She is a former online educational technology instructor and adjunct writing instructor. In addition to education reform, Maria’s interests include viewpoint diversity, blended/flipped learning, digital communication, and integrating media/web tools into the curriculum to better facilitate student engagement. Maria earned both a B.A. and an M.A. in English Literature from Monmouth University, an M. Ed. in Education from Monmouth University, and a Virtual Online Teaching Certificate (VOLT) from the University of Pennsylvania.

Fully funded PhD programs offer students seeking their doctor of philosophy degrees the ultimate experience. With the average cost of a PhD at nearly $81,000 , students are able to focus on their studies without worrying about paying for their degrees or living expenses. Keep reading to learn about some of the top fully funded PhD programs in a variety of majors.

What is a “Doctorate of Philosophy” degree?

A “doctorate of philosophy” degree, better known as a PhD, is among the highest level degrees in the United States. A PhD is awarded after the successful completion of an extensive research and writing project known as a dissertation. Students can earn a PhD in a variety of fields, with most majoring in the humanities or social sciences. 

Further reading: What is a PhD?

How we chose the fully funded PhD programs on our list

We looked for programs that have stellar reputations in their respective majors. It makes sense that the most reputable programs offer the resources that are most important to  PhD students. Working with distinguished professors in their field and having access to outstanding libraries, PhD students will be immersed in the ideal learning environment. 

Opportunities to learn under and network with the most well regarded academics is invaluable for students’ future careers. Finally, we looked for fully funded programs that include not only full tuition coverage, but also living stipends and health insurance. A few of the programs might require students to “give back” in the way of graduate assistantships , so keep that in mind as you read the fine print on each website. 

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Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships

Acorn Equality Fund Scholarships

DDSRank Dental Scholarship

Marshall Scholarship

The top fully funded phd programs.

The following list is in alphabetical order with no preference for one particular program. We included a variety of majors in different regions, but remember, this is just the start of an exhaustive listing of fully funded PhD programs across the USA and the world!

Boston College

The PhD in English Program at Boston College prepares students for careers in academia or other English related fields. With a focus on critical thinking, writing, and research, the program explores  literature through abstract, cultural, and historical contexts. Students are able to focus on various literature periods, creative writing, and literary theory. Working closely with renowned faculty, the program offers abundant resources and support services including fellowships and publishing opportunities. 

• Location: Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
• Focus of study : Creative writing, critical theory, and literary and cultural studies
• What is included : Full tuition remission, health insurance, and a living stipend

Brown University

Brown University offers a PhD program in Computer Science for students interested in a strong foundation in computer science theory and applications and opportunities to conduct research in collaboration with faculty and peers. Brown’s computer science department has research strengths in artificial intelligence, data science, cybersecurity, computer graphics, and theory. The program is designed to provide students with the skills and knowledge needed to conduct independent research in computer science and to prepare them for academic or industrial careers.

• Location: Providence, Rhode Island
• Focus of study : Algorithms, artificial intelligence, computer systems, databases, and more
• What is included : Full tuition, health insurance, and living stipend

Cornell University

Cornell University offers a PhD program in Chemical Engineering to provide students with a broad foundation in chemical engineering principles and their application to solving real-world problems. The program aims to train students in core courses in chemical engineering, including transport phenomena, thermodynamics, and reaction engineering, while providing them with opportunities to conduct original research. Students in the program have access to state-of-the-art research facilities, funding opportunities, and a supportive community of faculty and fellow students.

• Location: Ithaca, New York
• Focus of study : Chemical engineering principles and research topics including biotechnology, energy, materials science, and process systems engineering
• What is included: Full tuition waiver, stipend, and health insurance

Duke University

Duke University’s PhD program in literature prepares students for careers in academic research and teaching. The program offers a variety of courses in literary theory, criticism, and methodology, as well as opportunities to specialize in specific genres, periods, and cultures. The program also encourages interdisciplinary work, with opportunities to collaborate with scholars in other fields across the university. Graduates of the program have gone on to careers in academia, publishing, journalism, and other areas.

• Location: Durham, North Carolina
• Focus of study : Literary theory, research methods, and a range of cultural and literary texts
• What is included : Five years of living stipend, tuition, and fees support as well as six years of health and dental insurance

Harvard University

The PhD program in Biological Sciences in Public Health at Harvard University is designed for students who want to pursue research in the field of public health with a focus on biological sciences. The program focuses on the intersection of biology and public health, specifically emphasizing understanding the biological mechanisms underlying disease and developing strategies to prevent and treat illness. PhD students receive a rigorous education in both biological and public health sciences, preparing them to become leaders in advancing our understanding of human health and disease.

• Location: Boston, Massachusetts
• Focus of study : Cancer biology, environmental health, genetics, global health and infectious diseases.
• What is included : Competitive funding packages, including tuition waivers, stipends, and health insurance

Johns Hopkins University

The PhD in Nursing program at Johns Hopkins University is designed to prepare nurse scientists who will conduct research to advance nursing science and improve the health and well-being of individuals, families, and communities. The program is designed to be interdisciplinary, integrating knowledge from nursing, social and behavioral sciences, and biostatistics. PhD students may work as nursing faculty members, researchers, or policymakers, contributing to advancing nursing practice and developing nursing knowledge.

• Location: Baltimore, Maryland
• Focus of study : Aging and dementia care, cardiovascular and chronic care, community and public health, health systems and outcomes, and more
• What is included: Full tuition with a stipend for the first three years of study

New York University

New York University offers a PhD in Education through its Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. The program provides a solid foundation in education theory and research methods, including coursework, research apprenticeships, and independent research. Upon graduation, students are well-prepared to pursue careers in academia, research, policy, and leadership in educational organizations. They are also equipped with the skills and knowledge to contribute to developing and implementing policies and practices in education.

• Location: New York, New York
• Focus of study : Learning sciences, educational policy, educational technology, and curriculum development. 
• What is included: Annual stipend, tuition coverage for required course work, and health insurance through the fifth year

Princeton University

Princeton University offers a PhD program in mathematics that is designed to prepare students for careers in academia, industry, or government. The program aims to provide a rigorous and comprehensive mathematics education, emphasizing both the theoretical foundations and applications of the discipline. Students take advanced courses in various mathematical fields, such as algebra, geometry, analysis, topology, and applied mathematics. Princeton’s program in mathematics is widely regarded as one of the world’s most prestigious and rigorous programs.

• Location: Princeton, New Jersey 
• Focus of study : Algebraic geometry, mathematical physics, number theory, and topology
• What is included: Full tuition and student health plan coverage

Rice University

Rice University offers a PhD in Business through its Jones Graduate School of Business, designed to prepare students for academic careers and research-oriented positions in industry and government. Students in the program take courses in microeconomics, econometrics, statistics, research methods, and business ethics. In addition to coursework and research, students in the program are encouraged to work as teaching or research assistants. Rice University’s PhD program provides students with a strong foundation in business theory and research methods, with opportunities to work with world-class faculty on cutting-edge research projects.

• Location: Houston, Texas
• Focus of study : Accounting, finance, management, marketing, and strategic management
• What is included : Waived tuition fees, a stipend to cover living expenses, health insurance, and may be eligible for research and travel funding to support their research projects

University of Chicago

The PhD program in History at the University of Chicago is a demanding but rewarding experience that prepares students for a career in academia as scholars or teaching in the field of history. The program focuses on developing students’ knowledge of cultural, intellectual, economic, political, and social history under the guidance of highly qualified faculty advisors. PhD students also have the opportunity to present their research at conferences and publish articles in academic journals.

• Location: Chicago, Illinois
• Focus of study : Ancient, contemporary, early modern, medieval, or modern history 
• What is included: Tuition, student health insurance, and a stipend for living expenses and research support

University of Michigan

The PhD in Engineering at the University of Michigan is a top-rated program that prepares students for research and academic careers in various engineering disciplines, including biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, civil and environmental engineering, electrical engineering, and many more. PhD students are equipped with the skills and knowledge necessary to conduct independent research, develop new technologies, and advance the engineering field. The University of Michigan has a strong reputation for research and innovation, and the PhD program in Engineering provides students with ample opportunities to collaborate with faculty and industry partners.

• Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan 
• Focus of study : Materials science, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and computer science.
• What is included: Tuition waiver, monthly living stipend, and health insurance 

University of North Carolina

The PhD program in Media and Communication at the University of North Carolina provides students with advanced knowledge and skills in media and communication theories, research methods, and critical analysis. Students can tailor their studies to their research interests by choosing from a variety of electives and seminars offered by the department. Graduates of the program have gone on to work in academia, media organizations, research institutions, and other industries where communication skills and media literacy are highly valued.

• Location: Chapel Hill, North Carolina 
• Focus of study : Media and politics, journalism studies, digital media, global media, media effects, and cultural studies
• What is included: Tuition and fees for three years, health insurance, a $20,000+ annual stipend, and support for research and travel

Keep reading: PhD vs. Doctorate: Everything You Need to Know

Frequently asked questions about fully funded PhDs

What does 'fully funded phd' mean, can international students apply for fully funded phds, how long does a fully funded phd program take, do i need to have a master's degree to apply for a phd, what is the difference between a phd and a professional doctorate, scholarships360 recommended.

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The Savvy Scientist

Experiences of a London PhD student and beyond

How To Get A Fully Funded PhD Scholarship

It may come as a surprise, but when you’re applying for a PhD the difficult part isn’t always getting offered a place at the university. I found this out the hard way!

Instead, securing the funding to support your research can often be the biggest barrier to starting a PhD. Securing a fully funded PhD scholarship can be a great means of funding your research because it offers you lots of academic freedom.

It took me several tries (see my applications timeline and PhD application failures ), but after a few years I was eventually able to secure a fully funded PhD scholarship at my first-choice university.

Now I want to help guide you through how to get a fully funded PhD scholarship for yourself.

Is it Hard to Get a Fully Funded PhD Scholarship?

There are a lot of different types of PhD funding. In fact I’ve written a full post about the PhD funding landscape which you can read here .

Any PhD funding is better than none, yet there is a hierarchy and scholarships sit at the top:

Scholarships and fellowships are typically the most prestigious types of PhD funding and usually come with the highest PhD stipends, therefore they can be tough to secure. As a side note if you’re interested in learning more about how much PhD students typically earn, check out my post here .

PhD scholarships and fellowships are pretty similar (and roughly interchangeable), so to keep things simple I’ll just refer to them both as scholarships going forward.

Project-specific funding comes about when a supervisor is awarded a grant by a funding body and uses this money to employ researchers and carry out the research as outlined in the grant application. If you go with this type of project there are usually restrictions on how much you can change the PhD topic.

Similarly to bursaries, PhD scholarships and fellowships are awarded to the individual student rather than a specific project grant. You therefore have far more academic freedom and scope to tailor a project to your own interests, without having to worry about whether it fits the theme of a certain grant.

Since scholarships are the most lucrative they are usually the most difficult type of PhD funding to get. Your CV and application will therefore need to be stronger than when applying for project-specific funding.

My Journey to Securing a PhD Scholarship

It took me several years to secure PhD funding:

Over this period I decided to work as a research assistant at a few different universities. Firstly this was so that I had a job and was earning money. Secondly, it was relevant experience which would help boost my chances of success when reapplying for a PhD.

It turned out that this work experience would be a big part of how I secured my PhD scholarship. Later in this post I’ll be mentioning papers I authored and prizes I played a part in winning and I want to make it clear that I didn’t do all of this as an undergraduate.

In fact, I did none of it as an undergraduate!

Outstanding undergraduate students may already have names of papers, patents, prizes or something else to show research prowess, but that wasn’t me.

