Fully Funded AHRC Doctoral Landscape Award PhD Studentships 2027/28 at University of Sheffield, UK, open to School of Law (4 Studentships; Stipend £21,805 per year plus Tuition Fees)

The University of Sheffield has received an AHRC Doctoral Landscape Award (DLA) to support postgraduate researchers in its Faculty of Arts and Humanities. Applications for 2027/28 entry are open. The scheme supports four full PhD studentships per year, associated with the AHRC North/Northwest Hub in collaboration with nine other regional universities. Award holders join the DLA North/North West Hub cohort and are expected to take full part in cohort training and other activities.

• School of English
• School of History, Philosophy and Digital Humanities
• School of Languages, Arts and Societies
• School of Law

These are the four schools of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, which the Award supports. The scheme funds four studentships per year.

• Duration: 3.5 years (pro-rata for part-time study).
• Maintenance stipend at the UKRI rate, currently £21,805 in the 2026/27 academic year.
• Payment of tuition fees, Home or International as applicable.

• The scheme is not open to candidates who are already enrolled on a PhD.
• Up to one of the four studentships may be allocated to an outstanding international candidate. Overseas students are welcome to apply, but the University notes that competition for this place will be particularly intense.

• Part 1, study application: apply for a PhD place at the University of Sheffield through the online postgraduate application portal by Monday 14 December 2026.
• Part 2, funding application: once you have your 9-digit study application number, submit the AHRC DLA funding application on the University's Google Form by 5 PM GMT (10:30 PM IST) on Friday 19 February 2027. The form must be completed in one sitting.
• The University's guidance template (hosted as the brochure on this post) lists every question so you can prepare your answers in advance.

• Name of prospective supervisor, project title and a project summary (150 words).
• A detailed project proposal of 500 to 1,000 words excluding references, matching the proposal in your study application: questions or hypotheses, research methods, sources or data sets, relation to existing research, and the anticipated contribution to the discipline. The DLA reserves the right to reject overly long responses.
• How the project fits the expertise of your proposed supervisors, the School research culture and one or more Faculty research centres.
• Any fieldwork or archival visits and any partner organisations directly involved.
• Up to three qualifications, one qualification in progress, up to three relevant work experiences, up to five publications, up to five performances or presentations, and up to two competitive prizes or awards.

After the funding deadline, applications go to the relevant school for the first phase of assessment. Applicants selected by their school are nominated to a Faculty panel, which convenes in March 2027 to confirm the final selections. The University aims to notify all candidates of their final outcome by the end of March 2027.