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Graduate Funding: Grants & Scholarships

• Funding for UK/EU Students
• Funding for Overseas (non-EU) Students
• University of Essex Scholarships

General Information

Financial support for graduate study is, unfortunately, quite scarce. We outline here those sources that we are familiar with. Some cover taught programmes, some research degrees. Note that some can be applied for while you are here, for later years of study. See also the general University information at http://www.essex.ac.uk/studentfinance/pg/

Key points for those seeking funding:

• To find out which scholarships you are eligible for, please enter your data in the Scholarship Finder
• Most funding for an October start is decided quite early in the year so incoming students who wish to apply for funding must ensure that they apply for admission to the Department as soon as possible, since no application for funding will succeed without an offer of a place (and an offer of a PhD place requires a research proposal to have been accepted by a potential supervisor).
• Funding bodies, including The University of Essex providing scholarships, have in mind people wishing to start to study in October of the year when they apply for funding. If you are proposing to start a supervised PhD in January or April (as you can) you still have to meet the funding bodies' deadlines which in that case would be mostly January-March of the year before you are proposing to start. There are no separate application points for January and April starters.
• All applicants for funding need to make sure the Graduate Administrator (tel: +44 1206 872199, e-mail: cgentry(non Essex users should add @essex.ac.uk) knows what award they want to apply for well in advance. Note that applying for admission is quite separate from applying for funding: the latter may require applying to the Department, the University, or some body unconnected with those. 
• Applicants need to watch closely the deadlines for paperwork: you need to allow time for referees to respond, supervisors to complete forms and so forth, as needed for the particular funding opportunity.

Note: Many students who need financial support in order to study get this by doing some part time work. The University has a special scheme to help with this called Frontrunners http://www.essex.ac.uk/frontrunners/. This provides useful skills training combined with paid work. The Careers Centre provides further assistance with part time work http://www.essex.ac.uk/careers/jobs/vacancies/part_time.shtm.