If you’re struggling with securing PhD funding, getting a job as a research assistant in the meantime can be a great idea. Along with building up your research credentials it can also help you to understand whether you’d enjoy a career in research prior to committing to a PhD.

How I Got a PhD Scholarship at Imperial

When I was looking for PhD projects at Imperial I got in contact with a potential PhD supervisor who had advertised a PhD online and we discussed different funding routes.

Before applying for the scholarship I eventually got, there were a few other potential funding options on the table:

• Project-specific funding already in place. This is what initially got me chatting with the supervisor. I had previously learned my lesson that seeing a project advertised online doesn’t mean it is automatically funded!
• An in-progress grant application to a research council which would have funded my PhD. We did also eventually get this grant.
• The prestigious President’s PhD scholarships which funds 50 projects per year at Imperial. I did apply for this but was unsuccessful with the application and didn’t make the short list. This scholarship was more prestigious than the one I eventually won.

During these discussions I got told about the possibility of applying for another scholarship, which was the one I went on to get awarded. This highlights the value of having several applications on the go for different funding pots.

Had I not engaged directly with a supervisor who was within the university I would have never found out about the scholarship, since as far as I know it wasn’t ever advertised online.

Applying for the PhD Scholarship

The first I heard about the PhD scholarship was when I got told that the department was considering putting me forward for it. It turned out that the scholarship would fund one PhD across the entire university, and each department could only put forward one student to apply.

Just one PhD project across the whole university! Even just getting selected to represent the department would be tough.

This all sounded extremely intimidating to me. We’ll shortly come onto things you can do to boost your chances of success.

Here is what I had to provide for the application:

• A copy of the standard university online application: form, CV, personal statement, undergraduate transcript
• PhD scholarship proposal
• Two references
• A statement from the Supervisor / Head of department in support of the scholarship application

How Long Does it Take to Get a PhD Scholarship?

Here is the timeline to me securing my scholarship, from finding a PhD advert through to getting the all important scholarship offer.

• Mid December 2015 – I found an advert for a fully funded PhD project.
• 4th January 2016 – I emailed the potential supervisor with my CV and a cover letter attached, saying that I was interested in the project.
• 15th January – Response from the supervisor: “You have a very strong cv and I think you should apply for a PhD scholarship, have you considered this? Have a look at the details for the President’s scholarship. With a first class degree and several papers I would say you have a strong chance of winning one.”
• 18th January – First chat with supervisor on the phone. We discussed how I had already applied for a PhD in the past (got the place but no funding) with someone who turned out to be a close collaborator of his. We decided this person would be my second supervisor if we got funding.
• 25th January – Supervisor sent me a PhD scholarship project proposal that he and the co-supervisor wanted to propose to me. Yes, they basically wrote it for me. Yes I got lucky.
• 26th January – Received feedback on my personal statement from the supervisor, and got pushed to submit the online application.
• 9th February – First I heard about the scholarship . Since I had been in contact for a few weeks and they had my CV, the supervisor had been speaking about me to support staff. I got told that the department wanted to put me forward for the scholarship: I would be the department’s top choice. Eek!
• 12th February – Deadline to submit the scholarship application. Because I’d already been applying for other funding, this mostly just needed the statement of support from my supervisor and finalisation of the PhD proposal.
• 10th March – Unofficial email from supervisor saying we were successful
• 11th March – Official email notifying me that I’d be awarded the PhD scholarship :

I got the PhD scholarship and was elated! 🎉

From initially speaking to the potential supervisor to getting the scholarship took about 9 weeks. From finding out about the scholarship to getting it took just over 4 weeks.

I certainly don’t expect I was the smartest person to be put forward, even just from the department let alone the whole university. My application included my mediocre A level results (AABC) and not-so-committed marks in the first couple of years of my undergraduate degree.

Even so, I was successful. Let’s now dive into what you can do to get your own PhD scholarship.

How to Get Your Own Fully Funded PhD Scholarship

Step 1: identify available scholarships.

To find potential PhD scholarships I suggest looking on the university website and searching online for funding relevant to your domain. For instance Google has its own PhD fellowships .

The best thing you can do is start chatting with potential supervisors. They will know the funding landscape at that specific university very well and will have a good idea of the best routes for PhD funding.

Also, having a supervisor such as mine who was willing to help so much with the application is incredibly useful to boost your chances of success. It is also a very good indicator that they will be supportive throughout your PhD.

I remember when I was first cold emailing potential supervisors: most replied but some never even acknowledged my message: a good sign that maybe they wouldn’t be the best supervisors to work with…

With all PhD funding it is really important to check your eligibility. There are sometimes some limitations to be aware of, for instance:

• Nationality / Citizenship. Some funding is not available to overseas students. Thankfully this isn’t usually the case with scholarships since they aim to attract the best students.
• Background, including undergraduate marks. There are sometimes minimum requirements for the grade you achieved during your prior degree(s). Of course to get a scholarship you’re competing against other students so we’ll shortly come onto how to stand out.

Step 2: Put Together an Outstanding Application

The bits of your scholarship application you can control usually revolve around:

• Your CV – showcasing why you’re a good choice (see my full post on writing a CV here and examples of other researchers’ CVs here )
• Personal statement – your motivation for wanting to start a PhD
• PhD scholarship proposal – what you would like to spend the scholarship money on

I won’t go into depth now on the actual writing of the application, but let me know if you’d like a separate post about how to compose the personal statement and scholarship proposal.

Generally in order to put yourself in a good position make sure to:

• Give yourself as much time as possible
• Incorporate feedback from your potential PhD supervisor(s)
• Be ready to pester your referees to make sure they submit your references on time

Right, now let’s move onto what you can do to bolster your application in order to give yourself the best chances of winning a PhD scholarship.

How to Improve Your Chances of Securing a Fully Funded PhD Scholarship

Imagine you’re in the position of awarding PhD funding. How do you decide which candidate to pick?

A good starting point would be looking at how much research experience candidates have and what outcomes they achieved. If someone already has a track-record of conducting research it takes away some of the risks during a PhD and is reassuring for funders that they’ll probably do a good job during the PhD.

The more research experience you can evidence in your application, the far stronger you’ll make the PhD scholarship application.

Some of the main traits that the scholarship committee could be looking for in a PhD student include:

• Research competence
• Enthusiasm for research & outreach
• Academic potential and a thirst for knowledge
• Technical knowledge
• Interpersonal skills

Let’s look at what you can do to evidence each of the above.

Demonstrating Research Competence

1. undergraduate research projects.

Hopefully during your degree(s) you’ve had some research experience. Perhaps this is what got you thinking about starting a PhD.

Being able to use this experience to illustrate your interest, experience and competence in research is extremely beneficial in your funding application. Bonus points if you submitted your work to a journal or conference, as we’ll come onto in a moment.

Examples of undergrad projects could be:

• Individual projects e.g. final year project as part of your degree
• Group projects as part of your degree
• UROP outside of term time

Experience working on your own is great for demonstrating independence while group projects can be useful for showing that you can work in a team. Both are useful but being able to work on your own is definitely the more important of the two.

In your application be sure to focus on what you did, what was novel about it and any interesting experimental or analytical techniques you used: especially if they could be applied to the PhD.

Here is what I had on my CV when I applied for my PhD scholarship:

UNIVERSITY RESEARCH PROJECTS Fourth year project: Optimal design of orthoses for treatment of intermittent claudication Conducted motion analysis capture of human joints to test effectiveness of commercially- available orthoses with EMG technology and muscle activation data Analysed test results, concluding in recommending the most appropriate orthoses for individual participants Progressed validation of a physical artificial leg model and OpenSim software model Third year project: 3-D printing of multi-scale porous biocement scaffolds for ligament attachment Prototyped novel magnesium calcium phosphate biocement scaffolds to investigate 3-D printing parameters for optimum implant integration Analysed parts under SEM to verify multi-scale porosity and XRD for detecting phase changes and composition Conducted a statistical analysis of variance study in sample porosity using optical microscopy and deduced the optimum printing parameters to maximise porosity Wrote a technical report and presented results during an oral presentation and viva Part of my CV at the time I applied for the fully funded PhD scholarship

2. Peer-Reviewed Publications

It is often said that papers are the currency of academia. The advantage of having papers starts with your PhD application.

It’s important to say that you don’t need to have papers to get offered a PhD position. You might not need them to get offered funding via a bursary or CDT, unless it is very competitive. But having any papers published will greatly enhance your chance of being offered a PhD scholarship because it’s so much more competitive.

For more on papers see my publishing series here .

How Many Publications Did I Have When I Applied for My PhD Scholarship?

When I was awarded my PhD scholarship I had on my CV:

• 1 x accepted journal paper
• 3 x abstracts from conferences published in the supplementary sections of journals
• 1 x paper under review at a journal (and clearly described as such)

Of these, I was the first author of just one of the published abstracts.

Just being part of the team showed that I was participating in projects which helped the research community.

Publication Tips to Get a PhD Scholarship:

• If you’re interested in a PhD and are offered the chance to get involved with some research which could result in a publication, do it. It will massively help. Even if it doesn’t end up being published any extra research experience is helpful.
• With the rise of arXiv it is now more easy to share early work and protocols. Sure, it isn’t the same as getting something accepted to a peer-reviewed journal or conference but it if you don’t yet have a complete paper ready to go through peer review, you could use arXiv to demonstrate that you’re working on research outputs.
• Already got publications? Here is a direct quote from my PhD supervisor, a professor at Imperia l: “I would also add the quartile and impact factor of the journals (the people reviewing will be non expert in your field).  You can get the journal quartile rankings here  http://www.scimagojr.com/index.php . Anaesthesia and Journal of Colloid and Interface Science [where I had some of my stuff accepted] are both Q1 and Impact factors of 3.5 and 3.4 respectively which is excellent and should be highlighted.”

3. Attending & Presenting at Conferences

As well as journal articles, another way researchers share their work is by presenting work at conferences. They’re an important part of academia and you’ll undoubtedly attend conferences as a PhD student.

A low stakes way of boosting your prospects of securing a fully funded PhD scholarship are by attending conferences, workshops, symposiums or other meeting points for research. If you’re attending conferences prior to applying for a PhD it can show that you have more than a passing interest in research.

Attending a conference is good for many reasons:

• Learn about potential PhD topics
• Meet current PhD students and ask advice for getting started
• Network with potential PhD supervisors
• Add it to your CV / application and it is something relevant to discuss in a PhD interview

Bonus points if you’re going to a conference which is relevant to your PhD research area. If your CV is looking a little thin I’d suggest highlighting any and every conference you’ve attended. Even small scale research symposiums at a university can be a good way to show that you broadly know how research gets presented.

Going to conferences is great but even better is submitting research to one and ideally presenting it yourself. The cherry on the top is if you, or the person from your group presenting the work, win a prize:

It is particularly useful when accepted abstracts get published as proceedings in a journal. This means that:

• You get a publication out of it
• People not at the conference can see your work, either for PhD interviews or citing it

I wouldn’t worry too much about the prestige of a conference. Showing that you have any experience attending one is great.

I also wouldn’t worry about posters vs oral presentations. Again, experience with either is fantastic.

Conferences on my CV when applying for my PhD scholarship

When I applied for my scholarship funding I’d been to a few different conferences and had some work accepted.

