PhD scholarships and research funding abroad
Doctoral study is the best-funded level abroad, and the route to it is different: funding usually runs through a supervisor and their grant rather than through a scholarships office. The approach is academic rather than administrative.
At a glance
| Awards we list in this group | 10 |
|---|
The supervisor is the funding route
- Identify researchers whose work genuinely overlaps yours — not just the department.
- Read two or three of their recent papers properly.
- Write to them with a specific proposal, not a general enquiry.
- Ask directly whether funded positions exist in their group.
A generic email to twenty academics produces nothing. One specific email to three who work on your problem is how funded doctoral places are actually found.
The structures that fund doctorates
- Assistantships in the US — teaching or research, usually with a tuition waiver and stipend.
- Research Training Program places in Australia, covering fees and often a stipend.
- Commonwealth PhD funding for eligible countries.
- Funded positions in Europe, where doctoral researchers are frequently employed on a salary rather than enrolled as students.
The European model matters: in several countries a PhD is a job with a contract, social security and a salary, not a course with fees. That is a different financial proposition from anything in the UK or US.
Doctoral awards we list
10 awards, each with its own deadline, eligibility and the source we read it from.
PhD scholarships — FAQs
2 questions
Often it is fully funded, and in parts of Europe doctoral researchers are employed on a salary. It is the best-funded level of study abroad.
For most research funding, yes. The funding usually sits with a supervisor or a project rather than with a central office.
Want help shortlisting? A counsellor matches your marks, course and budget to the awards you can actually win — free.
Sources
Checked against these sources on 1 October 2026.