Eligibility
Academic Qualifications and Experience
Applicants applying for a studentship must hold or be predicted a first or a good upper second class undergraduate degree in the social sciences, or have relevant comparable experience.
A Master's degree is not a prerequisite for studying with the NINE DTP. 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.
Please note: 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 of Black, Asian or mixed Black or Asian heritage.
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 2025. Awards cannot be deferred and selected candidates will be assumed to be starting their studies in October 2025 unless there are exceptional circumstances.
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:
- NINE DTP may only award a maximum of 30% of all studentships to international candidates, as defined by the ESRC and UKRI.
- All awards will be made at the full studentship rate for the UKRI, set at £4,786 for fees and £19,237 for stipend in 2024-25.
- 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 guidelines.
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.