Edgar Graham Prize - PhD Development Studies

The Department of Development Studies is pleased to offer the Edgar Graham Prize this year. 

The Prize supports one full-funded PhD Scholarship for Students wishing to undertake doctoral research in the area of Development Studies. It aims to support groups that are currently underrepresented in the field of Development Studies, in particular Black (African, Afro-descendant and/or mixed race) students from the UK who wish to undertake a postgraduate (PhD/MPhil) research degree in Development Studies.

• One award will be given on for 3-years from September 2024.
• The award includes tuition fees at the Home/UK rate and a stipend of £2,500/year.

Eligible programmes

• Full-time PhD Development Studies
• Part-time PhD Development Studies
• New applicants (new admissions, starting in September 2024)
• Current Students 

Candidate criteria

• Open to home/UK students only.
• Any incoming full/part-time student in Development Studies.
• Applicants must have applied to the postgraduate research degree (PhD/MPhil) in Development Studies at SOAS by the time of application to the Prize 
• Applicants must have an offer of admission to the PhD programme in Development Studies before  the scholarship panel meets.
• Students should meet the conditions of their offer before their award is finalised.
• Please note that this scholarship does not cover funding or even allow for Pre-sessionals.

Candidate assessment

• Candidates will be assessed on their application to the Prize (Personal Statement) and academic merit based on the information provided in your application to study (Research Proposal) by a Selection Panel consisting of three academic members.

Notification of results

The scholarship shortlisting and awarding period is expected to completed by the end of June 2024, at the earliest. Successful candidates will be contacted first and once all awards have been allocated, the unsuccessful candidates will be notified.

Scholarship application deadline and application material

• Scholarship applications must be received by 12:00 PM (UK Local Time) on 30 April 2024 
• In order to be considered for the scholarship, you must have submitted:
  • an online application to the Edgar Graham Prize
  • a complete online application to the PhD programme in Development Studies.
• Please note that complete applications for admission can take up to 4 weeks to be considered by the Department, although this duration can vary depending on the time of year. You should be prepared to wait up to 6 weeks in busy periods. 
• Late or incomplete applications will not be considered. 

Scholarship application procedures

You must follow two steps:

Step 1

Apply for your programme. For guidance for applying for Research Admissions and information on what makes an application, please visit how to apply (research).

Step 2

Apply for the scholarship by 12:00 PM (UK local time) on 30 April 2024. You must apply for this scholarship via the online Edgar application form.