I was very fortunate that when I was applying for a PhD my CV looked like this, with three prizes from conferences:

Burton, M., Heyman, J.,  Clark, J. , Owens, D. (2015) Ventilation problems in a shared airway: the effect of the compression of the endotracheal tube during tonsillectomy. Unpublished poster presentation at:  All-Wales Airway Group , 15 May 2015, Newport, Wales. [Poster presented by co-author and  awarded first prize ] Clark, J. , Short, A., Chawathe, M., Francis, J., Saxena, N., Bogod, D., Girotra V (2014) Development of a realistic epidural simulator – a translational research project.  Anaesthesia ; s4 69: 1-9. [Presented by co-author at AAGBI Annual Congress 2014 and  awarded first prize  in Original Research category] Hamlyn, V.G., Bruynseels, D.,  Clark, J. , Hall, J.E., Collis, R.E. (2014) Assessment and training on a new epidural simulator.  International Journal of Obstetric Anesthesia  2014; S34 23: 44. [Presented by co-author at OAA Obstetric Anaesthesia 2014 and  awarded first prize  in Training poster category] My CV when applying the PhD scholarship I got awarded

It’s important to highlight that I didn’t present any of the work myself.

I was first author for one of them but since it was an anaesthetics conference we figured it would be better for an anaesthetist to present…

Always be truthful with who actually presented, especially if there was a prize involved. Even if you aren’t the presenter, it is easy to see how someone associated with prize-winning work sounds like a good bet to the scholarship committee.

4. Other Research Competence

This could be things such as:

• A year in industry or other work experience. Bonus points if is is a research-orientated environment. Don’t just think R&D for a pharmaceutical company, this could include computational modelling for a car company or analysis in a finance company.
• For data science / AI / ML people: entering Kaggle competitions . Bonus points for doing well.
• Volunteering on a citizen science project.

I didn’t have any of this stuff on my CV when applying for the scholarship.

Demonstrating Enthusiasm for Research & Outreach

Beyond typical research outputs, it can go in your favour if you can show your eagerness to communicate research to others.

• Setting up a research paper reading group at your university
• Starting a podcast and discussing new research or interviewing researchers
• Traditional outreach: exhibiting science to the public, probably through your undergrad university
• Creating YouTube videos
• Writing articles, for instance on LinkedIn or medium.com
• Starting a science website or blog
• Explaining research on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok or anywhere else

All of these show:

• You are the type of individual to go above and beyond to help others to understand research. Funding bodies are starting to care more and more about public engagement.
• Communication skills.
• That you can probably do a decent job at distilling complicated topics into something which is easy to understand. This is a very useful skill.

The handy thing with a lot of these is that you don’t need access to a lab or even to still be affiliated with a university. You can do as much or a little of them as you want.

I’ve written a whole post about STEM volunteering opportunities which I suggest you check out for some ideas for how you could demonstrate enthusiasm for research and outreach:

STEM Volunteering Opportunities in the UK

Any amount is better than none, especially if your CV is otherwise looking a little thin.

What outreach did I have on my CV when applying for my scholarship?

All I had done was manage an academic department’s blog. I actually didn’t start the website you’re reading this on until I was already working towards my PhD.

However, if I had not already had my research assistant experience I certainly would have considered starting something earlier to boost my application.

Demonstrating Academic Potential

Moving on from research, the committee will broadly want to judge your academic potential. Are you a committed student? Can you do well when you apply yourself to a topic? Do you have certain experience which could stand out?

Useful things to have on your CV include:

• Decent grades. Having good grades in relevant modules/units to your potential PhD topic and in research projects throughout your degree help. An impressive overall percentage for the degree (eg 85%) is even better. Me? I just scraped a 1st with 70.5%, see more details in the blue box below.
• Dean’s list, for being one of the top students during your undergraduate degree
• Academic prizes for doing well in certain topics
• Exchange schemes to other universities. Regrettably you get bonus points if it is a big name university, not least because this suggests that it must have been competitive to secure.
• For programmers: sharing coding projects on GitHub, GitLab etc. Bonus points if they’re popular open source projects.

Do You Need Good Grades to Get a PhD Scholarship?

In order to have a competitive application for a fully funded PhD scholarship you will need to have a minimum of a 2.1 overall for your undergraduate degree. However, you certainly don’t need to be top of your class, or having outstanding grades all the way back to school.

My marks? GCSEs: 7A*s, 3As, 1B A-levels: AABC. Which wouldn’t be enough to get into Imperial as an undergrad! Undergrad degree: 1st class. But only just, with my final average at 70.5%. My transcript showed modules with 48% and 54%. Yes, really. The scholarship committee will have seen those grades if they looked closely.

As you can see, I didn’t have a blemish-free stellar track record. However, thankfully, there are plenty of things you can do about it!

Demonstrating Technical Knowledge

Distinct from academic potential is your technical knowledge.

What’s the difference?

• Academic potential is about how you can apply yourself to any topic and do well.
• Technical knowledge relates specifically to your chosen PhD field or topic.

Thankfully, being an expert in your field certainly isn’t a requirement when you’re starting a PhD. I’d go as far as to say that PhD supervisors and funding committees are much more keen to find someone with academic potential and a willingness to learn.

How much technical knowledge do you need?

You do generally need to have at least some knowledge of the field.

For instance, a friend of mine studied human physiology for undergrad and wanted to move into neuroscience for her PhD. Without any technical knowledge in this area she couldn’t convince the committee that she would be able to confidently complete the PhD so she got rejected. Don’t worry, she did go on to get a PhD but in something which she could demonstrate a little more technical know-how in.

If you want to do start a PhD project which falls within the broad category of your undergrad degree, you’re fine. For instance, want to do a project which would be defined as a chemical engineering project and you have a degree in chemical engineering? You’re fine. Usually there is a good amount of latitude too: in this example if you alternatively had a degree in a chemistry or another engineering sub discipline you may also be fine.

You do not need to specifically know lots about your PhD area of focus before you start. Of course, the more specific technical knowledge you can demonstrate certainly won’t hurt your chances, especially for a PhD scholarship.

The exception to all of this are CDTs where you get a year of training to bring non-specialists up to speed in a discipline different to their undergrad.

Demonstrating Interpersonal Skills

Sure, your PhD will involve a lot of lone working but you will also have to interact with other people. Therefore, demonstrating interpersonal skills is a great asset for PhD scholarship applications.

Interpersonal skills include:

• Team work . From basics such as being courteous and respectful to other lab users through to working well with others on joint projects, so things like delegating and splitting tasks up.
• Communication skills. Getting comfortable presenting to a broad audience and discussing ideas with others. In particular showing that you can deal with people from other disciplines and speaking a common language.
• Showing initiative and initiating collaborations . This can involve networking and a motivation to seek out people with complimentary skills to achieve more impactful research projects.

These could be demonstrated by undergraduate projects, work experience, volunteering or even things like sports. Basically try to add in examples of any time you’ve worked with other people.

Do You Need to Tick Every Box to Get a Fully Funded PhD Scholarship?

No, not necessarily. There are loads of ways to impress the committee. For instance, I hadn’t really done any outreach.

When I first sent my CV to my PhD supervisor he immediately highlighted two things which would stand out to the scholarship committee:

• Being named on publications in reputable journals
• Being associated with some prizes at conferences, even though I wasn’t the presenter

I would highly suggest that if you get the opportunity to work on research which could result in a publication, take the opportunity!! Publications are really a golden ticket to a PhD, so do as much as you can to get your name on them.

Don’t be disheartened if you don’t already have experience in lots of these areas, instead focus on ways to gain experience to bolster your CV and boost your chances. This could be either through taking a job temporarily as a researcher (like I did) or proactively doing things outside of work to show your suitability, such as submitting a review article or starting a reading group.

My Top Tips for Getting a PhD Scholarship

For those currently at university:

• Try to get involved with some research and if possible try to present that research somewhere. Saying that you’ve presented at a conference makes you sound like a fully fledged PhD student before you’ve even started. Even better would be to get your name on a paper accepted to a peer-reviewed journal.

For everyone:

• Work with a potential supervisor to perfect your application. Often for scholarships you’ll have to name a supervisor should you get the award. The supervisor should be a great resource for improving your application to give you the best chance of success. If the supervisor doesn’t seem interested in helping you, I’d suggest that they’re probably not someone you want to be working with for the next 3-4 years of your life during a PhD.
• If your CV is looking a little light, consider adding to it with some things you can do in your free time such as research communication: writing articles online, informational YouTube videos etc.

Summary: How To Get A Fully Funded PhD Scholarship

In your application and interview try to demonstrate:

Providing as much evidence as you can include for each of these topics will put you in the best possible position for securing a fully funded PhD scholarship.

If you’d like personalised help with your PhD application I am now starting to offer a small number of one-to-one sessions. Please contact me to find out more or click here to book a call.

Best of luck with your PhD funding applications. I hope this post has given you some pointers to increase your chances of securing a fully funded PhD scholarship. If you think I’ve missed anything, please do let me know.

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4 Comments on “How To Get A Fully Funded PhD Scholarship”

A holder of a Master of science education degree in wood science and technology I need help to get a full funded phd programme. Currently am teaching in one of the school in Zimbabwe. Also assist on what programme is do i embark on for PHD

Hi Qhubani thanks for your comment. It sounds like you’re on a great path and are picking up useful experience. I would suggest starting to reach out to potential PhD supervisors. They will be best placed people to give you specific advice about PhD programmes relevant to you. See my post about finding supervisors . Best wishes! Jeff

I am impressed with the message here and decided to work day and night to compensate for the time I have killed to get my master’s degree and develop myself multi-directionally. Even if I’m feeling near the deadline, I will do whatever is needed to reach my vision. Thank you so much and I would like to share and consult more in person.

Great to hear your commitment, Tigist. Best of luck on your academic journey.

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6 Ways You Can Fund Your PhD

Stephanie Lukins

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Table of contents

• Introduction

Research council grant

Postgraduate loan, employer sponsorship, studentship, crowdfunding, discover more studentships on offer at lse.

Sponsored by LSE

Studying a PhD is an exciting and extremely rewarding venture. Whether it’s for personal development, professional development, or both, a PhD can have a life-changing impact, but it also comes with its own challenges. However, thinking of ways to fund it, shouldn’t be one of them.

Some PhD students consider taking on part-time work, but after dedicating 40 hours a week to studies, you’ll want to relax, socialize and have some time away from the library and books to clear your mind, instead. Even though there’s no right or wrong way to go about funding a PhD, it does pay to be realistic and well-informed, so make sure you do your research first to find the best way for you.

Crowdfunding, employer funding and postgraduate loans are just some of the popular ways to help fund PhD studies, in addition to studentships and research council grants , which, in the world of academia, are sometimes considered ‘the golden ticket’. Read on to discover more ways you can fund a PhD.

Research council grants should be your first port of call when seeking any form of PhD funding if you’re from the UK or EU. They’re non-repayable, and normally cover your three or four years of studying. Depending on the study program, and academic performance, the ESRC DTP Studentships offered at LSE can cover either three or four years of your five or six-year PhD program.

The PhD Academy based in LSE’s library building, is a dedicated innovative hub space for PhD students to socialize and study. It’s also home to the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) where PhD students at LSE are offered additional academic professional development and training.

Recently introduced for the 2018-19 academic year for UK nationals, and EU national students who reside in the UK, the PhD postgraduate loan is worth up to £25,000 (~US$32,467). Much like a master’s loan, you can borrow any amount up to £25,000, regardless of your financial background.

If you’re able to show your employer that studying a PhD will not just benefit you, but them and the company as well, they may offer you some form of employer sponsorship. To help make your case as strong as possible, you should outline what you plan to study, how long for, the cost, and above all else, exactly why you want to study a PhD and the impact it will have on your employer. This demonstrates your commitment and understanding of what you’re asking your employer to do for you, as well as what you’ll be doing for them. 

A studentship is the name most commonly used for PhD scholarships. They’re a popular form of funding for PhD students across the world, supporting students from any country, with many universities offering a number of studentships to help ease the financial pressure.

