CHASE AHRC studentship scheme for Arts and Humanities Research (2025)

What you get

PhD studentships cover PhD fees (international or UK level) and a tax free maintenance allowance (currently £19,237) and support funding (for e.g. conferences, placements, research travel, training courses)

Type of award

PhD scholarship

Eligibility

CHASE AHRC studentships are for Arts and Humanities researchers. If your project falls within a Social Sciences discipline then you should apply to our SEDarc scholarship programme.  CHASE scholarships are open to UK and Overseas/International students as up to 30% of each cohort of students may be Overseas students . So we are now also able to offer a limited number of studentship awards to international candidates, including a stipend and full payment of international fees.

Our Admissions team will give a definitive answer of your Fee Status, but you count as a UK student if you are :

• a UK national who has been living in the UK or EU for the three years prior to starting your course;
• an EU national with Settled Status;
• an EU national with Pre-Settled status who has been living in the UK or EU for 3 years prior to starting your course;
• a student will Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK;
• an Irish National (due to a reciprocal agreement with the UK)

All other students (e.g. EU nationals moving to the UK to start their PhD) will count as Overseas students.

If you have already commenced doctoral study, you may still be eligible for an AHRC studentship funding providing that, at the start of the AHRC award on October 1st 2025, you have completed no more than 18 months full-time equivalent of your PhD.  For example a student who commenced in autumn 2024, will have completed 12 months and so could be awarded 2 years of funding, but a student who commenced in autumn 2023 will have completed 24 months by October 2025 and so would not be eligible.

Number of scholarships available

Last year CHASE awarded 57 scholarships across the consortium of 8 institutions. 

Each year, Sussex can nominate 17 candidates to the CHASE consortium selection panels and last year 7 Sussex applicants were awarded scholarships.

Deadline

How to apply

1. Choose your PhD degree. You must apply for a PhD in the Arts and Humanities to be eligible for the scholarship. See our PhD degrees.

2. Make contact with your potential supervisor to discuss your research area. See our guide on finding a supervisor.

3. Apply to Sussex using our online application system The deadline for the Sussex PhD application is 16th December 2024.  Find out how to apply to Sussex.

4. Indicate on your academic application form (Finance/Funding section) that you intend to apply for a CHASE scholarship.

5. If your application to study at Sussex is approved, we will send you a link to an online application form for the CHASE scholarship.

6. The application must be submitted in full, including your research proposal, supervisor statement and two references (incomplete applications will not be accepted).  The deadline for the online CHASE scholarship application is 27th January 2025.

Find out more about CHASE

Scholarship success stories

You can hear more from successful applicants and find out how to strengthen your proposal at our workshops:

A recording of this years CHASE online applicant workshop is available to view from the CHASE webpages 

PhD open evening Monday 21st October, 5pm-8.30pm, on-campus

Chase applicants webinars will be announced here: https://www.chase.ac.uk/apply 

Contact us

There are several steps to the selection process:

- each of the CHASE partner universities select 17 candidates to go forward to the consortium panels;

- the CHASE consortium panels assess and rank the selected candidates in March/April 2025

- the CHASE management board agrees a final ranked list in April 2025

- successful applicants are informed in late April 2025

Timetable

The timetable is as follows:

12 midday 16th December 2024- Deadline to apply for a PhD place to study at Sussex

12 midday 27th January 2025 - Deadline for candidates to complete the CHASE application form online

February/March 2025: Sussex selects its top 17 candidates and informs applicants whether they have been forwarded to the next stage

May 2025: Applicants informed of outcome agreed by CHASE consortium panels

Find out more about CHASE