SENSS student-led ESRC PhD studentships

Key Details

Start date: October 2025
Location: UEA Campus
Programme type: +3.5 year PhD or +4.5 year Master’s plus PhD
Application deadline: UEA deadline - Monday 6 January 2025 (midnight UK time). SENSS deadline - Wednesday 22 January 2025 (midday UK time).
Mode of study: Full and part time applications equally welcome

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SENSS student-led ESRC PhD studentships

UEA is a member of the South and East Network for Social Sciences (SENSS), which is a research and doctoral training partnership funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). The SENSS consortium, comprised of eight universities engaged in internationally recognised social sciences research, offers ESRC studentship funding for postgraduate studies as well as a range of other training and development opportunities.

SENSS offers funding for +4.5 year Master’s plus PhD studentships, as well as +3.5 year PhD-only studentships, across six themes, in the following schools of study at UEA: Norwich Business School; School of Economics; School of Education and Lifelong Learning; School of Global Development; Law School; School of Psychology; School of Social Work; School of Politics, Philosophy and Area Studies; and School of Environmental Sciences.

Each SENSS studentship includes three-months of funding dedicated to undertaking a mandatory placement with a collaborative partner, for example a business, charity or think tank. Applicants do not need to have identified where they will do their placement at the point of applying for a SENSS studentship.

Entry Requirements

+4.5 Master’s plus PhD applicants should have, or be expecting to receive, a minimum 2:1 Honours degree or international equivalent.

+3.5 PhD studentship applicants should have, or be expecting to receive, a minimum 2:1 Honours in a Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) and a Master’s degree in a relevant field of study.

The structure and length of the studentship awarded is dependent on the skills applicants require to successfully deliver their PhD project. Where additional training is deemed to require less than a full Master’s year, SENSS may offer +3.75, +4 and +4.25 studentships.

Further details regarding eligibility are available on the SENSS website.

Current PhD students who will have at least 50% of their period of study remaining on 1 October 2025 are also able to apply. 

Applicants will also need to meet institutional entry requirements, for example for English language proficiency.

Funding

Successful candidates will be awarded a SENSS ESRC studentship, which pays tuition fees and stipend at standard UKRI rates.  

Additional funding is available to help students with disabilities meet additional costs in relation to their studies. 

International students in receipt of a SENSS studentship will also receive an exemption from the higher international tuition fees, meaning that they will have no tuition fees to pay. 

In addition to the funding above, SENSS-funded postgraduate researchers are able to access funds to cover research and training costs linked to their PhD. 

Unfortunately, SENSS is not able to provide any additional assistance with relocation or visa costs.

How to Apply

Early contact  

Applicants should make early contact with potential supervisors, well before the deadline. This will ensure that the research proposal can be fully discussed and refined before any application is submitted.

Those applying for Master's programmes at UEA should ensure that they allow sufficient time to complete their applications before the deadline.

 Applications 

We recommend that the SENSS application guidance is consulted as early as possible, and followed when drafting the research proposal for both the SENSS and the UEA PhD applications.  

Those wishing to be considered for SENSS studentship funding must submit two applications (three if applying for a UEA Master’s degree): 

1. Application(s) to UEA 

Applications for a place to study for a PhD (and Master’s, if required) must be submitted to UEA using the University of East Anglia online application form by Monday 6 January 2025.  

Current PhD students do not need to submit a new PhD application to UEA, only a SENSS application as below. 
 
2. Application to SENSS

A separate application to SENSS for studentship funding must be made by midday on Wednesday 22 January 2025 via the SENSS online application platform. Your supervisor’s supporting statement must also be completed and submitted by this deadline.

Contact us at senss.dtp@uea.ac.uk if you have any enquiries about SENSS funding or the application process, or otherwise require any assistance with your application.