Traditionally, studentships are more common in science, technology, engineering and medicine subjects (STEM). However, PhD students at London School of Economics (LSE), have the chance to be awarded one of around 100 studentships, from its LSE PhD Studentships and LSE ESRC DTP Studentships .

For some students, receiving a PhD Studentship is the difference between being able to pursue a PhD, or not. Katherine Furman, a current MPhil/PhD Philosophy student at LSE was awarded the LSE PhD Studentship. She told us: "I received an LSE PhD Studentship, which covers both my tuition and living expenses. It was a huge honor to receive funding from such a prestigious institution and without this support it would have been impossible for me to pursue my PhD."

Tamlyn Monson, a Sociology PhD graduate at LSE, told us of how a studentship helped her: “The LSE PhD Scholarship gave me the freedom to fully concentrate on the demanding final stage of my graduate study.”

The PhD Studentships offered at LSE, cover full fees, with an annual stipend of £18,000.

Asking your family and friends, and even strangers to help support your PhD studies may feel a little extreme, but you shouldn’t rule it out. You’ll need to be able to market yourself well, and explain why people should part with their money to help fund something that benefits you.  

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If you know where to look, certain charities may help provide funding for your PhD. Although these organizations are unlikely to be able to cover everything, you can combine multiple sources of funds from charities, and incorporate it into what’s known as ‘portfolio funding’. Students at LSE can access the ‘ Alternative Guide to Postgraduate Funding Online ’ database for free, which helps source alternative funding opportunities (especially from charities).

As well as PhD Studentships and LSE ESRC DTP Studentships, there’s also department-specific funding available at LSE. Eligibility and application processes can vary widely, so it’s best to check with each individual program to be sure.

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As the former Head of Sponsored Content for TopUniversities.com and TopMBA.com, Stephanie created and published a wide range of articles for universities and business schools across the world. She attended the University of Portsmouth where she earned a BA in English Language and an MA in Communication and Applied Linguistics.

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How to Find Fully Funded Graduate Programs in Any Discipline

Updated May 1, 2024

By ProFellow Founder, Dr. Vicki Johnson

I recently led a free workshop on how to “Find 5+ Fully Funded Graduate Programs to Achieve Your Career Goals”. Many people who attended were surprised by the results of the simple strategies that I teach on how to find fully funded masters and doctoral programs in every discipline in the US and Canada, as well as other parts of the world! If you can achieve full funding for your graduate degree, you can graduate without any student debt ( just as I did!).

Those who are well-versed in higher education assume that it is common knowledge that many graduate students receive pay and full tuition waivers from the universities where they are enrolled. But let me tell you – this is NOT common knowledge, particularly not among first-generation college students, immigrants, community college transfers, and other “non-traditional” students who finished their undergraduate studies later in life after first working or serving in the military.

Even as a traditional graduate of an Ivy League university at the age of 22, I did not learn about “fully funded” master’s and doctoral programs until my mid-30s, when a professor I met through my Fulbright award offered me the opportunity to achieve my PhD with full funding. So, I’ve made it my personal mission to share this information widely through the ProFellow.com platform! I’m going to answer here  your burning questions about fully funded graduate programs and how to find them in any discipline. 

What is a fully funded graduate program?

A “fully funded” doctoral or master’s program is a graduate degree program that offers a “full funding” package to ALL students accepted to the program. A full funding package from the university, typically offered at acceptance, includes a full tuition waiver plus an annual living stipend, typically $15,000 to $45,000 USD per year, and you receive this funding for the duration of your studies (2-5 years). 

A full funding package can be offered to an accepted student in the form of a “no-strings-attached” named fellowship, usually awarded only to the top 5-10% of applicants. More commonly, full funding is offered in the form of a Graduate Research or Teaching Assistantship, which is a part-time job with the university that is exclusively for graduate students. As a Graduate Assistant employed by the university, you will work part-time for the university (typically 10-20 hours per week), and in exchange, you’ll receive a stipend (aka a salary) and full tuition and fee waivers as a benefit of employment. As a Graduate Assistant, you will be required to provide research, teaching or administrative assistance to the university while you are a student, but this work is often complementary to your studies and provides valuable work experience to add to your CV or resume. 

Graduate programs that are not “fully funded” may still offer full or partial merit-based fellowships and Graduate Assistantships to some accepted applicants.

Not all graduate programs offer full funding. So which ones do?

Full funding packages are customarily offered in some (but not all!) full-time, on-campus, research-based graduate programs. Research-based graduate degrees, such as an MSc (Master of Science) or PhD (Doctor of Philosophy), are geared towards people who want to conduct research in their careers. 

Most graduate degree programs you’ve likely heard of are non-funded professional degrees, like the MD (Doctorate of Medicine), JD (Juris Doctorate, for people who want to become lawyers), and MBA (Master of Business Administration) and are geared towards people in professional career tracks. These practice-based degree programs that are primarily coursework rarely ever offer significant funding awards or Assistantships.

However, there are fully-funded research-based graduate school options in disciplines like Medicine, Law and Business that offer full funding – keep reading!

What is the difference between a research-based graduate degree and a professional graduate degree?

A research-based degree is one that typically: 1) culminates in a research thesis or dissertation, 2) includes coursework on research methods and 3) is advertised to people who are interested in careers in scholarly research and university-level teaching. A professional degree is one that is geared towards people in practice-based career tracks and primarily offers coursework to prepare you for careers in the private and public sectors. Both master’s and doctoral programs can be professional in nature. For example, the EdD, the Doctorate of Education, is a professional degree providing advanced coursework for educators and administrators who are in professional career tracks, while the PhD in Education is a research-based degree for people who would like to do education research. 

The other big difference between research-based and professional graduate degrees is that many research-based graduate programs provide full funding awards to incoming students in the form of Graduate Research and Teaching Assistantships, while professional degrees rarely offer any type of funding. Universities invest funding in research students through Assistantships and fellowships because these students are being taught the skills that can also help faculty execute their research and support the teaching of their university classes . 

On the other hand, professional degree programs (and especially online degree programs) serve as a source of revenue for universities.  

The good news: you CAN pursue a research-based master’s or doctoral degree and still pursue a professional, non-academic track when you finish. So if funding is an issue, I would encourage you to look into research-based master’s and PhD programs that offer Assistantships.

How do you find fully funded doctoral programs?

We now list more than 700 fully funded PhD programs in the free ProFellow.com database ! A good place to start is with a search of our database, which can be filtered by discipline, keywords, and location.

However, the ProFellow database is not exhaustive – we’re adding programs all the time as we discover them. If you would like to find more fully funded doctoral programs programs, s tart with a Google search. 

In a Google search include: PhD + your target discipline + “full funding” (in quotations). You can also try in place of “full funding” the phrases “fully funded” or “full financial support”. The quotations are important because they signal to Google that you are seeking websites with those exact phrases.

So, for example, if you are seeking a fully funded PhD program in Psychology, try this Google search:

PhD psychology “full funding” PhD psychology “fully funded” PhD psychology “full financial support”

When your search results are returned, be sure to skip past all the Google Ads! Those are typically for for-profit and non-funded graduate programs.

Look at the websites of universities as well as ProFellow.com articles (like Fully Funded PhD Programs in Psychology ) that come up in your search! Our ProFellow articles have done some of this work for you!

For the full list of ProFellow’s fully funded PhD articles in more than 50 disciplines, see How to Fully Fund Your PhD .

How do you find fully funded master’s programs?

At the master’s level, full funding awards are less common but they can be found. At the master’s level, university websites typically don’t mention “full funding”. If they offer full funding opportunities, they are more likely to say master’s students can or will receive a Graduate Research or Teaching Assistantship. Keep in mind when searching for fully funded master’s programs that you’ll need to target research-based degrees, as professional master’s degrees rarely offer full, or even partial, funding.

A good place to begin your search is the free ProFellow.com database ! We now list more than 400 fully funded Master’s programs that offer funding to all or most students in the form of Graduate Assistantships and fellowships.

You can search for more programs like these by using Google following the guidance I shared above. For example, if you are seeking a funded master’s program in Public Health, for example, try this Google search:

master’s public health “Assistantships”

Again, when your search results are returned, be sure to skip past all the Google Ads! Those are typically for-profit and non-funded graduate programs.

Look at the websites of universities as well as ProFellow.com articles that come up in your search (including Fully Funded Master’s Programs in Public Health and Global Health )! Our ProFellow articles have done some of this work for you!

For the full list of ProFellow’s fully funded master’s articles in 30 disciplines, see How to Fully Fund Your Master’s Degree .

Are there fully funded MD programs?

In recent years, some “tuition-free” MD programs have emerged, thanks to generous donors to some of the country’s top medical schools. This article describes some top medical schools that offer full funding to 100% of incoming students including New York University, Cleveland Clinic, and Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine. Some other universities, like Cornell University, offer full funding to students who qualify for need-based financial aid.

However, these “tuition-free” programs are few and far between, and extremely competitive to get into. Another option is to pursue a fully-funded joint MD-PhD program, which is a research-based option that will provide funding for BOTH degrees. The joint MD-PhD is a graduate degree pathway for people who want to become medical scientists. These programs integrate research and clinical training experiences, where you’ll learn to conduct hypothesis-driven research in a mentored environment. Learn more about the MD-PhD degree here . 

For example, the John Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD offers full funding for their MD-PhD students. All eligible applicants who are admitted to the MD-PhD Program are considered for funding under the Medical Scientist Training Program. This program, supported by the National Institutes of Health, provides full tuition, stipend, and insurance for students. There are many more examples of fully funded MD-PhD programs as well.

Are there fully funded JD programs?

Unlike the small number of “tuition-free” MD programs available, currently, there is no such option as a “tuition-free” JD program. While this article provides some ideas for universities that offer some financial aid, such as the University of Florida and the University of Arizona, 75% of law school students rack up significant student debt to achieve their JD (the average cumulative debt amount is $160,000!). There are many horror stories of people who have accrued several hundred thousand dollars in student debt from law school, with no clear path to pay it off, even with a generous lawyer’s salary.

However, there is one unique option to fully fund a JD! That is the fully funded research-based joint JD-PhD. The JD-PhD dual degree is geared towards candidates who want to work in academia , teaching at the university-level and doing scholarly research in law-related subjects.

For example, Northwestern University in Chicago, IL provides full funding—including tuition and living expenses—for six academic years and three summers, for up to five students per year in their JD-PhD program.

There are many more examples of fully funded JD-PhD programs as well.

Are there fully funded MPA programs?

The Master of Public Administration (MPA) is a popular professional degree for people in public service, government and non-profit career tracks. Unfortunately, the MPA rarely offers full or partial funding and most students pay for some or all of this degree out-of-pocket. This is particularly challenging given that social impact positions in the public sector pay less on average than those in the corporate and private sectors. 

However, there are a few shining examples of universities that offer full funding packages to all accepted students! The Master of Public Policy Program at Duke University Sanford School of Public Policy , provides merit-based scholarships to all accepted MPP applicants who are not receiving full funding from outside sources. Also, the Princeton University School of Public and International Affairs also offers full funding to all incoming MPA and MPP candidates so they can pursue careers in public service without the burden of student debt. There are also many scholarships and fellowships available to fully fund an MPP or MPA degree.

It’s important to know that although the MPA degree is a popular option for people working in the public sector, an MPA is not a “required” degree for advancement. The thing is, most people in senior leadership positions in the public sector have a graduate degree, and this is why having a graduate degree has become a signature of career advancement in these fields. 

