Our Pathway awards offer applicants the opportunity to develop proposals for impactful social science research that engages with the key themes and challenges identified in our thematic interdisciplinary pathways. Pathway Awards fund candidates who have submitted their own research project, and successful students will be supervisors by a team of academic colleagues who share their subject expertise.
Assessment Criteria
For more information view the WRDTP Pathway, AQM and ADA Award Assessment Criteria.
WRDTP/Stuart Hall Foundation Awards for Black British students
Two WRDTP/Stuart Hall Foundation Awards for Black British students will be available in this year’s Pathway competition. More details on the application process can be found here.
- University of Bradford
- University of Hull
- University of Leeds
- Manchester Metropolitan University
- University of Sheffield
- Sheffield Hallam University
- University of York
University of Bradford
The University of Bradford is accredited to offer WRDTP studentships in the following departments/schools:
- Centre for Applied Dementia Studies, Faculty of Health Studies
- Faculty of Health Studies
- School of Archaeological and Forensic Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences
- School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences
- School of Management
More information about WRDTP Awards at the University of Bradford can be found on their website here.
University of Hull
The University of Hull is accredited to offer WRDTP studentships in the following departments/schools:
- Accounting, Finance & Economics, Hull Business School
- Management Systems, Hull Business School
- Organisational Behaviour & Human Resource Management, Hull Business School
- History, School of Humanities
- Human Geography, School of Environmental Sciences
- Criminology, School of Criminology, Sociology and Policing
- Education Studies, School of Education
- Psychology and Social Work, School of Psychology & Social Work
More information about WRDTP Awards at the University of Hull can be found on their website here.
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is accredited to offer WRDTP studentships in the following departments/schools:
- Leeds University Business School
- Institute of Health Sciences
- Institute for Transport Studies
- School of Computing
- School of Earth and Environment
- School of Education
- School of Geography
- School of Healthcare
- School of History
- School of Languages, Cultures and Societies
- School of Law
- School of Media and Communications
- School of Politics and International Studies
- School of Psychology
- School of Sociology and Social Policy
More information about WRDTP Awards at the University of Leeds can be found on their website here.
Manchester Metropolitan University
Manchester Metropolitan University is accredited to offer WRDTP studentships in the following departments/schools:
- Department of Social Care and Social Work
- Faculty of Education
- Research Centre for Applied Social Sciences
More information about WRDTP Awards at Manchester Metropolitan University can be found on their website here.
University of Sheffield
The University of Sheffield is accredited to offer WRDTP studentships in the following departments/schools:
- Department of Computer Science
- Department of Economics
- Department of Geography
- Department of History
- Department of Journalism Studies
- Department of Landscape
- Department of Politics and International Relations
- Department of Psychology
- Department of Sociological Studies
- Department of Urban Studies and Planning
- Division of Human Communication Sciences
- Information School
- Management School
- School of Architecture
- School of East Asian Studies
- School of Education
- School of Health and Related Research
- School of Languages and Culture
- School of English Language & Linguistics
- School of Law
- Sheffield Methods Institute
More information about WRDTP Awards at the University of Sheffield can be found on their website here.
Sheffield Hallam University
Sheffield Hallam University is accredited to offer WRDTP studentships in the following departments/schools:
- Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research
- Department of Natural and Built Environment
- Sheffield Institute of Education
- Academy of Sport and Physical Activity
More information about WRDTP Awards at Sheffield Hallam University can be found on their website here.
University of York
The University of York is accredited to offer WRDTP studentships in the following departments/schools:
- Department of Economics
- Department of Education
- Department of Health Sciences
- Department of History
- Department of Language and Linguistic Science
- Department of Politics
- Department of Psychology
- Department of Sociology
- Environment Department
- Law School
- School for Business and Society
More information about WRDTP Awards at the University of York can be found on their website here.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Am I eligible for a WRDTP studentship?
Please find all the details regarding our eligibility requirements in our WRDTP Pathway, AQM and Data Skills Awards – Guidance for Applicants.
How do I apply?
Applicants do not apply directly to the WRDTP for an award, but are instead nominated by their university. To be eligible for a WRDTP award, applicants must hold an offer for a PhD place in an eligible school or department, and must be intending to undertake a social sciences research project that is within the ESRC’s remit. Once you have applied to your university and have a PhD study offer, your department/school will decide whether to nominate you to the WRDTP for studentship funding.
You should therefore allow sufficient time to liaise with potential supervisors. You should also ensure that you observe any processes or deadlines that the individual department, school or university has in place for assessing applications. We recommend speaking to person responsible for PGR admissions in your chosen academic department at your preferred university – they will be best placed to advise you on their application processes.
If your department or school decides to nominate you for a studentship, you will be required to complete a WRDTP Studentship Application Form. Please note that this is a separate process, and is in addition to any form that you may have completed when applying for a place to study a PhD at your chosen university. Your department/school will the compile a nomination pack, and will submit this to the WRDTP for consideration by the specified deadline.
You can see a copy of the WRDTP Studentship Application Form here. Please note that we do not accept direct applications from candidates, and that all nominations should come from partner universities.
It is then assessed by the WRDTP’s Academic Quality Committee, and decisions will be shared with all applicants by the end of April. Please note that your institution’s Scholarships Team will communicate all decisions – the WRDTP will not contact you directly with the outcomes. Please also be aware that due to the number of applications we receive, we are unable to provide individualised feedback to unsuccessful applicants.
Applicant Information Sessions
This guidance session is for applicants who are interested in applying for a WRDTP Pathway, AQM and ADA Award. It was held online on 15 November 2023.
WRDTP Pathway, AQM, ADA Awards, 2023,Presentation for APPLICANTS
What is the deadline to apply?
Students must have submitted their application for a PhD study place by 17:00, 24 January 2024 in order to be considered for a WRDTP studentship.
PLEASE NOTE: Each of our partner universities have slightly different application systems, so depending on where you choose to apply, you may be asked to apply for studentship funding at the same time as your PhD application and via the same application form, or via a separate scholarships application system, or to apply for funding only after you have a study place confirmed. We strongly recommend checking with your chosen department/school to confirm your local application process, and any local deadlines.
The overall timeline for the WRDTP studentships competition can be found in our WRDTP Studentships 2024/25 – call for nominations (page 3).
What happens if I miss the deadline to apply?
Unfortunately, we cannot consider late applications. However, If you miss out on the deadline to apply for a WRDTP Pathway, Advanced Quantitative Methods (AQM) or Advanced Data Analytics (ADA) Award, but are still interested in undertaking a WRDTP-funded studentship, there are other opportunities to secure funding for a PhD.
In early Spring, we will be recruiting students to our WRDTP Collaborative Award projects – these studentships are designed by academic colleagues at our partner universities, and involve collaboration with an external (non-HE) partner. Further details will be unveiled on our WRDTP Collaborative Awards webpage in due course.
