Eligibility

Academic Qualifications and Experience

You will have met minimum eligibility requirements for a NINE DTP studentship if you have:

  • Completed an undergraduate degree;
  • Identified and obtained support from a supervisory team at a NINE DTP department/school that participates in the training pathway relevant to the proposed research;
  • Developed a coherent research and training programme, within the remit of the economic and social sciences, that aligns with your background and with the resources of the institution where you are seeking to study; and
  • Committed yourself, if funded, to living within a reasonable travel time of your university or collaborative partner (except when conducting fieldwork).

Details on each of these requirements, as well as evaluation criteria for assessing nominations, can be found in the Studentship Competition Policies and Procedures document (see link to the right).

Note that you do not need to obtain a master’s degree before applying for a NINE DTP award. If you require full or partial master’s level training as part of your PhD studies this will be included as part of your award. All studentships can be offered on a full or part time basis. For more information on duration of awards see the Awards page.

Eligibility for funding does not guarantee a place at the university of your choice, which will have separate admissions procedures and eligibility requirements.

Candidates for the Action for Equality scheme must satisfy these requirements, as well as being UK-domiciled candidates who identify as being of Black British, Asian British, or mixed (Black or Asian) British ethnicity.

Commencement of Awards

To be eligible for a studentship in this current recruitment round you must be applying to commence a programme of postgraduate study which starts from October 2026. Awards cannot be deferred and selected candidates will be assumed to be starting their studies in October 2026 unless there are exceptional circumstances.

Full guidelines

Download a copy of the NINE DTP Annual Studentship Competition Policies and Procedures

Guidelines

Home / International Student Status

Since October 2020, UKRI has permitted candidates to apply for NINE DTP funding irrespective of their residential status or nationality.

However, applicants and supervisors should be aware of the following:

  1. NINE DTP may only award a maximum of 30% of all studentships to international candidates, as defined by the ESRC and UKRI.
  2. All awards will be made at the full studentship rate by the UKRI, set at £5,006 for fees and £20,780 for stipend in 2025-26.
  3. Where students are required to pay international student tuition fee rates, the difference in funding between the UKRI fee rate and the international tuition fees will need to be covered by the department / institution / other funding sources. Although NINE DTP cannot provide funds to cover this difference, historically international students who have received NINE DTP funding have had the fee difference covered by the university at which they enrol. Therefore, international applicants should not refrain from applying because of NINE DTP’s inability to directly cover international fees.

For guidance on home fee eligibility, please consult UKRI rules that we have reprinted as Appendix 1 in the NINE DTP Studentship Competition Policies and Procedures document.

Please note: NINE DTP cannot advise on fee status, and will not make determinations on individual student eligibility in advance of receiving the nomination form; institutions and departments should determine each candidate's fee status, in conjunction with guidance from relevant offices at the host university that coordinate postgraduate admissions and finance.