The good news: there is no need to go into debt for a graduate degree while working in the public sector! Many people can advance into leadership positions in the public sector through many types of graduate degrees, including those that are discipline-specific. A fully funded master’s degree that is research-based and in a specific discipline can provide you with technical skills and subject matter expertise that are valued in the public sector, such research-based degrees in Public Policy, Finance, Communications, Education, International Relations, History, and Engineering.

Therefore, if you are considering an MPA to advance in your government or non-profit career track, consider a fully funded research-based master’s degree in your discipline of work and focus. To find some great options, try these examples in your Google search:

master’s public policy “Assistantships”

master’s urban planning “Assistantships”

master’s sustainability “Assistantships

That’s just a few ideas! For the full list of ProFellow’s fully funded master’s articles in a wide variety of disciplines, see How to Fully Fund Your Master’s Degree .

Are there fully funded MBA programs?

The Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree is a popular degree for people working in the private sector, such as in large and small businesses and in corporate consulting. MBA graduate programs are often a cash cow for universities because many corporate employers pay for their employees to undertake these programs. Also, it’s expected that those pursuing an MBA will be moving into lucrative corporate career tracks – which is not always the case! Because of the profitability of MBA programs, an entire industry of part-time, “executive”, online and “short-term intensive” MBA programs have cropped over the last two decades, and just like their full-time, on-campus version, few MBA  programs offer substantial funding awards or financial aid of any sort. Most MBA students are on the hook for most or all of their tuition and expenses. 

That said, there are a few MBA programs offering incoming students the opportunity to undertake a paid Graduate Research or Teaching Assistantship. These change often, so do your Google search and see what comes up for you! Google:

master’s business administration “Assistantship”

Like the MPA degree (discussed above), there is no need to go into debt for an MBA to advance in the private sector. While many big employers state in their job postings that an “MBA is preferred”, it’s rarely required. I know many, many people who have moved into extremely competitive corporate leadership positions without an MBA. That said, as a job candidate with a limited professional network or work experience, you may find yourself at a disadvantage without an MBA or comparable graduate degree. 

The good news is there are comparable master’s programs in business-related disciplines that fully fund their students! These include fully funded Master’s degree programs in Accounting, Finance, Communications , Data Science, Entrepreneurship, Marketing and Statistics . 

Check out ProFellow’s compiled a list of comparable fully funded master’s programs here: Fully Funded MBA Alternatives: Graduate Degrees and Fellowships 

Are there fully funded MFA programs?

Yes. Tons! Few people know that many Master of Fine Arts (MFA) programs often offer full funding and Assistantships. Just try this example in Google and you’ll see what I mean:

MFA creative writing “full funding”

For a quick start, go right to our articles on fully funded MFA programs in Studio and Visual Arts , fully funded MFA programs in Creative Writing , fully funded MFA programs in Graphic Design , and fully funded MFA programs in Film .

Are there fully funded online graduate programs?

Unfortunately, no. Universities tend to reserve graduate student funding for full-time, on-campus students . Part-time and online programs that are geared toward working professionals often serve as a source of revenue for the university, and therefore, students in these programs typically are not offered scholarships, fellowships or Graduate Assistantships. They are also less likely to be eligible for external fellowships. Therefore, it may be more affordable to attend graduate school full-time so that you can be eligible for these sources of internal university funding.

How competitive are graduate programs that offer full funding?

As you can probably guess, graduate programs that offer full funding are extremely competitive! They often accept less than 10% of the people who apply to them each year. That said, fully funded master’s and doctoral programs are located all over the U.S., at a wide variety of private and state universities and colleges, and are not necessarily more competitive than non-funded graduate degree programs offered at Ivy League and other “Top 20” schools with big names and reputations. 

If you need funding for your graduate degree (and it’s clear from the stats, most of us do!), do your research on degrees that can help you achieve your career goals AND are fully funded. You might be surprised that the perfect fully funded program for you exists at a local university or lesser-known academic institution that specializes in your discipline. 

You can also receive in-depth guidance and mentorship on achieving acceptance to fully funded (and primarily research-based) graduate degree programs through my award-winning Fully Funded Course and Mentorship Program . In this program, I provide step-by-step guidance on identifying fully funded graduate programs, how to identify what the selection committees are looking for in candidates and how to prepare a highly competitive application that includes an exceptional personal statement, resume or CV, recommendation letters, a research or project proposal and interview. 

Need a quick start? Get our FREE Directory of Fully Funded Graduate Programs!

Get your copy ProFellow’s FREE 73-page Directory of Fully Funded Graduate Programs and Full Funding Awards here , Our Directory lists more than 1,000 fully funded degree programs and fellowships.

Dr. Vicki Johnson is Founder and CEO of ProFellow, the world’s leading online resource for professional and academic fellowships. She is a four-time fellow, top Ph.D. scholar, Fulbright recipient and an award-winning social entrepreneur. She is the Creator and Director of  Fully Funded , an award-winning online course and mentorship program for graduate school applicants seeking to find and win full funding. 

© ProFellow, LLC / Vicki Johnson 2021-2022, all rights reserved.

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PhD Funding and Benefit Packages

Charles river campus.

Boston University’s PhD programs on the Charles River Campus subscribe to a full funding model. This system guarantees all PhD students in good standing five years of stipend support, 100% tuition scholarship, and a health insurance credit. This approach reflects BU’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of researchers across the humanities, social sciences, sciences, and engineering. Stipend level minimums vary by PhD program, but for the 2024-25 academic year, minimums will range from $27,318 for 8 months to $40,977 for 12 months. Students receive health insurance (the SHIP basic plan) through Aetna Student Health. Full tuition and student services fees are also covered for PhD students on the Charles River campus.

Medical Campus

PhD students in Graduate Medical Sciences (GMS) at Boston University’s School of Medicine and the School of Public Health (SPH) also enjoy a full-funding model. GMS and SPH PhD students receive a full tuition scholarship, are exempt from paying student fees, receive health insurance coverage as part of their support, and are entitled to an annual stipend. For more specific information, please visit the PhD funding sections of GMS and SPH .

PhD Stipend Extensions for Students Impacted by the COVID Pandemic

Boston University believes it is crucial to ensure that current PhD students who have had their progress impeded by the pandemic are able to complete their degrees. While individual PhD programs and the schools/colleges in which they are housed are the primary source of academic and financial support for PhD students, in rare circumstances, programs and schools/colleges may not have adequate resources to support all students whose progress has been hindered by the pandemic. For this reason, the Office of the Provost has established a fund to support PhD stipend extensions necessitated by this circumstance. Learn more about this funding opportunity and how to apply .

Please note that this program will end after the 2023-2024 academic year, concluding in early spring 2024 for logistical and operational purposes.

PhD Funding by School/College

You can learn more about specific funding packages through the school or college to which you are applying or in which you are enrolled:

• Graduate School of Arts & Sciences
• Wheelock School of Education and Human Development
• College of Engineering
• College of Communication
• College of Fine Arts
• PhD Human Physiology
• PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences
• PhD in Speech, Language and Hearing Science
• Faculty of Computing and Data Sciences
• School of Medicine (Graduate Medical Sciences)
• PhD in Biostatistics
• PhD in Environmental Health
• PhD in Epidemiology
• PhD in Health Services Research
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• Questrom School of Business

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Financing Your Education - Doctoral Programs

A doctoral degree is a significant investment in your future, and financing your education is a critical factor to consider. While the funding we provide covers the basic standard cost of attendance determined by Stanford University for a modest life as a graduate student, accepting an offer from a doctoral program has significant personal, professional, and financial implications. Below you’ll find information on GSE and Stanford financial support for doctoral students, as well as other important considerations when it comes to financing your PhD.

Funding guarantee

Stanford GSE offers all admitted PhD students a five-year funding package that provides tuition aid, fellowship stipend, and assistantship salary which covers the standard cost of attendance. The funding is based on meeting the basic financial need of the student alone for the first five academic years of the doctoral program and entails assistantship work. The cornerstone of the GSE doctoral experience is the apprenticeship that all students undertake, typically under the guidance of their academic advisor, but often with other Stanford faculty as well. In this apprenticeship model, doctoral students are provided with a funding package that consists of opportunities to serve as teaching and research assistants for faculty members' courses and research projects. By this means, and in combination with the coursework, students are prepared to excel as university faculty, education researchers, and leaders in the field.

All funding is contingent upon satisfactory academic progress and performance on the research and teaching assistantships. There is no separate application for this funding.

Assistantships

As part of the academic and professional training and development, students undertake assistantships which provide both salary and tuition. Research assistantships are funded by faculty research grants, other faculty funds or as needed, by the GSE Dean’s Office, and can lead to joint publications with faculty or to dissertation topics. Students who have sufficient expertise and experience may also be selected as teaching assistants for courses at the GSE or other Stanford schools and departments. Assistantships are typically secured in consultation with faculty advisors. Students work 10 hours (25% assistantship) or 20 hours (50% assistantship) a week depending on their year in the program. 

• Research assistantship (RA): Various duties for research projects
• Teaching assistantships (3 types):
• Course Assistant (CA)—course preparation and grading
• Teaching Assistant (TA)—leads regularly-scheduled discussion sections
• Teaching Affiliate (TF)—full responsibility for course

Funding Details 2023-2024

Note: The above figures reflect 2023-2024 rates. Actual amounts will be adjusted to the rates for 2024-25 and future years.

Cost of attendance

Tuition depends on the units taken by the student. In addition to tuition expenses, the cost of attendance of a PhD program involves living expenses such as rent, food, and transportation. The sum of tuition and non-tuition expenses constitutes the standard cost of attendance. 

As you consider applying to graduate school, you can use the standard cost of attendance of your program —plus any additional expenses you might have—to create your financial plan, keeping in mind that tuition and non-tuition expenses of the standard cost of attendance are set by the university on an annual basis.

What you can do now to prepare financially if admitted

• Prepare for how your standard of living may change as a graduate student, especially if you are coming from a full-time job.
• Consider the length of your program, any dependents, existing debt, and additional financial commitments you may have. Students with children may review Stanford support programs for families.
• If you have personal or special circumstances that require additional expenses above and beyond the standard cost of attendance, plan accordingly.
• Start saving as much as you are able to cover any unexpected expenses you may incur while in graduate school.
• Familiarize yourself with federal as well as private student loans, their interest rates, fees, repayment options, deferment policies, and eligibility requirements, so that you are informed if you need to borrow.
• Be ready to cover all initial expenses, since fellowships and stipends will not be disbursed until a few weeks into your first quarter. Onboarding into a PhD program often requires up front out of pocket expenses for relocation.

Additional GSE resources

Once PhD students matriculate, the GSE has a variety of resources available to support academic work and unanticipated needs.

Students are eligible for up to three travel fellowships during their time at GSE if they are attending a conference or other professional development opportunity.

GSE Student Emergency Fund assists graduate students who experience a financial emergency or unanticipated expenses causing financial hardship. This fund is meant to support those who cannot reasonably resolve their financial difficulty through fellowships, loans, or personal resources. 

GSE Dissertation Support Grants help advanced PhD students who require additional financial support for dissertation research activities. These grants, available at up to $6,500 total per student, are available to students who do not have access to other funds to cover their dissertation costs.

Stanford University resources

Knight-Hennessy Scholars (KHS) program aims to prepare the next generation of global leaders to address the increasingly complex challenges facing the world. The program selects up to 100 students each year and provides three years of financial support that is integrated into the GSE’s funding package for PhD students.

Vice Provost for Graduate Education awards various fellowships for doctoral students and maintains a list of other Stanford fellowships that students may consider.

Cardinal Care subsidy is an automatic university-wide subsidy program for graduate students. Vaden Health Center manages the university’s Cardinal Care student health insurance.

Stanford Financial Aid Office oversees a number of financial support programs specifically for graduate students with challenging financial situations. 

