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University of St Andrews Postgraduate Research Scholarships 2027: Fully Funded Opportunity

University of St Andrews Postgraduate Research Scholarships

A research degree at the University of St Andrews is not cheap, and it is not short. Three or four years of fees, rent in a small coastal town, and the cost of actually doing the work can turn a strong academic plan into a financial gamble. The University of St Andrews Postgraduate Research Scholarships 2027 exist to cut that risk. They are a single application route into a pool of awards that can cover up to full tuition fees and an annual stipend for new research students starting in 2027 or early 2028.

The window is already fixed. Applications open on Wednesday 19 August 2026 and close on Wednesday 20 January 2027. Outcomes are released in the week beginning Monday 29 March 2027. If you want funding for a PhD, MPhil, or other research degree at Scotland’s oldest university, that January date is the one that matters.

This guide covers who the awards are for, what they pay, which programmes qualify, and the exact order of steps so you do not miss the portal.

Scholarship Summary

  • Host Country: United Kingdom (Scotland)
  • Host University: University of St Andrews
  • Scholarship Category: Masters Scholarships / PhD Scholarships
  • Eligible Country: All Countries
  • Scholarship Benefits: Full Tuition Fee, Living Stipend, etc.
  • Scholarship Deadline: Wednesday 20 January 2027

Why These Scholarships Matter for 2027 Entry

St Andrews sits on the Fife coast and consistently ranks among the UK’s leading research universities. Competition for places is real. Competition for money is sharper. The Postgraduate Research Scholarships scheme is the university’s main internal route for new research students. Many of the awards inside it are funded by alumni and friends of the university, which is why the rules on donor reporting and events sit alongside the academic criteria.

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One application covers the relevant awards in the scheme. If the university adds further scholarships after you submit, you are considered for any new award you are eligible for. You do not file again.

A separate, fully funded route sits alongside this scheme: the St Leonard’s College World-Leading Doctoral Scholarships. For 2027-2028 entry the Graduate School is offering twelve of those awards (six on supervisor-defined projects and six student-led). The student-led deadline is also Wednesday 20 January 2027. Treat the two routes as parallel, not interchangeable.

What The University of St Andrews Postgraduate Research Scholarships 2027 Actually Pay

The published value is up to full tuition fees plus an annual stipend set by the university. Individual awards differ. Some cover fees only. Some add a partial stipend. Some are full fee-and-stipend packages. You are assessed against the awards you are eligible for, not against a single fixed package.

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The university’s full stipend rate for 2026-2027 is £20,467. That figure applies to fully funded, university-administered research stipends and took effect from 1 September 2026. The 2027-2028 rate will be reviewed later in 2026, with confirmation expected by the end of December 2026. Once set, that rate normally holds for the duration of your studies unless your school notifies an uplift.

Stipends are scholarships, not salaries, and are not taxed as employment income. Most awards run for the fee-paying length of the research programme. Continuation periods and extensions are normally excluded.

For context on cost, the university’s 2026-2027 postgraduate research cost-of-attendance example lists tuition around £23,927 and total estimated attendance near £46,640 before visa and immigration health surcharge costs for international entrants. Home research fees are far lower and are set in line with UKRI rates. Exact fees depend on school and year. Check the research fees tables before you model a budget: https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/fees/research/

The stipend rate page is here: https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/study/scholarships/pg-stipend-rate/

See Also:

Who Can Apply

Geographical criteria are unrestricted. Scotland home, Rest of UK, and Overseas fee-status applicants can all be considered. Nationality alone does not bar you.

You must be a prospective student who has applied for a postgraduate research programme, or a current student moving from a one-year taught Master’s into the research year in 2027-2028. Current first-year students on the PhD with Integrated Studies in TESOL may apply for funding from the second year. New entrants to the first, taught year of that iPhD are not eligible and should look at the St Leonard’s Masters Scholarship instead.

Eligible programme types:

  • PhD
  • MPhil
  • MSc (Res)
  • MSt (Res)
  • EngD
  • MFA

Some named awards inside the scheme are limited to specific subjects or programme types. Mode of study is full-time or part-time daytime.

Programme start dates that qualify are August 2027, September 2027, October 2027, January 2028, and May 2028.

Schools and departments covered include Art History, Biology, Chemistry, Classics, Computer Science, Divinity, Earth and Environmental Sciences, English, Film Studies, Geography and Sustainable Development, the Graduate School, History, International Relations, Mathematics and Statistics, Medicine, Modern Languages, Philosophy, Physics and Astronomy, Psychology and Neuroscience, Social Anthropology, and the Business School. Subject rules still vary by award, so read the individual scholarship pages once they are listed.

How Selection Works

Assessment is based on academic merit, research potential, and wider achievement. Some awards are also means-tested. If you want to be considered for need-based scholarships, you must enter gross annual household income in GBP, with an exchange rate if your income is in another currency, plus context on your circumstances. The university provides a household income guide inside the application. If you withhold income information, you will not be eligible for the financial-need awards. Merit-only awards can still be considered.

