Black Futures Scholarship
For talented Black and Mixed-Black heritage UK students who want to pursue a PhD at Southampton.
Key information
- Funding type
- Full tuition fee
- Total value
- £21,805 plus annual £1200 training and support grant
- Application deadline
- 26/02/2027
- Eligibility
- Black and Mixed-Black heritage UK students who want to pursue a PhD at Southampton
Overview
The Black Futures scholarship is intended to support talented Black and Mixed-Black heritage UK students who want to pursue a PhD at Southampton.
What you get
- Full UK tuition fees, up to £21,805
- £1200 training and support grant each year
Deadline
Friday 26 February 2027
Eligibility
To get this scholarship you must:
- be a UK resident
- qualify for UK tuition fees
- have applied for a PhD project in one of our faculties
You must also be from one of these backgrounds:
- Black or Black British - African
- Black or Black British - Caribbean
- Black or Black British - another Black background
- Mixed - White and Black Caribbean
- Mixed - White and Black African
- Mixed - Black African, Black Caribbean or another Black background
These categories are defined by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). The University must use these categories to enable reporting, however we recognise their inherent limitations.
How to apply
This is a competitive process and not all applications will be successful. Due to the competitive nature of this scholarship we encourage you to apply early.
Before applying, you should read our guidance on How to Apply for a Research Degree.
- Identify the PhD project you want to apply for
You can choose from our current projects or create your own proposal.
- Apply online for your chosen project
- Submit an application for the Black Futures Scholarship Scheme
In the application you will be asked to answer 3 questions:
- describe what motivates you to do a PhD (250 – 400 words)
- describe your skills and background that are relevant to the PhD you are applying for (250 – 400 words)
- describe how a PhD will support your future goals and/or career aspirations (250 – 400 words)
How we award scholarships
This is a competitive process and not all applications will be successful.
There are 4 stages to the shortlisting process:
- we check your application to make sure you meet the eligibility criteria
- we review your research degree and funding applications, to gain a complete picture of your academic qualifications and your motivations for undertaking a PhD
- our diverse selection panel, who understand the challenges faced by Black students, review your application
The decision of the scholarship panel is final.