Additional hourly work is available to students who wish to work for pay as "casual labor" at Stanford up to eight hours a week, provided work does not adversely affect the academic program. Requires approval from the student’s advisor and the Academic Services team.

Other funding sources

External fellowships are integrated into the GSE’s funding package. There are many funding opportunities offered outside of Stanford. The GSE admissions team has compiled an external fellowships and grants document for you to explore, though you should plan to do your own research as well. International students can find additional sources of funding on the Institute of International Education’s (IIE) Funding for U.S. Study website and this publication .

Stanford is committed to providing benefits through the Yellow Ribbon Program of the Post-9/11 GI Bill® to students in degree-seeking programs. GSE students who qualify for Chapter 33 benefits at the 100% level may be eligible for additional funding through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Please note that for GSE students receiving tuition fellowship funding, the Yellow Ribbon match may reduce and in some cases replace institutional grants and scholarships. For instructions, visit the page, Activate VA Education Benefits at Stanford .

International students are guaranteed the same funding package as domestic students. However, there may be restrictions regarding the number of hours and opportunities to work during the summer months. To learn more, please contact the Bechtel International Center .

To meet immigration regulations, international students must show proof of adequate financial support to cover the length of time of their graduate program. While international students are not eligible for U.S. federal loan programs, they may qualify for private/alternative loans. Many lenders, however, require that a U.S. citizen or permanent resident co-sign the loan. You can find information and tools to help you choose private loan programs most frequently used by Stanford students here. A comprehensive list of private loan programs is available at FinAid.org .

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All of your PhD funding options explained

“I want to do a PhD but I’m worried I can't afford it.” If this sounds like you then you're in the right place. Read our post to find out more about PhD funding at the College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine.

“I want to do a PhD but I’m worried I won’t have enough money to live on.” If this sounds like you then never fear - you’re in the right place! In the blog post below, we’ll be looking at all of the funding options open to you as a PhD student in medicine and life sciences, as well as highlighting the living costs that you’ll have to think about during your time at university. We’ve even got some amazing examples of how our PhD students have managed to travel the world while studying – all with a simple bit of planning.

Many people are put off the idea of doing a PhD because they think that PhD students never have any money. In the post below, we show that this simply isn’t the case – you can study for a postgraduate degree without constantly worrying about how you’re going to pay the rent.

This blog post explores :

• Our funding options for PhD students studying medicine, vet medicine and life sciences
• The living costs that you’ll have to think about as an on-campus research student
• Travelling on a budget

Your options for PhD funding explained

Funded phd programmes.

Here at the College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine, we have a wide range of funded PhD programmes for outstanding students. These studentships are offered in collaboration with our world-class research centres, and subject areas include everything from Precision Medicine to Cardiovascular Science.

Applying for one of our PhD studentships is probably the most straightforward route into a funded PhD programme at the College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine. However, applications are highly competitive.

What’s on offer?

Our studentships offer eligible candidates a stipend, tuition fees (at the UK/EU rate) and a contribution towards any research costs.

PhD Studentships

Funded PhD projects - FindAPhD

Another option for students thinking about postgraduate research is to browse our wide range of pre-defined PhD projects. The College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine advertises available PhD projects on Findaphd.com. You can also browse them using the link below.

FindAPhD Research Projects

Various stipends and research costs are available depending on the project. These are significant amounts of money which will allow you to devote all of your time to research, rather than worrying about funding.  

You’ll notice that each research project will either be ‘directly funded’, ‘competition funded’ or will have ‘funding available’. All this means is that there may be certain requirements which apply to each project depending on the type of funding stipulated.

For example, there may be restrictions relating to residency or nationality depending on the type of funding body involved.  

Self-funding a PhD

Some postgraduate students are fortunate enough to self-fund their studies over three years without having to work at the same time . They may be using their own savings or receiving financial aid from parents or another relative.

Students in this position are welcome to apply with a research proposal at any time of year. However, if you are applying for an advertised PhD project, make sure that you submit your proposal before the specified deadline.

For more information on self-funded postgraduate research , including where to check entry requirements, visit the link below.

PhD Applicants with External Sponsorship or Self Funding

Working while studying for a PhD

Some of our students work around their studies to bring in a bit of extra cash. Obviously this is a lot easier to do if you decide to study for a PhD part-time over six years rather than the usual three years full-time.

However, some of our full-time students are also able to earn money by occasionally working on weekends or evenings.

Finding a part-time job while studying full-time is certainly not for everyone, and you should think long and hard about whether you will be able to succeed in your postgraduate research while devoting any spare time to working. However, if you have strong time management skills and you can find flexible work in your area of study, then this may be a great way to keep some of your industry skills up to scratch.

Jenni Irving McGrath is a full-time PhD student at the University’s Feline Genome Project:

I continue to work as a locum vet in practices around Edinburgh every second weekend. The balance has worked well and I believe it benefits my PhD as it keeps my phenotyping skills up to date. Working in clinics also keeps me focused on my end goal of bringing my research results from the lab bench into the clinics. Jenni Irving McGrath PhD Genetics and Genomics

Keep in mind that there may also be the opportunity to work as a tutor during your PhD too:

“I’ve learned how to conduct highly-interdisciplinary research, and to work with participants. I’ve also learned how to use R, and other open science practices. I also got the opportunity to work as a tutor alongside my research, which improved my teaching skills.”  Bérengère Digard PhD Psychiatry

Additional Funding Opportunities

At the University of Edinburgh, we welcome students from a variety of different backgrounds and funding options are available to those people who wish to apply but have very specific needs in place .

For example, if you are a single parent, have a disability or find yourself facing unexpected financial difficulties, the University offers additional funding opportunities on top of the main postgraduate loans and bursaries.

Additional financial assistance

Living costs for PhD students

When you’re a PhD student there are plenty of living costs to consider . You’ll have to think about accommodation, electricity bills, travel and a lot more.

However, the University has put together a handy guide for the upcoming 2019-20 year, which gives an excellent idea of how much it generally costs to live as a postgraduate student in Edinburgh.  

Estimated living costs 2019-20

Travelling near and far on a budget

And finally…we’ve got some great examples of past and current students who have shown that it’s possible to enjoy postgrad life to the max while studying for a PhD. Some of our PhD students are keen travellers and have managed to save up their money and spend it on what they enjoy doing most .

As we all know, mental health issues and stress are very prevalent among Ph.D. students. However, we are also privileged to have a more flexible schedule. We should also appreciate and take advantage of the fact that there are many cheap flights from Edinburgh to many European countries, whereas in my home country Canada, a 5 hr coach bus ticket to the next province costs at least £100. Of course, you need to first consult your supervisor, but it shouldn’t be a massive problem if you’re only away for a Friday or a Monday once in a while. There are also ways to travel without breaking the bank. Amy Cui PhD Population Health Sciences

Amy’s South American adventure post in full

Plus you don’t have to travel outside of Scotland to enjoy beautiful scenery and experience a different vibe to city life.  

With a little bit more free time on your hands, you might be able to rent a car and venture up to the highlands. For a friend’s birthday, we did a little retreat tour of the Highlands & the Isle of Skye. The drive through nature there was spectacular – and it was on the way there where everything started to get very remote, and the roads turned into tiny single lane streets.  Chiara Herzog PhD Neuroscience

It’s also worth bearing in mind that many of our PhD students come from overseas . Although they might not be flying home to Canada or Australia every other month, many of our students are still able to cover the costs of a long haul flight to see family and friends by dipping in to their PhD funding.

Remember too that you’ll more than likely have the opportunity to travel to academic conferences during your studies, many of which provide funding for eager students.

You can read more about student life - including tips on how to save money - by visiting the University’s ‘Student Stories’ website below.

Student Stories

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Alternative Careers in Medicine - Where can your PhD take you?

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Personal Finance for PhDs

Live a financially balanced life - no Real Job required

Why You Should Apply for Fellowships Even If You’re Fully Funded

September 27, 2017 by Emily

PhD students are funded by a variety of sources: research assistantships, teaching assistantships, graduate assistantships, training grants, and fellowships. It’s typical to be funded by two or more of these difference sources over the course of your PhD, and the funding source can change year-to-year or even semester-to-semester. While the differences among these funding sources are sometimes subtle, one stands apart from the others: Being funded by a fellowship, particularly a nationally recognized one, is in many ways superior to other forms of funding.

Last week, there was a very interesting conversation on The Grad Cafe about the various ways PhD students are funded. Ultimately, the original poster asked: “Why are fellowships so highly sought after? I am assured full funding (around $30,000) at every school I’m looking at. As someone who isn’t even in grad school yet, is this something I should be concerning myself with?”

I believe every prospective and graduate student should apply for at least one fellowship per year (assuming you are eligible for any). I recently compiled a list of nine portable, broad, lucrative fellowships that prospective PhD students can apply to. Many on that list plus more fund 1st- or 2nd-year PhD students, and there are fresh funding opportunities for PhD candidates with a clear research focus or who are nearing the ends of their dissertations.

Further reading: How to Find, Apply for, and Win a Fellowship During Your PhD or Postdoc

Why Fellowships Are a Superior Funding Source

At the graduate level, fellowship funding is usually preferable to assistantship or training grant funding.

1) You Don’t Have to Work

This point may seem unclear until you understand the definition of “work” being used. Assistantships are a part-time job and typically require the assistant to work 20 hours/week. Fellowships are a type of award, which means that they are not tied to a specific work requirement. Fellows are still required to make progress toward completing their degrees, which will of course involve classwork in the early years and research throughout the PhD. But students who receive their full stipends from fellowships are excused from doing an assistantship.

The advantage of being paid by a fellowship rather than an assistantship is more pronounced in some department than others.

The ideal situation for a PhD student, and what a fellowship provides, is the ability to put 100% of your effort toward achieving your professional goals (mostly working on your dissertation).

Teaching assistantships confer extra duties that take away from your available time for dissertation work. (Gaining teaching experience may be an additional professional goal, in which case some types of teaching assistantships may be beneficial to you.)

Research assistantships are a mixed bag. In some fields, such as STEM fields, research assistants spend all their time conducting research that will become part of their dissertations (the topic of which is guided by the projects/funding available in the advisor’s lab). In other fields, the research that a research assistant conducts will not become part of his dissertation, so again that is time taken away from dissertation work.

Basically, for teaching and non-dissertation research assistantships, you have to work on your dissertation above your 20 hr/week job, while fellowships and dissertation research assistantships allow you to devote your full working time to your dissertation.

2) They Often Pay More

Most external fellowships provide a specified amount of money for your stipend plus money to go toward your tuition and fees (either to pay them fully or up to a certain amount). For example, the stipend specified by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program is $34,000/year, by the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship is $102,000/3 years, and by the Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellowship is $36,000/year.

The stipend provided by an external fellowship is usually higher than the stipend you would have received from an assistantship or training grant. Even if the fellowship stipend is lower, some departments will supplement the fellowship stipend up to or above the departmental base stipend. It’s unusual, though not unheard of, for a fellow to receive a lower stipend than his classmates funded by assistantships or training grants.

Further browsing: PhD Stipends

An external fellowship also confers rare negotiating power to you. Negotiation is likely to be most effective when you are a prospective graduate student with multiple offers to (tactfully) play off one another. The fellowship stipend might be supplemented by a department every year, or the department might pay a one-time bonus to the fellow. If you receive a fellowship while already enrolled in a PhD program, you can also ask for a supplement or bonus. (Be sure to ask other fellows in your department if any extra money was conferred to them.) Something else you can negotiate for is additional years of guaranteed funding after the fellowship ends.

