PhD funding - have I missed the boat for 2018?

[SmileyBird]

So glad I found this section of Mumsnet - didn’t know you were here!

I want to start a PhD in Sept. I had no idea that most of the deadlines for funding seem to be end of Jan and am worried I have missed the boat.

I am early 50s so waiting an extra year seems a long time to me! Have been working in HE for a number of years and need a PhD for any kind of progression.

Does anyone know anything about this, or can you point me where to look?

Applications aren't available until the summer so you haven't missed the boat just yet.

https://www.gov.uk/funding-for-postgraduate-study]

Do you mean for your own funding or applying for. A funded place? The latter is fine - I'm interviewing in the next few weeks for my next student, who will start in September. There are still loads of science phds available on findaphd.com.

I don't mean applying for one of he new loans to fund myself, I mean finding such as from the ESRC. It would be in education, rather than science.

Pretty sure the ESRC ones have closed but that is if you want funding for your own project. There are many funded PhD places available. Go to the websites of some of the universities you are interested in and see what's on offer.

At my uni dept and school funding close between Jan-Mar so late now. I made a conscious decision in Autumn to wait for autumn this year so I could get my MA finished. Pretty sure big funding bodies will have closed.

It sounds like you’re confirming what I suspected. I am looking at websites that advertise PhDs but nothing has come up yet apart from one at the university I currently work at (which doesn’t have a brilliant reputation).

I had felt determined to go elsewhere to broaden my horizons as much as anything else.

At my uni applications to the uni closed in Dec, with ranking in Jan / Feb. There may be other chances though through different routes.
Your best bet would probably be to speak with potential supervisors / head of departments and see if they’re aware of anything in the pipeline. I strongly suspect it depends on your area too.
Good luck!

There will still be funded projects, you just have to keep looking and you don't always have to start in Autumn. The thing with funded projects for my area is the need to fit my research to their brief. It doesn't mean I can't or won't but feels less, I don't know, straightforward.

The university I work for has psychology funded research PhD applications open until the 15th

Thanks for the replies, will keep looking!

You need to look at the Doctoral Training partnerships in your area at your chosen institution. I know applications for ours closed in early January for September 2018 start. But you may find project-related PhD funding - as well as FindaPhD, try jobs.ac.uk

Yes, look on FindaPhD and jobs.ac.uk, but bear in mind that neither are complete. Best to start with research groups or departments you're interested in and see what's advertised there from the point of view of studentships.

What field are you considering OP? Maybe we can offer some suggestions. If it is psychology I know some fun projects still taking applicants.

As Zaphod said, so do I, but in Humanities!

It’s in education.

Right now I’m feeling like it’s some kind of test: if you can find out how to get finding for your PhD, you have the skills to do a PhD

Do you know what? You're right. If you can't do the basic homework on where you want to study and who with and how to get funding, you'll find actual research a real struggle.

Sorry if that seems harsh, by the way.

Sorry OP. I wish I could edit that. It does read back as very harsh. I suppose I'm saying, in as nice as a way as possible, that PhDs are hard work, so this is a good test of the demands of tracking down information, sources, people, funding, and etc.

It was supposed to be a joke.

Most of the ESRC schemes from doctoral training colleges will be closed.

That said, there are always PhD studentships about on pre-decided topics associated with grants, and these can start any time of year, so keep on jobs.ac.uk and keep looking, also set up a Twitter account for work and follow lots of Education people, and they often tweet about good PhD opportunities as well as they want to get the best people.

You have to be realistic, in our uni we have probably 100's of applicants for a handful of ESRC or funding body applications. Yours would have to be outstanding and go through two or three rounds of scrutiny (departmental, college, doctoral college). I wouldn't depend on this in the slightest, don't tell yourself you will apply next year as it is hyper-competitive, have that as an option but not one of the only ones.

sorry to restart this thread but I came across it during a search.

I'm doing a distance learning Msc, due to graduate this year and hoping to progress onto a PhD, also distance learning due to disabilities. I'm in Scotland so some funding doesn't apply here.

I work full time though and I enjoy this job and don't want to leave (yet). Also my workplace do not offer the option to reduce hours. It's keep your hours or leave, and I can't afford to leave to study.

I am looking at the OU option, and study evenings/weekends/public holidays and using annual leave entitlement. This is pretty much what I'm doing with my masters. I'd do the OU over the 7 years. I know someone who did similar and had 2 babies during her PhD too!

however, the funding is the issue. My employer won't pay for study and I don't earn enough to afford to quit work and pay for the fees myself. I am also struggling to source funding. That new £25,000 loan does not apply in Scotland. Are there any other sources may be?