Scholarship and Funding Opportunities

Please note that, for all awards, you must have already applied for and accepted an offer of a place on one of the relevant programmes.

For “1+3” applications (MA followed by PhD), you must apply for the PhD programme AT LEAST one month before the funding application deadline in order to allow time for your application to be processed. For example, if you are applying for ESRC funding, deadline 1st Feb 2023, you must have applied for a PhD place by 1st Jan 2023.

Daffodils on campus in spring

Economic and Social Research Council Studentships (NWSSDTP)

Lancaster University forms part of the ESRC's North West Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership (NWSSDTP). Each year, around 60 studentships are awarded across the four institutions that make up the partnership for research in areas covered by the ESRC.

  • Deadline: 1st Feb 2023
  • PhD application deadline: 1st Jan 2023

Eligibility

Funding is available to support students eligible for Home or International fees. Please visit the websites of the North West Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership (https://nwssdtp.ac.uk/) and UKRI (https://www.ukri.org/) for further details regarding eligibility criteria.

Schemes

  • 1+3 Scheme (Master's Degree followed by PhD)
  • +3 Scheme (PhD only)

Further Details

ESRC Studentships
Alex Square

Lancaster Master's Scholarship

Lancaster University is delighted to announce that we will offer a generous scholarship to students who are liable for Home tuition fees. The scholarship is awarded as a tuition fee waiver for Postgraduate Taught programmes, for 2023 entry and will be automatically awarded if students meet the eligibility criteria and terms and conditions outlined in the link below.

Deadline: TBC

Eligibility: You must be classed as a UK student or eligible for support from Student Finance England

Schemes: Postgraduate taught students

Lancaster Master's Scholarship
students in seminar

Departmental MA scholarships (Fees only)

The Department offers one 'fees-only' bursary for students wishing to study for a Master's on any of our MA programmes, including both campus-based and by-distance programmes. The recipient will need to meet their general living expenses themselves.

Deadline: 26th May 2023

MA application deadline: 26th April 2023

Eligibility: Open to UK applicants only.

Applications should be made on the appropriate Scholarship Application Form and should be sent to postgraduatelinguistics@lancaster.ac.uk.

Award criteria: The scholarships will be awarded on a competitive basis. Candidates for a scholarship will be ranked based on the following criteria:

  1. Academic ability (as evidenced by academic record and references)
  2. Suitability for the programme applied for
  3. Commitment to scholarship in the relevant field(s)
  4. Potential for contribution to scholarship and society more generally

Geoffrey Leech Departmental MA scholarship (Fees only)

This scholarship for MA study was originally set up by the Department of Linguistics and English Language at Lancaster to mark the retirement of Professor Geoffrey Leech, who sadly died in August 2014. The scholarship continues thanks to a bequeathment left by Professor Leech. Geoff Leech was one of our most eminent and long-serving colleagues and was internationally renowned for his pioneering work in modern English grammar, stylistics, pragmatics and corpus linguistics. As co-author of the Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language and the Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written English, he was and remains one of the foremost authorities on the English language. The scholarship is for study on any of our MA programmes, both campus-based and by distance. The recipient will need to meet their general living expenses themselves.

Deadline: 24th Feb 2023

MA application deadline: 24th Jan 2023

Eligibility: Open to UK applicants only.

How to Apply: Applications should be made on the appropriate Scholarship Application Form and should be sent to postgraduatelinguistics@lancaster.ac.uk.

Award criteria

The scholarships will be awarded on a competitive basis. Candidates for a scholarship will be ranked based on the following criteria:

  1. Academic ability (as evidenced by academic record and references)
  2. Suitability for the programme applied for
  3. Commitment to scholarship in the relevant field(s)
  4. Potential for contribution to scholarship and society more generally
  5. Financial need. Please include enough detail about your financial situation to allow the Department to assess your need. All applications will be treated confidentially.
students on grass
students on bench

Lancaster Global Scholarship

Lancaster University is delighted to announce that we will offer a generous scholarship to high-achieving students from all international countries, who are liable for International tuition fees. The scholarship is awarded as a tuition fee waiver for Undergraduate and Postgraduate Taught programmes for 2023 entry and will be automatically awarded if students meet the eligibility criteria and terms and conditions outlined in the link below.

Deadline: TBC

Eligibility: International students

Schemes: Undergraduate or postgraduate taught students

Lancaster Global Scholarship
tulips in alex square

The Peel Trust Studentship

The Peel Studentship Trust was established in 1964, by donations from the Dowager Countess Eleanor Peel Trust. The awards are available for the support of students for first or higher degrees, in any subject. The period of the award is one academic year, although students can apply each year.

Deadline: tbc

Scholarships and Bursaries
students outside lecture theatre

Alumni loyalty scholarship

Lancaster University will offer a reduction in tuition fees to all taught master's programmes for eligible applicants, determined by the level of undergraduate or postgraduate award achieved.

You do not need to apply for this scholarship, you will qualify automatically if you meet the eligibility criteria and the course entry requirements.

Alumni Loyalty Scholarship
Ducks on campus

Postgraduate Loan Scheme

In November 2015 the UK Government introduced a postgraduate loan scheme. A Postgraduate Master's Loan can help with course fees and living costs while you study a postgraduate master’s course.

For full details visit Master's Loan Scheme.