Arts & Humanities Studentships

The Doctoral School for Arts & Humanities is the home of the new Arts & Humanities Doctoral Studentships, offering a range of full and partially funded PhD scholarships.

Starting October 2026, the programme offers 13 fully funded studentships, including 2 AHRC Doctoral Landscape Awards, plus four fees-only studentships.

Full details on how to apply and fees are here - if you have any questions about the studentships, please contact the Doctoral School.

Eligibility

Studentships cover all PhD programmes offered by the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, namely:
· Byzantine & Modern Greek Studies
· Classics
· Comparative Literature
· Creative Writing
· Culture, Media & Creative Industries
· Digital Humanities
· English
· Film Studies
· French
· German
· History
· Interdisciplinary Humanities
· Music
· Palaeography & Manuscript Studies
· Philosophy
· Spanish, Portuguese & Latin American Studies
· Theology & Religious Studies

Students on or applying to other programmes are not eligible to apply.

Both UK and international applicants are eligible, and up to 30% of studentships can be awarded to international applicants.

If you have already begun your doctoral studies at King’s, you are eligible to apply providing you will have completed no more than 12 months of full-time study (or 24 months part-time) when the studentship begins on 1 October 2026.

AHRC studentships can only be awarded for new projects starting in October 2026.

Funding and support offered (Fully funded studentships including AHRC awards)

Funding will be for 3.5 years (full-time) or 7 years (part-time) · Full tuition fees covered, including international fees
· Annual stipend (UKRI rate: £22,780 (including LWA) full time for 2025/26)
· Research training and support
· Access to dedicated postgraduate researcher workspace on the Strand campus
· Access to additional funds to support research travel, fieldwork and conference attendance

Funding and support offered (fees-only studentships)

· Full tuition fees covered, including international fees
· Research training and support
· Access to dedicated postgraduate researcher workspace on the Strand campus
· Access to additional funds to support research travel, fieldwork and conference attendance

You can indicate on your application whether you wish to be considered for both funding streams. Please note: if you are not in a position to accept a fees-only scholarship, this will in no way affect your application for a fully funded studentship.

Assessment Criteria

Applications will be assessed by the following criteria:

· Quality of the proposal (50% weighting)
· Preparedness of the applicant (25% weighting)
· Feasibility of the proposed research (15% weighting)

· Fit with the aims of King’s Doctoral School for Arts & Humanities (10% weighting). The project’s capacity to:
- transcend traditional disciplinary, geographical and/or cultural boundaries; and/or
- bring sustainable benefits to society at any level or scale; and/or
- develop new and innovative approaches to subjects within our fields.