Application FAQs

What social science pathways does SeNSS offer?

SeNSS offers doctoral training across thirteen social science Pathways:

Business and Management Studies (offered by City, UEA, Essex, Kent, Reading, Royal Holloway, Surrey, and Sussex);

Development Studies (offered by UEA, Reading, Royal Holloway, Surrey, and Sussex);

Economics (offered by City, UEA, Essex, Reading, Royal Holloway, Surrey, and Sussex);

Education (offered by UEA, Goldsmiths, Reading, Roehampton, and Sussex);

Human Geography (offered by UEA, Reading, Royal Holloway, and Sussex);

Linguistics (offered by UEA, Essex, Kent, Reading, and Surrey);

Politics and International Relations (offered by UEA, Essex, Kent, Reading, Royal Holloway, and Sussex);

Psychology (offered by UEA, Essex, Goldsmiths, Kent, Reading, Royal Holloway and Sussex);

Science, Technology, and Sustainability Studies (offered by UEA, Kent, Surrey, and Sussex);

Social Anthropology (offered by UEA, Goldsmiths, Kent, Roehampton, and Sussex);

Social Work and Social Policy (offered by UEA, Kent, and Sussex);

Socio-Legal Studies (offered by UEA, Essex, Kent, Reading and Sussex); and

Sociology (offered by City, Essex, Goldsmiths, Kent and Sussex).

What does a SeNSS studentship consist of?

Studentships include the following for the duration of the award:

• fees: neither home nor international students will have to pay any university tuition fees whatsoever for the duration of their funded studentship award. Instead, these fees are paid directly to your home university;

• a tax-free maintenance stipend (salary) to cover students' living costs which, for the 2022-23 academic year, is set at £17,668 per year. For those studying at universities based in London, there is an additional £2,000 per year (termed "London Weighting"), given that the cost of living is higher for those living in London. Those who are not studying at a London-based university, but who still choose to live in London, will not receive the London Weighting payment;

• access to research training support funds (up to a maximum of £3,500 over the lifetime of the studentship award); and,

• access to other funds for costs generated by activities such as overseas and UK fieldwork, overseas institutional visits, language training, placements/internships etc.

Can I study part-time?

Absolutely! Unless there is a very good reason for not supporting this, all studentships are offered on a full-time and part-basis.

Residential eligibility: how do I know if I am a "home" or "international" applicant?

All SeNSS studentships are open to both "home" and "international" applicants. The full guidance is available here

In summary, to be classed as a home student, applicants must fall within one of the following four categories:

• Be a UK national (meeting residency requirements), or
• Have settled status, or
• Have pre-settled status (meeting residency requirements), or
• Have indefinite leave to remain or enter.

Applicants on British National (Overseas) visae are classed as home students, provided they fulfil the residency requirements.

If applicants do not come within one of these categories, they will be classed as international students. Please note that SeNSS is limited by the ESRC to awarding approximately 10-12 studentships to international applicants each year, all of which are fully-funded.

Am I eligible, academically speaking, to apply for a SeNSS studentship?

SeNSS encourages applications from applicants with research interests in the 13 SeNSS Pathways. Applicants must hold the academic qualifications required for entry to their chosen doctoral programme or equivalent professional experience.

Please note that a Masters degree is not a prerequisite for applying for a SeNSS studentship. A range of training programmes is available based on an assessment of the applicant’s prior learning and training needs, including a combination of Masters and doctoral study (the 1+3, 2+2 or +4 models) for those without prior postgraduate qualifications.

Applicants wishing to apply for a 1+3, 2+2 or +4 should normally possess (or are expected to achieve by the date they take up their studentship) a Bachelors degree with Honours from a recognised university (or equivalent). However, applicants could still meet these requirements by having satisfactorily completed one academic year of full-time study or two years' part-time study towards a UK higher degree.

Applicants wishing to apply for a +3 award must normally have successfully completed (or expect to achieve by the date on which they start their studentship) an appropriate research training Masters degree or equivalent assessed training or demonstrably equivalent professional experience. If applicants are unsure as to whether their Masters degree or professional experience meets these requirements, they should discuss this with their proposed primary supervisor in the first instance.

I do not have a Masters degree. May I apply for a SeNSS studentship?

You do not need a Masters degree in order to apply for a SeNSS studentship. In fact, SeNSS positively encourages applications from talented students holding undergraduate degrees only, and has ring-fenced 12 studentships for such applicants. If your application to SeNSS is successful, you will receive financial support to do your Masters degree, based on an assessment of your prior training and learning needs.

I have already started my PhD. Can I apply for a SeNSS studentship?

Yes, you may apply for a SeNSS student-led studentship if you have already started your studies. However, to be eligible for funding, you will need to have at least 50% of your period of study remaining at the point at which you would take up your award (usually 1 October).