3) Fellowships Give You More Autonomy

Because fellowship money is separate from your advisor’s grants, it can in many cases increase the control you have over your own research pursuits. It may allow you to shift the focus of your dissertation away from the main thrust of your advisor’s research, facilitate a collaboration with another group, or add a side project to your dissertation that isn’t aligned with your advisor’s grants.

4) Fellowship Sometimes Pay Above Your Stipend

In addition to paying your stipend and (part of your) tuition and fees, some external fellowships award you additional money for conference travel or professional development.

A Former Downside

Up through 2019, fellowship funding had one major downside: It was not eligible to be contributed to an Individual Retirement Arrangement (IRA) (unless it was reported on a Form W-2, which was rare). However, starting in 2020, fellowship income is eligible to be contributed to an IRA, eliminating this one major downside.

Further listening: Fellowship Income Is Now Eligible to Be Contributed to an IRA!

Why You Should Apply for at Least One Fellowship (Even If You Don’t Win)

While the best result of applying for a fellowship is that you’ll actually win it, there are positive side effects even if you don’t.

1) Shows Initiative/Effort

Applying for fellowships when you’re not required to (like you have a guarantee or reasonable expectation of funding) shows you are willing to take initiative to further your training and career. You are trying to provide for yourself instead of depending on your department or your advisor. Even if you are not successful, this is an admirable quality; your advisor or potential advisors will probably be impressed at your effort.

2) Good Practice

Applying for fellowships somewhat resembles applying for grants, although usually abbreviated. If you are going to be a career researcher, you will have to develop the skill of successfully pitching yourself and your ideas to funding agencies. Applying for fellowships and predoctoral grants is good practice for the larger grants you’ll apply for later.

The Most Compelling Reason to Apply for Fellowships

The most compelling advantage to winning a nationally recognized fellowship is not its superiority as a funding source or how the process benefits you or your advisor, but rather its role as a CV-booster. Winning a prestigious fellowship early on in your career sets you up well to win larger and more lucrative awards later on. While it is of course possible to win fellowships and grants later in your career without winning one in graduate school, it is advantageous to have been favorably evaluated in the past by another agency. Winning a fellowship in graduate school is an early step in creating a track record of obtaining funding for your research, which is something hiring and tenure committees look for.

Prospective graduate students should apply for at least one large, multi-year fellowship (assuming eligibility) so you, if nothing else, can tell the PIs you’re interviewing with that you did it. If you’re in a STEM field, the NSF GRFP is likely to be your first stop. Once you’re enrolled in graduate school, you should consult with your advisor about which fellowships to apply for, at apply to at least one more in your first and second years and any later years in which you are eligible.

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Reader Interactions

September 27, 2017 at 1:10 pm

Great article! I agree about the downside. I will have completed my PhD fully on 1099MISC (Fellowships) pay and to not have been able to contribute to my Roth-IRA during this time really hurts. Thats potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars I’m losing out on — and for what? Particularly for my upper fellowship, I’m not getting paid any more than I would if I didn’t have a fellowship. Really feels like a slap in the face. The other big downside is that having 1099MISC pay means most banks won’t take you seriously. I can’t get a car loan for my life. Even though I have enough cash to just flat out purchase a car, I’d rather get a loan and pay it off slowly. But nope! Doesn’t seem to matter how many pay stubs I bring in, or my award letters from fellowships, even letters from my department stating I will be funded for at least 5 full years… can’t get a loan.

September 28, 2017 at 8:32 am

Yes, it’s a tough pill to swallow when you aren’t even being paid above the department minimum and you still have to put up with not having compensatory pay! Did you read my linked article about how fellows can save for retirement and have you been doing so? Depending on how much you want to save when you have a job with a 401(k)/403(b)/etc., you may be able to shift some of your savings from grad school into that account. If not, at least the capital gains tax rate is low!

I’ve heard mixed feedback about fellowships and loans (mortgages… you’re the first person who’s mentioned a car loan to me). Some people have said they couldn’t get a loan and others had no problems. I think the 1099-MISC in particular contributes a lot to the trouble as it is misinterpreted, and most universities don’t use it for fellowships.

How many (types of) banks did you approach about the car loan? I know with mortgages grad students have better luck at places that are willing to do manual underwriting, such as a credit union.

I actually purchased a car with a loan in the fall of my first year of grad school (I received a 1099-MISC as well, but not until the next January). I did not use a car loan but rather a signature/personal loan (line of credit maybe?). I think that was because the amount I wanted to borrow was too small for a car loan, though, not that my income was weird. http://evolvingpf.com/2012/03/why-i-took-out-a-car-loan-for-more-than-the-purchase-price-of-the-car/

[…] do not receive a W-2 at tax time, your tuition benefit should not change (which further argues for the superiority of fellowship funding over assistantship funding). (An analysis from a Berkeley student concurs this point.) However, I […]

[…] Further Reading: Why You Should Apply for Fellowships Even If You’re Fully Funded […]

[…] Why You Should Apply for Fellowships Even If You’re Fully Funded […]

[…] give graduate students more autonomy in their studies, as they would be less dependent on their schools or advisors for funding. One […]

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• AfricaLics 2025 Open Call-PhD Visiting Fellowships at University of Johannesburg (Fully-funded)

Published: 16 Sep 2024 84 views

AfricaLics – the African Network for Economics of Learning, Innovation and Competence Building Systems – is inviting suitable PhD student candidates from universities in African countries to apply for participation in the AfricaLics PhD Visiting Fellowship Programme (2025 cohort) focused on Innovation and Development.

Successful candidates will participate in a fellowship programme combining online pre- and post-activities with a study period of 3 months at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) in South Africa. The three-month study visit to UJ is, however, subject to the availability of funding. While the AfricaLics Secretariat and Scientific Board are searching for funds to finance the study visit, successful candidates are also expected to help search for funds to finance their study visit at UJ themselves (see section on funding issues).

Mentoring will be provided by a range of African and international scholars in Innovation and Development studies, who are members of the AfricaLics and Globelics communities. The programme will also receive support from the Trilateral Research Chair in Transformative Innovation, the Fourth Industrial Revolution and Sustainable Development (TRCTI) Please see:  https://www.uj.ac.za/faculties/cbe/SARChI-TRCTI ).

The 2025 VFP cohort activities will kick off with a range of online activities starting in the first half of February 2025. The study visit at UJ is expected to take place from 1st September to 30th November 2025 and will be followed up by a few additional online activities in December 2025. After engagement in the programme, students are offered the opportunity to continue engaging with the AfricaLics community e.g. through participation in AfricaLics Alumni activities, AfricaLics research conferences, our webinar series and the activities organised by national chapters of AfricaLics e.g. in Nigeria, Ethiopia and Burkina Faso. Through such activities, VFP alumni can continue to support the development of African Innovation and Development studies and benefit from network activities.

Within the AfricaLics community, innovation is broadly defined as spanning from “new to the world inventions” to the diffusion and use of technology new to the user or context in which it is introduced and includes competence building among users of innovation. Technology here can mean both a physical product; a new process e.g. for manufacturing a product and new way of doing or organising things. Innovation and Development Studies research as defined by the AfricaLics network includes the study and management of processes that link technological and social innovation with development. This includes studies and improved understandings of how learning and competence-building systems contribute to development processes. The programme gives priority to students working on topics identified by the AfricaLics network as important to the future of Africa. For more info on the main thematic areas addressed by AfricaLics, please see:  https://www.africalics.org/thematic-areas/ .

Scholars in the field may have a background in economics and/or other social sciences (e.g. Sociology, Political Science, Science and Technology Policy, Geography, History or Development Studies). Some work within the STEM (science, technology, engineering or mathematics) subjects or even manufacturing. All scholars, regardless of their disciplinary backgrounds look at one or more elements at the intersection between innovation and development. They work within a broad range of areas including energy and sustainable development/transformation, health, gender, agriculture, manufacturing and work organisation, big data and the fourth industrial revolution.  

To understand more about the field of innovation and development and see if your work fits within this research area, please look at papers published in relevant journals including (but not only) the following: African Journal of Science, Technology, Innovation and Development; Innovation and Development; Research Policy; Journal of International Development; International Journal of Technology Learning, Innovation and Development; International Journal of Technology Management and Sustainable Development; Journal of Development Economics; Journal of Science and Technology Policy; Journal of Evolutionary Economics and Journal of Technological Forecasting and Social Change (see:  https://www.africalics.org/innovation-and-development-studies-resources/ ).

Overall aim and organisation of the programme

The aim of the visiting fellowship programme and the scholarships is to help African PhD students working in the field of Innovation and Development to strengthen their academic/research qualifications; improve the quality of their dissertations and prepare for a career in innovation and development either within academia or outside (e.g. in the private sector or in government/policy making).

The visiting fellowship programme does this by increasing the mobility and level of  exposure of the PhD students to international knowledge in the field of innovation and development . The programme forms part of the efforts by AfricaLics to contribute to the development of a vibrant research community in Africa in this emerging and highly multidisciplinary field.  The Swedish Development Agency, Sida (Stockholm), has provided for the visiting scholarships as part of the project  Enhancing research capacity on Innovation and Development in Africa  through the African Network on Learning, Innovation and Competence Building Systems (AfricaLics) – Phase II since 2015 and will continue to support the online part of the VFP also in 2025.

The AfricaLics secretariat (hosted by the  African Centre for Technology Studies ) is responsible for the research capacity-building project. The  AfricaLics Scientific Board  provides advice on scientific matters and issues of strategic importance. The AfricaLics PhD Visiting Fellowship Programme 2025 is jointly organized by the AfricaLics secretariat and UJ’s DSI-NRF Trilateral Research Chair in Transformative Innovation, 4IR and Sustainable Development (‘UJ-TRCTI’) in South Africa with support from the AfricaLics and Globelics scholars based at other relevant African and international universities active in the field of Innovation and Development. Selection of mentors for the students in the 2025 cohort will be done in a way that ensures the best possible match with the successful PhD visiting fellows.

Activities under the AfricaLics PhD Visiting Programme should form  an integrated part of the PhD work plan for each applicant . The plans typically include various elements such as:

• Initial theoretical studies/taught courses and fieldwork in the home country or country where the student is already enrolled as a PhD student (first year must have been concluded by December 2024).
• Participation in online AfricaLics VFP courses and seminars (introduction seminar, writing courses, paper presentation seminars, and wrap-up activities).
• Participation in online AfricaLics webinars (monthly events) which showcase research in the field of Innovation and Development.
• Participation in exchange or mobility enhancing programmes – e.g. the three-month study visits to UJ to focus on writing up thesis or articles (subject to funding).
• Participation in the 2025 AfricaLics PhD Academy (online or on-site, subject to funding). PhD candidates are responsible for applying for participation in the 2025 AfricaLics PhD academy. Students may also apply to participate in other PhD courses or academies such as e.g. those organised by our parent network, Globelics (see  globelics.org ).
• Application for participation in future conferences: AfricaLics PhD visiting fellows are encouraged to work on and submit papers to upcoming relevant conferences such as e.g. the Globelics Conference 2025 and the AfricaLics Conference 2026. Participation in such events provides exposure to the wider AfricaLics/Globelics community, networking opportunities, and the possibility of finding collaborating partners for future research projects. AfricaLics PhD visiting fellows must apply for participation in such events on the same conditions as all others. AfricaLics may offer travel support to the extent that funding is available.
• Return to home country and continue work on PhD dissertation to finalise and submit according to rules and regulations at the university where the student is enrolled.

The visiting fellows are encouraged to remain engaged with the AfricaLics network after the fellowship period through activities in the AfricaLics alumni network and participation in AfricaLics Conferences and other events.