Supporting documents requested with the scholarship form:

  • University transcripts, including interim transcripts for degrees still in progress
  • A research proposal (or the same proposal already used in your course application)
  • A curriculum vitae

If your course application did not require a proposal, upload a personal statement that explains why you are applying and what you intend to research. Mathematics and Statistics PhD applicants should follow that School’s application guidance for the statement.

Donor-funded awards carry extra conditions. Core details (name, town of origin, school, and subject) may be shared with benefactors with your consent. Attendance at development events is strongly encouraged. You will be asked for an introductory biography and an annual report for donors.

How to Apply Before 20 January 2027

Order matters. The scholarship form sits inside the applicant portal, and the portal login arrives only after the course application.

  1. Apply for the research programme that matches the scholarship rules. Use the postgraduate research admissions route: https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/research/
  2. Wait up to three working days for My Application login details.
  3. Log in, open Scholarships and Funding, and search for University of St Andrews Postgraduate Research Scholarships.
  4. Upload transcripts, proposal or statement, and CV. Complete the household income section if you want need-based awards.
  5. Submit before Wednesday 20 January 2027.

You do not need an offer of a place before you apply for the scholarship. You do need to have submitted the course application. Outcomes appear on My Application by late March 2027, in the week beginning 29 March.

The World-Leading Doctoral Scholarships, and Why the Same Date Appears Twice

Do not assume the Postgraduate Research Scholarships form also enters you for the World-Leading scheme. The St Leonard’s College World-Leading Doctoral Scholarships are fully funded (tuition and stipend) and aimed at exceptional doctoral applicants in areas of strategic importance to the university. For 2027-2028 there are six student-led awards, deadline Wednesday 20 January 2027, and six supervisor-led project awards expected to be published early in 2027.

Student-led details: https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/study/scholarships/scholarships-catalogue/postgraduate-scholarships/world-leading-scholarships-student-led/

If your profile is very strong and your project fits a strategic area, apply to both routes where the rules allow. External funders (UKRI doctoral landscape awards, China Scholarship Council, Fulbright, Marshall, and others) are separate competitions with their own deadlines.

What a Competitive Application Looks Like

Selectors are reading for a project that can be supervised at St Andrews and a record that shows you can finish it. Practical signals that help:

  • A proposal that names a question, a method, and why St Andrews is the right place, not a generic literature review
  • Transcripts that show the relevant preparation, with interim results if the degree is unfinished
  • A CV that records research experience, publications, fieldwork, or professional practice where it exists
  • A supervisor conversation before you apply, so the proposal is not written in a vacuum
  • Clean income figures if you want the means-tested awards

Part-time daytime applicants are eligible, but you should confirm with the School that the project and any stipend conditions fit part-time study. International applicants should also budget for visa costs and the immigration health surcharge even if fees and stipend are covered. Those charges sit outside most scholarship packages.

Dates Worth Putting in a Calendar

  • Wednesday 19 August 2026: scholarship applications open
  • Wednesday 20 January 2027: Postgraduate Research Scholarships close
  • Wednesday 20 January 2027: student-led World-Leading Doctoral Scholarships close
  • End of December 2026: expected confirmation of the 2027-2028 stipend rate
  • Week of Monday 29 March 2027: scholarship notifications

Start dates that the research scholarship covers run from August 2027 through May 2028. A January or May start does not remove the January 2027 funding deadline.

Common Mistakes That Cost the Award

Applying for the scholarship before the course application is submitted. The portal login depends on that first step, and the instructions are explicit: apply for the award after you have submitted your application for a place.

Uploading a proposal that does not match the School’s format. If you already submitted one with the course application, reuse it. If the School did not ask for one, use a focused personal statement rather than leaving the field thin.

Skipping the income section and then wondering why need-based awards were not offered. Withholding the figures opts you out of that part of the scheme.

Treating the iPhD TESOL first year as eligible. It is not. Those entrants are pointed to the St Leonard’s Masters Scholarship.

Waiting for an offer before starting the funding form. Offers are not required. The January deadline will not move for a late admissions decision.

Is a St Andrews Research Degree Worth Funding This Way?

For applicants who already have a supervisor fit and a project that belongs in one of the listed schools, this is one of the cleaner internal funding routes in the UK. A single form, open nationality rules, and awards that can reach full fees plus a stipend near the UKRI level make it worth the paperwork. It is not a guarantee. The pool is competitive, values vary, and external doctoral funding can be larger or more predictable in some fields.

Use the official catalogue as the final source. Named awards inside the scheme are updated, and new ones can appear after you apply. The pages linked above are the ones that will show those changes.

If your start date is August, September, or October 2027, treat August 2026 as the moment to have the course application ready, and 20 January 2027 as the date the funding file must be in.

Official pages:

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