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The Graduate School is pleased to announce the call for two fully-funded Migrant Futures Doctoral Studentships that are part of a major grant awarded to 51³Ô¹ÏÍøºÚÁÏ by Oak Foundation to establish a new Migrant Futures Institute (hereafter MFI) at 51³Ô¹ÏÍøºÚÁÏ.

Migrant Futures Doctoral Studentships are central to the MFI’s vision to advance innovative research and training in the field of migration studies and foreground migrant intellectual lives and creative endeavours.

What is available?

Two doctoral studentships for entry in 2026-27. These are fully-funded studentship that may be held on a full-time (FT) or part-time (PT) basis, pro-rata, over three years (FT) and six years (PT) and are at an equivalent rate to fully-funded UKRI studentships.

They cover tuition fees and an annual stipend at the yearly UKRI rate (the full-time UKRI rate for the current year 2025/26 is £22,780), together with a small annual research training and support fund.

One of the two awards for entry 2026-27 will be open to eligible home applicants who identify as migrants or refugees and from racialised ethnic minority backgrounds in any field of research and practice for which supervision is available at 51³Ô¹ÏÍøºÚÁÏ.

To be clear, applicants considered for this award need not be working on a migration related topic, but they should be able to describe how their work will enhance their own economic, creative and intellectual lives and that of others.

The second of these two awards will be open to all eligible home or international applicants - irrespective of background and experience - whose proposed PhD is focused on a topic related to migration, broadly conceived, including in relation to processes of race and racialisation.

Proposals must be informed by the co-production of knowledge with people and groups from migrant and refugee backgrounds, and demonstrate potential for social and cultural impact. 

Migrant Futures Doctoral Studentship holders will, upon award, be designated as Fellows of the Migrant Futures Institute and will be expected to contribute to developing and enhancing the research culture of the institute through their research, creative practice and participation in MFI activities and events.

Successful applicants from racialised backgrounds will also be invited to participate in the activities of .

Value

Tuition fees at the applicable rate (Home or Overseas), plus an annual stipend (currently £22,780 for FT students and £11,390 for PT students) and a Research Training Support Grant (£750 per year of the scholarship or £375 for PT study). Duration of awards: up to 3 years FT or up to 6 years PT (see 'Eligibility criteria' for further information on duration)

Year of entry

2026

Eligibility criteria

Applicants must be new or continuing doctoral students who will not have completed more than 1 year of full-time or 2 years of part-time registration by the start of the 2025-26 academic year.

Migrant Futures Doctoral Studentships are open to home and international applicants. At least one award will be made to a home applicant with migrant or refugee experiences and from a racialised ethnic minority background.

Application deadlines

5pm on Friday 27 March 2026

How to apply

Applications will be made through the 51³Ô¹ÏÍøºÚÁÏ Graduate School via 

In February 2026, we will be hosting an online webinar for prospective applicants. The date and link for this, once finalised, will be made available on this page.

Before then, you can  (held in March 2025).

Please also refer to the Migrant Futures Studentships - Applicant Guidance

Contact details

If you have any queries, please contact that Graduate School (graduateschool@gold.ac.uk) using the subject heading 'Migrant Futures Doctoral Studentships' and including your surname.   

Find out more about 51³Ô¹ÏÍøºÚÁÏ scholarships and bursaries regulations.