Student finance:
Government support for postgraduates
Research Councils
There are seven research councils, each of which fund a different area of
postgraduate study. The application process for awards is extremely
competitive and applications always outnumber the amount of help actually
available. You should not assume you will receive help even if you have a
good undergraduate degree.
The table below gives further details of each of the research councils,
including their website addresses, where you can find out more about
application procedures, application deadlines and the types of scholarships
on offer.
Biotechnology & Biological
Science Research Council (BBSRC)
- Agriculture
- Food
- Biological Sciences
- Some engineering and physical sciences
Arts and Humanities Research
Council (AHRC)
Economics & Social Research
Council (ESRC)
Engineering & Physical Sciences
Research Council (EPSRC)
- Engineering
- Physical Sciences
- Information Tech
Medical Research Council (MRC)
Natural Environment Research
Council (NERC)
- Geological Science
- Earth Science
- Aquatic Life Science
Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) (From 1 April 2007 PPARC and CCLRC merged to form the Science and Technology Facilities Council.)
- Particle Physics
- Astronomy