ESRC South West Doctoral Training Partnership (SWDTP)

Applicants for a PhD award should have: 

• completed, or be due to complete, an ESRC-accredited or an equivalent research Masters* with a significant element of research training. Applicants may be asked for further information to determine the relevance of the content covered.

 *An equivalent research Masters is defined as including significant social sciences research design and quantitative and qualitative research methods elements. The transcript will need to show that a minimum of a third of the taught stage of the programme entailed research methods elements – which should normally be roughly divided equally between social sciences research design, quantitative and qualitative research methods elements – and that there is also a Dissertation. For students who have undertaken a Masters outside the UK we will look for appropriate equivalencies. All awards are subject to ratification by the “Awards and Ratification Committee”, who shall have the authority to reconsider the equivalence of any Masters awards. 

 
The ESRC’s requirements for postgraduate training and development can be viewed at
ESRC postgraduate training and development guidelines – UKRI

•  achieved a current average grade of their Masters (at the point of application) normally of at least Merit (60%) grade. Successful applicants must ultimately achieve BOTH an overall average of at least 60% across the taught units/modules AND at least 60% for the dissertation component as a condition of their funding.

Holders of Masters degrees that are not considered equivalent (as above), must apply for the Masters + PhD award. 

However, where only a small component of the required, prior training is missing, the Awards and Ratification Committee / SWDTP Director may exercise discretion and offer a PhD award conditional on the award recipient taking top-up training in one or more research modules and passing their assessment at a grade of 60% or above. 

In the case of a Masters + PhD application, continuation of funding from the Masters stage to the PhD stage of the programme will be subject to achieving 60% across the taught units / modules AND 60% for the dissertation component.  Students who fail to achieve these conditions may have their funding terminated and may be required to refund any money paid to them during the PhD portion of the programme. 

In order to receive ESRC studentship funding you must have qualifications/experience equal to the standard of a good honours degree at first or upper second class level from a UK academic research organisation. 

Degree qualifications gained from outside the UK, or a combination of qualifications and/or experience that is equivalent to a relevant UK degree may be accepted. 

ESRC SWDTP studentships are open to UK and Irish nationals who, if successful in their applications, will receive a full studentship including payment of university tuition fees at the home fees rate. 

A limited number of full studentships are also available to international students which are defined as EU (excluding Irish nationals), EEA, Swiss and all other non-UK nationals.  

Those not meeting the nationality and residency requirements to be treated as a ‘home’ student may apply for a limited number of full studentships for international students.  Although international students are usually charged a higher tuition fee rate than ‘home’ students, at Exeter those international students offered an ESRC SWDTP full studentship starting in 2026 will have their full tuition fees covered for the duration of their programme (the ‘home’ tuition fee rate covered by the studentship and an additional University of Exeter fee waiver).  

International applicants need to be aware that you will have to cover the cost of your student visa, healthcare surcharge and other costs of moving to the UK to do a PhD. 

Please see the Key Facts in our International Student Support pages for further information https://www.exeter.ac.uk/students/international/applyingforavisa/studentvisas/ 

The conditions for eligibility of home fees status are complex and you will need to seek advice if you have moved to or from the UK (or Republic of Ireland) within the past 3 years or have applied for settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme. 

The full ESRC guidelines are available in the Postgraduate Funding Guide. 

For more information on SWDTP entry and collaboration requirements, please visit Are you eligible for ESRC studentship funding? | SWDTP the full ESRC guidelines are available in the ESRC postgraduate funding guide – UKRI.

Important Note:  Full details on how to apply for September 2027 Entry will be provided from 7th October 2026.  The Information below is from the previous recruitment round and is shown for Information purposes only at this time.  

To apply for SWDTP funding, you must choose the relevant pathway listed in the 'ESRC SWDTP Pathway PhD Studentships Available' section and choosing the ‘apply now’ button. Only applications submitted via this SWDTP pathway link will be considered for funding.  Please do not apply directly to the University PhD programmes of study at this stage. If successful, your application for funding will become your University Programme application so you will not need to apply again. 

You will need to upload the following documents to the studentship application form. Please note our preferred format is PDF, each file named with your surname and the name of the document, eg “Smith – Transcript”, “Smith – Annex A”, “Smith – Collaboration Support”: 

• A completed SWDTP Studentship Application Form 2026 Entry (Annex A) This will include your research proposal of 1,300 words including the name(s) of the potential supervisors. For 1+3.5 students it is recognised that this will be an outline proposal to be further developed during the first year of the studentship.  Please upload your Annex A to the 'ESRC SWDTP Studentship Application Form' section of the online application system.
  