Activities of the alumni network are advertised here:  https://africalics.org/alumni-events/ . Current and former participants in the AfricaLics VFP are listed on the AfricaLics website (see:  https://africalics.org/vfp/ .

• Table of Content

About AfricaLics

Africalics phd visiting fellowships, aim and benefits of africalics phd visiting fellowships, africalics phd visiting fellowships courses, requirements for africalics phd visiting fellowships qualification, interview date, process and venue for africalics phd visiting fellowships, application deadline, how to apply.

AfricaLics is the acronym for the African Network for Economics of Learning, Innovation, and Competence Building Systems. AfricaLics brings together scholars, researchers and policy analysts who study development, innovation, learning and competence building in an African context. Africalics was founded during an Innovation and development workshop that took place in March 2012 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The workshop was co-organized by the Globelics Secretariat and the Science, Technology and Innovation Policy Research organization (STIPRO), a Tanzanian independent think tank. The format... continue reading

Successful PhD candidates are responsible for ensuring that their passport is valid for the time they will be staying in Johannesburg in South Africa and for dealing with any issues related to the legality of their stay in South Africa (letters of invitation will be forwarded).  Details of how to apply for your visit visa in South Africa will be sent to successful candidates in due time.

Accommodation and workspace

If funding for the study visit to UJ is secured either by an individual participant in the 2025 VFP cohort or by the AfricaLics secretariat/network as part of collective fundraising efforts, the AfricaLics secretariat and staff at UJ will help organise accommodation for students during the study visit in Johannesburg. The accommodation will be near the business school campus of the University of Johannesburg where the students will have their working space.

Additional information on terms and conditions

• Return flight costs from your nearest international airport (economy class) to Johannesburg may be covered by AfricaLics if collective fund-raising efforts for the study visit are successful. If collective fundraising is not successful; students themselves may fund the costs or apply for the funds from their university or other sources.
• Visiting fellows on the AfricaLics VFP must take out a comprehensive health insurance for the study period. Costs may be reimbursed by the AfricaLics secretariat if funding allows.
• Living costs during the study visit to UJ are normally covered through a stipend amounting to approximately $600 per month. This amount should cover all costs while in Johannesburg related to living expenses and travel around Johannesburg including to and from UJ campus. Students are encouraged to try to fund-raise for living costs while in Johannesburg themselves as we cannot guarantee that collective fundraising activities are successful.
• Costs for participation in joint courses will be covered by AfricaLics. Mentoring will be organised on a voluntary basis unless fundraising for a nominal payment prove successful. Finally, the visit by home supervisors and mentors to Johannesburg (PhD VFP workshop 2025) will only be realised if additional fundraising is successful.
• If AfricaLics agrees to fund the three-month study visit to Johannesburg, the scholarship will only cover costs related to the student’s visit. Any costs related to accompanying spouses, children or others will not be covered.  The scholarship does not cover the costs of any additional travel in South Africa that the student may wish to undertake unless as part of selected and approved VFP activities.
• Innovation and Development

The scholarship option is open to PhD students from countries in Africa classified by the OECD/DAC as low and lower-middle-income  countries  whose studies – irrespective of sectoral discipline – focus on the relationship between innovation and economic, social or environmentally sustainable development. Female PhD students are particularly encouraged to apply as AfricaLics endeavours to contribute to increasing the currently low number of female scholars in Innovation and Development research studies in Africa. Likewise, PhD students from low-income countries are particularly encouraged to apply as AfricaLics endeavours to strengthen research capacity in Innovation and Development in low-income countries in Africa.

Applicants must be enrolled as PhD students in a relevant programme at an African university and must have completed their first year of PhD studies by December 2024. A maximum of six visiting scholarships will be available in 2025, but the final number of accepted visiting fellows will depend on the in-depth assessment of applications and funding availability. The visiting scholarship is complementary to the studies of the PhD students at their home universities and applicants must already have secured basic funding for their PhD studies from other sources (e.g. African governments, other organisations, self-financing). In addition, students interested in the programme must commit to help fund-raising for the physical study visit to UJ e.g. through applications to their home university or to organisations such as Codesria, AERC, KIC NRF SA or WARA (see  https://www.westafricanresearchassociation.org/fellowships/warc-travel-grant/ ), etc.

Applicants for the AfricaLics PhD visiting fellowship programme should:

• Be enrolled as a PhD student at a university in Africa.
• Have completed their first year of studies by December 2024
• Have a background (BSc, MSc etc.) in Economics, Sociology, Political Science, Science and Technology Policy, Geography, History or Development Studies. Applicants may also work within the STEM (science, technology, engineering, or mathematics) subjects or even manufacturing but from a social science perspective.
• Possess adequate skills in English (documentation may be requested).
• Be working actively on a subject relevant to innovation and development as defined above.
• Submit a brief application of one page/500 words explaining their background, motivation for applying and expected outcomes of participation in the AfricaLics PhD visiting fellowship programme

The following documents must be submitted with the brief application:

• Brief outline of your current PhD project including PhD training plans (max. 5 pages)
• Curriculum Vitae – CV (including PhD courses attended so far)
• Letter of support from the main PhD supervisor confirming that the PhD student will have completed her/his upgrade/probation by end December 2024
• Letter of support from the University Administration at the university where the PhD student is enrolled
• Copies of academic certificates (copies of Bachelor and Master Certificates as a minimum)
• One writing sample (article or chapter) from current PhD program

You are NOT expected to submit a copy of your passport when applying for the PhD visiting fellowship programme. If you are offered the scholarship and the study stay at UJ materialises, you will be asked to handle any visa issues that may be relevant yourself with support from the AfricaLics Secretariat and UJ. Collection of personal data will be kept at a minimum and information will be stored safely and will not be used for any other purposes.

Please use the application form when you submit your application.  You can download the form through this link

Applications with all relevant attachments should be forwarded to  [email protected]  by 23.00hrs East Africa time on  7th October 2024.

Applications not fulfilling the requirements above will not be considered, so please forward any questions you may have to  [email protected]  and you will be assisted.

Successful candidates will be notified by mid-December 2024 or early January 2025, following which they will be required to sign a study agreement form and – later in the process – deal with any issues related to visa issues for the study visit to South Africa. The final notification date will be communicated once the review process has commenced.

• PhD visiting fellowship programme handout
• Application Form

For more details visit:  AfricaLics website .

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• Paying for a PhD – The Cost of Self Funding

First of all, a little about me: I’m a part-time PhD student, I’m five years into my project, I’m hoping to submit in my sixth year. And I’m self-funded.

The five years of my project have brought many challenges (as any PhD does). Some of these are specific to my situation as a self-funding student. I’d like to share my experiences with you: introducing some of the things which actually need to be paid for during a PhD, explaining how I’ve been doing that, and saying a little about the impact my self-funding status has had on my personal development.

Counting the costs

Self-funding a PhD comes with several costs, some obvious and others not so much.

Course costs

First and most obvious: tuition fees. Yes, we postgrads have them too! PhD fees are not nearly as high as those for undergraduates, coming in around £4,000 per academic year. You will be able to earn enough to cover these during a PhD, but that’ll leave a dent in both your income and time.

As a part-time student, my fees were essentially halved. This was good but, still, trying to accumulate enough income to pay for the necessities makes that extra £2,000 for tuition a bit more cumbersome.

Accommodation

Secondly: rent. As an undergraduate in the UK, you may not have worried too much about rent, particularly if you had access to subsidised student halls and / or a maintenance loan to help cover living costs.

Take a quick jump into the graduate world and rent is not only your single biggest outgoing, but also the least negotiable one. You have a few accommodation options available as a postgraduate, and it pays (perhaps literally) to look into these in advance.

Some regions of the UK are more expensive than others and it is worth looking into accommodation a little beyond the immediate location of your university. Rent can often drop quickly beyond city centres, for example, and public transport is generally good enough to make commuting viable. Personally, I've found that St Andrews is quite an expensive area, which ups the ante a little bit on that account.

Thirdly: typical bills. Nothing much to say here. Food, power, tv, phones, internet. . . nothing out of the ordinary. But you will have to cover them as a PhD student. And, if you’re self-funding, you won’t have a bursary to help you do so.

Lastly, and perhaps most surprisingly: council tax. Yup! That’s right: I pay council tax. "But wait!" I hear you cry. "Students are exempt from council tax". Ah! Yes, full-time students are indeed. As a part-time student I am not eligible for that exemption and, whilst I get a 25% discount for living with full-timers, I do indeed pay the brunt of council tax.

. . .and covering them

Taken together, my standard outgoings amount to roughly £700 per month, not including food. That’s approximately 21 hours per week at minimum wage.

So how have I dealt with all these necessary outgoings? I was very fortunate to have acquired a job shortly after starting my PhD and have managed to pay for the essential bills each month with that income. I also spent the first few years with my then partner so when things were a little tougher we had a communal pool to pay for the household outgoings.

Finally, as well as my regular job, I’ve been fortunate enough to have held teaching positions in three different departments. Whilst this is not a sustained income year-round, it is well enough paid at the time that I am able to build some savings in case of a rainy day (or worse).

How this experience has shaped my PhD journey

So, what has five years’ experience self-funding a PhD brought me? Let’s start with the negatives.

The negatives

It’s tough, simple as that. A PhD is a difficult thing, but I’ve found at times that researching by day and working by evening has been a burn. Trying to maintain the necessary commitment during long days is very draining and grating on your well-being.

Having never done a funded PhD, I can’t really comment on the comparison, but the situation is at times incredibly difficult and that can sap your determination. In particular, it’s been a strain to budget the time (and mental resources) necessary to get things done.

The concern is that this impacts on the quality of the work you do: It’s one thing to commit to multiple responsibilities and it’s another to maintain them well. Keeping track of everything hasn’t always been easy (and, in fact, still isn’t). It has also been difficult to mentally separate everything and I’ve found it all too easy to be thinking about research at work and vice versa.

Lastly, after getting on top of commitments it has been very difficult to maintain the energy to support the other aspects of life. I love playing my guitar and have recently taken to blogging/reviewing and story-writing but these other “for me” interests are difficult to sustain when other more immediate concerns are pressing for your energy.

The positives

It’s not all bad, though, and the positives are largely the flip side of the negatives. I’ve (relatively) quickly developed time and mental space management skills. To excel at my job as well as my research (and teaching) I have had to learn how to separate these roles into different mental compartments such that I can work on one at a time.

This has given me some useful transferable skills , but it’s also proved handy during the PhD itself. I’ve become better at 'switching off' during my down time, which means I’m not worrying about other things when I’m relaxing, reading, or writing for pleasure.

I’ve also learned what is (and isn’t) a reasonable amount of work to expect of myself in a given time. It’s very easy to just want to achieve everything and be disappointed when you fall short, but my experiences have helped me to identify achievable goals in the short and long term. This also helps me manage my time and head space – developing some good habits in the process.

Lastly, my part-time status means I have greater flexibility and time to get things done at my own pace. I don’t want to be researching my PhD forever, but knowing that I’m not counting down to the end of funding or a short submission deadline means I have the freedom to take some me time or simply take longer working through things.

I find myself a little more confident in my thoughts now and I don’t think I’d have reached that point in the same way were I to have been full-time (and thus done by now). So, overall, I’ll hopefully be a better and more balanced researcher because of it.

So that’s about it. Self-funding is tough but manageable and pushes you to rapidly develop skills which are useful in every aspect of life.

I would still choose this pathway if I could go back to the start again (though, if you asked me 2 years ago I’d have said no) so it’s not all tough. For the most part, the efforts are worth it.

Thanks for reading!

Ben Turnbull is a PhD candidate in Psychology & Neuroscience at the University of St Andrews . He writes about his experiences and reflects on the transition into PhD study over at his personal blog .

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