Social Impact Scholarship

What we offer:

• £20,780 per year, tax free for 3.5 years (rising each year in line with the UKRI base rate)
• full UK fees
• a £1,200 training and support grant each year
• access to a vibrant interdisciplinary research community
• opportunities for public engagement, policy influence, and collaboration with civic partners
• support from Public Policy Southampton, a team dedicated to creating policy impact at the University.  You'll benefit from initiatives like their Policy Associates scheme, placements and secondments and dedicated training.

We welcome your application for research that has the potential to benefit communities, influence policy or address social challenges. The potential areas of research could be; 

• Health and wellbeing: Research that addresses public health challenges, mental health support, healthcare access, and innovations in ageing and older people’s care.
• Environment and sustainability: Projects focused on climate action, sustainable development, environmental justice, and biodiversity conservation.
• Social justice and inclusion: Exploring issues of race, migration, gender, LGBTQ+ rights, disability, poverty, and social welfare to promote equity and inclusion.
• Education and youth: Research into inclusive education, improving access and attainment, youth empowerment, and curriculum design for social impact.
• Policy, governance and law: Investigating human rights, democratic participation, legal reform, and the effectiveness of social and criminal justice systems.
• Economy and employment: Studies on social enterprise, labour market disparities, local economic development, and strategies for building resilient communities.  
• Arts, culture and heritage: Creative research that uses arts and culture to drive social change, preserve identity, and support wellbeing and advocacy. 
  

To be eligible for this scholarship you must have:

• a 2.1 or first class bachelors degree, or a master's at merit or distinction level

Candidates must hold a conditional offer of admission to the University of Southampton commencing their studies in September 2026.

If you have been working before you apply to study for a PhD, you will need to meet the University's criteria and good practice guidelines for accreditation of prior experiential and/or certificated learning.

We welcome applications from individuals from all backgrounds who are committed to using research as a tool for positive change. If your work seeks to make a real-world difference, we want to hear from you.

Before applying, you should read our guidance on How to apply for a research degree.

1. Find a potential PhD supervisor, view current PhD projects or create your own PhD proposal.
2. Apply for your chosen PhD course
3. Apply for the Social Impact scholarship

Deadline to apply for the social impact scholarship: Friday 27 March 2026.

This is a competitive process - not all applications will be successful. 
There are 3 stages to the shortlisting process: 
 

1. Eligibility: we check your application to make sure you meet the eligibility criteria.
2. Applications: we review your research degree and funding applications, to gain a complete picture of your academic qualifications and your motivations for undertaking a PhD.
3. Faculty selection panel review: our dedicated selection panel reviews your application and allocates funding.

The decision of the scholarship panel is final.

Contact us

If you have any questions, email: Doctoral-College@soton.ac.uk