  
• 2 references:
  • 1 Supervisor Supporting Statement Form for 2026 Entry (Annex B) – this must be completed by your nominated primary supervisor
  • 1 reference from someone familiar with your academic work 

         If your referees prefer, they can email the reference direct to PGRApplicants@exeter.ac.uk

• Verified transcript of your highest qualification to date or an interim transcript if you are still studying
  
  
• Letter(s) of support (ESRC collaboration):  If your project requires external letters of support from prospective collaborators please upload the documents to the "Letter(s) of support (ESRC collaboration)" section in the application form.  If your project does not require an external collaboration letter of support please upload a blank document in the format identified above with the title "Collaborative Support N/A"
  
  
• If you are not a national of a majority English-speaking country you will need to submit evidence of your proficiency in English (for further details, please see the University’s English language requirements)

If you encounter a technical issue when uploading your supporting documents to the portal where you may not see options to upload all the requested documents, or the upload pages may be titled something different. Please continue to apply for the programme through the portal and upload your supporting documents where you are able.  A full list of the required supporting documents can be found on the ‘How To Apply’ tab on the webpage https://www.exeter.ac.uk/study/pg-research/funding/phdfunding/fundedcentres/swdtp/

If you are unable to upload any of the required documents to the portal, please continue to submit your application by the deadline. Once you have submitted the application you will receive a 9 digit reference number. Please email any additional supporting documents that you were not able to upload, to pgrapplicants@exeter.ac.uk. Please title the email “ESRC Studentship Application-[Your Name*]–[9 digit application number*]”.  *Edit with correct information.

Key Dates 

Deadline for applications: 12.00 (Noon) GMT Friday 9th January 2026.

Interviews for shortlisted applicants will take place between 19 - 28 January 2026 and are likely to be held online. 

Reference information 

It is your responsibility to ensure that your supervisor and referee email their Supervisor Supporting Statement/references to PGRApplicants@exeter.ac.uk, as we will not make requests for references directly; you must arrange for them to be submitted by midday Friday 9th January 2026.  Please note that applications with missing documentation will not progress to shortlisting. 

References should be submitted to us directly in the form of a letter. Referees must email their references to us from their institutional email accounts. We cannot accept references from personal/private email accounts, unless it is a scanned document on institutional headed paper and signed by the referee. 

All application documents must be submitted in English. Certified translated copies of academic qualifications must also be provided. 

Data Sharing 

During the application process, the University may need to make certain disclosures of your personal data to third parties to be able to administer your application, carry out interviews and select candidates.  These are not limited to, but may include disclosures to: 

• The selection panel and/or management board or equivalent of the relevant programme, which is likely to include staff from one or more other HEIs;
• Administrative staff at one or more other HEIs participating in the relevant programme. 

Such disclosures will always be kept to the minimum amount of personal data required for the specific purpose. Your sensitive personal data (relating to disability and race/ethnicity) will not be disclosed without your explicit consent. 

Application Process

“Can I apply to more than one University?”

No – if applying for a SWDTP studentship, you should apply to the institution which offers the pathway you are applying to, and where your primary supervisor is based.

“Can I apply to more than one pathway?”

No - You can only make one application to the SWDTP each academic year. If your research spans our pathways and you are not sure which pathway to apply to, contact the relevant Pathway Leads copying in SWDTP-support@exeter.ac.uk, or discuss it with your proposed supervisor.

“Do I need to provide references?”

The SWDTP does not require applicants to provide a reference to them for a studentship application. However, the University of Exeter requires applicants to provide references when applying for a programme of study with us.

“Can I still submit an application after the deadline has passed?”

No – students must submit their studentship application through the online portal as detailed above, by the deadline. Late applications will not be accepted.

“Is there any guidance available on completing the Annex A Research Proposal?”

The SWDTP has guidance for applicants on completing their Annex A, including the Development Needs Analysis, on their website, along with example Research Proposals for each studentship pathway.

Funding and Eligibility

“Can I apply if I am already studying a PhD?”

