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FAQs

Eligibility

ESRC studentships are open to both Home (UK) and International candidates.

The ESRC sets out residency requirements for the award of DTP studentships.

For more details see the eligibility page and Am I eligible for an ESRC studentship? on the ESRC website. 

No. ESRC funding is only offered to students wishing to undertake a Master's programme who will continue immediately to DPhil/PhD study upon completion of the Masters programme.

No. The funding cannot be awarded to Masters or PhD students who have already started their course. An application must be submitted alongside your University application for consideration.

However, if you are a current Masters level student you can submit a Grand Union DTP application with your PhD application to be considered for funding for this portion of your studies. 

You can find more details about applying here. 

Provided your proposed project fits within the ESRC Remits and you are applying for an ESRC accredited eligible programme, you are able to apply for Grand Union DTP funding alongside your course application. 

There are options available to those looking to study part-time.

Part-time study must be for a minimum of 0.5 FTE. The value and duration of the studentship is adjusted on a pro-rata basis for part-time students.

You can find further details on our Studentships page.

 

 

Other questions

Please see the How to Apply section on the website for the different application deadlines.

If you intend to make use of quantitative methodology that is considered advance for your field, then you should review the Steered Awards guidance and complete the AQM section on the Grand Union DTP Application Form.

If you intend to use large and complex data in your research, then you should review the Steered Awards guidance and complete the Data Skills section on the Grand Union DTP Application Form.

If your intended research is interdisciplinary and it straddles the social sciences and other research council remits, you should review the Steered Awards guidance and complete the Interdisciplinary research section on the Grand Union DTP Application Form. 

These details and your research proposal will be reviewed by your pathway. If you are selected for nomination for an award and it is felt that your research meets the criteria for one of these subject areas, they will highlight this on their nomination form. 

No - the funding competition and course applications are two separate processes. You may be unsuccessful in the ESRC Grand Union DTP studentships competition, but still be offered a course place. However, if you are unsuccessful in the course application stage, you will not be considered for Grand Union DTP funding.

It isn't possible to hold two awards concurrently for the same purpose, so if you receive separate funding then your DTP award would normally be adjusted accordingly. 

Students should not be overcommitted during the period of their award. Full-time ESRC
studentship award holders cannot hold either a full-time job, permanent part-time job or temporary role for an extended period, during the period of their award. Part-time ESRC studentship award holders cannot hold a full-time job.
For more details see the ESRC postgraduate funding guide on the ESRC website.

The Grand Union DTP Studentships Panel will consider the information provided on the pathway nomination form, Grand Union DTP Application Form, and University application materials.
For more details see the Application Assessment on the website.

Our data protection statement provides information on how your data is used by the Grand Union DTP. Please click here to view the statement.

If your application for ESRC funding is successful, you will receive an offer letter from the DTP from early April. Further offers will be made as reserve places become available.

Due to the volume of applications received, unsuccessful applicants will not be notified on the outcome of their application by the DTP.

All GUDTP awards include time for a compulsory 3-month Research in Practice placement.
For more information, please visit the Placement Overview on the website.

Further information will be available from the department that offers the course of study to which you are applying. In addition, you can send any queries that you may have to granduniondtp@socsci.ox.ac.uk.