However, if you have started a PhD which is a 2+2 or +4 degree, you can only apply for SeNSS funding if that degree is on our list of compliant PhDs. This list is available here:

If you have already started your PhD, you cannot apply for a SeNSS collaborative studentship, unless you abandon your current PhD, and start afresh with a collaborative studentship. This is because these studentships are linked to specific research projects, for which you will need the full three years' of study, and possibly some additional training.

If you have already started your PhD and are successful in being awarded a studentship, you will be funded for the time remaining on your +3 PhD. There is one exception to this: if you have not already completed the research methods training the ESRC requires you to have completed, you may be offered an additional term (+.25) or two terms' (+.5) funding to complete this training.

I have already started my Masters degree. Can I apply for a SeNSS studentship?

Yes, you can, but only under very specific circumstances:

• You must have at least 50% of your Masters degree still to complete (either one year of part-time studies, or 6 months of full-time study) at the point at which you would take up your award (usually 1 October); AND
• Your Masters degree must be on the SeNSS compliant degrees list; AND
• As SeNSS does not fund Masters degrees only, you must be applying to complete your Masters to be followed by a PhD.
• Please note that, in these circumstances, you will be funded for the remainder of your Masters degree and three years of PhD study. You will not be reimbursed for that period of your Masters degree you have already completed.

How do I decide which structure of studentship to apply for (1+3, +3, 2+2, +4)?

Many applicants going into postgraduate study for the first time will not have met any of the ESRC's research methods training requirements, and so will be applying for a SeNSS compliant Masters followed by a PhD (1+3 route), or the SeNSS compliant integrated Masters and PhD routes (2+2 or +4). All their training requirements will be met through these routes.

Alternatively, you might have done some post-graduate studies already and/or have professional/work experience which means that you may meet some, but possibly not all, of the ESRC's research methods training requirements. SeNSS has developed specific guidance for which structure of studies to apply for. To read this guidance, please click here. If, after reading this advice you are still not sure which structure of studentship you should apply for, please complete the SeNSS research methods training compliance “calculator”, which is available here. On completing it, you will be advised as to which structure of studies to apply for. However, please share the results of the calculator with your proposed supervisor and discus these with them, as the calculator is provided for guidance only.

In addition, to be absolutely sure that you are applying for the correct studentship structure, the SeNSS application form requires you to set out and evidence the training you have undertaken to date, whether this be through university or other studies, or professional experience. If you are successful in your application for a studentship, SeNSS will use this information to make a final decision as to which structure of studentship to offer you to ensure that your research methods training is compliant with ESRC. For example, if you have completed about half of the required research methods training before taking up your studentship, you may be offered +3.5 years of funding, so that you can spend the first six months (+.5) bringing your research training up to the required level.

How will my application be assessed?

There are three review phases in our student-led studentship competition: first, your application will be assessed by your chosen university. Second, if you are successful in the first round, your application will be put forward for consideration by a panel of experts in your discipline. Third, the SeNSS Management Board will discuss and approve the final studentship awards.

You will be advised at each step in this process whether or not you have been successful at that particular competition phase. If your application is short-listed for award at the SeNSS Management Board phase, you will be advised by email by the middle of April whether you have been awarded a studentship.

Unsuccessful applicants will be provided with some constructive feedback. However, SeNSS is not be able to provide in-depth feedback due to the number of applications we receive.

What happens if my application for a SeNSS studentship is successful?

If you are awarded a SeNSS studentship, you will be contacted by email, by the middle of April with an informal offer. You will be asked to indicate whether you will accept this studentship. Thereafter, you will receive a formal offer letter from SeNSS, and you will have around a week to decide whether to formally accept this offer.

What happens if my application for a SeNSS studentship is unsuccessful?

You will be advised of the outcome of your application as soon as the SeNSS Management Board has made its final decision on the allocation of studentships or, if your application is deemed unsuccessful in an earlier assessment round, you will be advised of this by the end of March each year.

If you have been unsuccessful, you are welcome to apply again the following year, as long as you still meet the eligibility requirements.

Unsuccessful applicants will be provided with some constructive feedback. However, SeNSS is not be able to provide in-depth feedback due to the number of applications we receive.

I've read all the FAQs on this page, and cannot find the answer to my question. What should I do?

In the first instance, talk to your proposed primary supervisor. If you have not yet identified a primary supervisor, please contact your proposed home university's SeNSS Administrative Lead, who will support you in identifying someone to approach to act as your supervisor.

If you have talked to your supervisor, and they have been unable to help you, get in touch with your proposed home university's SeNSS Administrative Lead, who may be able to assist you, or put you in touch with someone who can.

If your supervisor and your Administrative Lead are unable to help you, please email the SeNSS core team at admin@senss-dtp.ac.uk for advice.