No - the default rule is to not allow applications from candidates who have already started a PhD programme, either presently or in the past. This includes starting an MPhil that leads directly into a PhD (subject to a successful progress review, for example) If you are unsure about whether you qualify to apply or feel you have a case for which an exception might be made, then this must be discussed with the SWDTP Director well in advance of preparing an application by contacting swdtp-enquiries@bristol.ac.uk.

“Is the SWDTP funding only for social sciences?”

Yes – research must meet the remit of the social sciences. In case of doubt, refer to the definitions at What is social science? – UKRI and What is Social Science? – Academy of Social Sciences.

Can I still apply for an SWDTP studentship if my PhD is not directly associated with an SWDTP pathway?

No – you will need to apply to one of the SWDTP pathways, to an institution which offers that pathway.

“Do I need to already have a Masters degree to apply?”

No, you do not need a Masters qualification to apply. If you do not have one and if your application is successful, it is likely that the SWDTP will make your PhD funding conditional on passing, at an overall grade of 60% or above, a Masters course that is linked to the pathway to which you are applying. The SWDTP pay for you to take that course and provide you with a stipend. This means your overall period of funding and study will be extended by one year full-time or two-years part-time.

International Applicants

“How do I know if I am classed as a Home or International student for fees purposes?”

If you do not have Home or Island fee status you will have International fee status. This is likely if:

• you have not lived in the UK, Isle of Man or the Channel Islands for three full years immediately before the first day of your course
• you live in the UK but have immigration restrictions about how long you can stay
• you have lived in the UK but at any point in the three years immediately before the first day of your course your residency was mainly so you can receive full-time education

You can find out more information about fee status on the Admissions pages here.

“Does the University of Exeter waive the fee difference for international students?”

Yes.

“How many places are available for international students?”

There is not a set number of ESRC-funded places at Exeter for home or international students, as decisions are made by the SWDTP. The SWDTP will allocate a maximum 30% of its studentships to international applicants.

“Does funding for a Masters year + PhD also apply to international students? “

Yes – the SWDTP funding offer is based on a Training (Development) Needs Analysis at the point of application, which is then reviewed by members of the Awards Ratification Committee.

Supervision

“I have not yet found a supervisor – can I apply?”

Students must have located and agreed supervision with their 1^st supervisor before applying for a studentship - the supervisor must complete the Annex B form which you must submit as part of your application, so please allow time for this when applying. Students do not need to have yet identified a 2^nd supervisor at this stage.

“Is it necessary to have two supervisors at this stage?”

Not at the application stage – you should have identified and agreed your primary (main) supervisor prior to submitting your application.

“Can my secondary supervisor be from an institution outside of the SWDTP?”

No – supervisors should be from one of the SWDTP partner institutions.

“Can my secondary supervisor be from outside of academia?”

No – supervisors should be from one of the SWDTP partner institutions.

“How closely should the supervisor's research area align with the topic of proposed research?”

Your lead supervisor should have the expertise needed to support you in the subject area of your research. Discuss this with them prior to agreeing a supervision arrangement to ensure they have the necessary expertise for your project.

Application Timeline

“When will I hear back about my studentship application?”

Applicants who are shortlisted within the University of Exeter will be invited to a research conversation, usually during January. Applicants who are not invited to a research conversation during this period have not been successful and their application will not be taken any further.

Applicants who are shortlisted at this stage will be taken forward to cross-institutional shortlisting. Applicants who are shortlisted at cross-institutional shortlisting will be taken forward to a final meeting of the SWDTP during March. Successful applicants will receive a studentship offer from this time onwards - if you have been placed on a ‘reserve’ list, you will be notified of this. Unsuccessful applicants will be notified once all final offers have been made and accepted.

“Why can it take a long time to hear back about my application?”

The process of reviewing applications takes from the middle of January (once the deadline for applications has passed), into March. This can seem like a long time, but it is used to check your application and supporting documentation, go through the process of institutional and pathway shortlisting, review the nominations from the pathways, and make a final ranking of shortlisted applicants. From about mid-March onwards, the SWDTP can make a first set of offers to an initial group of successful applicants. Some others will be placed on a wait list should places becomes available. The SWDTP may not fully fill their places until the end of August or even September.

Further Information

If you have questions not covered in this guide, contact the Pathway Leads at your chosen institution or discuss your application with your proposed supervisor. You can also reach the Exeter SWDTP Support team at SWDTP-support@exeter.ac.uk and the PGR Admissions team at PGRApplicants@exeter.ac.uk.

Current available funding