Scholarships and funding
The University and Edinburgh Law School offer a range of scholarships for our research degrees. There are also a selection of external funding opportunities that you may be eligible to apply to. Scholarship and funding opportunities listed on this web page are for entry in the 2026-27 academic year.
If you are intending to apply for a scholarship offered by the Law School or University we advise applying to your programme (PhD or LLM by Research) at least two weeks before the scholarship closing date.
Scholarship opportunities will be added to this web page once they are confirmed.
Edinburgh Law School offers a number of full PhD studentships, one of which is provided through a generous bequest from alumnus Ewen Cameron in his name.
These scholarships will pay tuition fees and an annual stipend in line with UKRI rates (approximately £20,780 per annum). The stipend will be paid in equal monthly instalments for a maximum of three years, subject to satisfactory progress. Awards will be paid pro-rata for part-time candidates.
Eligibility
Candidates for these scholarships must be seeking to start their first year of full-time or part-time PhD study in Edinburgh Law School within the academic year 2026/27 (i.e. either September 2026 or January 2027 entry). UK and international students are eligible to apply. Please note that international students who require visa sponsorship are not eligible for part-time study.
To be considered for these scholarships, you must meet our standard minimum entry requirements. The successful candidates normally exceed these requirements, having obtained the highest classification in at least one of their degrees, and provide a strong research proposal which has a close fit with research within the School.
When making our decisions we will consider the applicant’s academic achievements, research proposal, fit with our research expertise, and the degree of support provided by references. We will not take into account factors such as financial status and nationality.
Successful applicants will be expected to firmly accept the offer when the results of the application process are announced. Candidates who already have an offer of financial sponsorship from elsewhere will not be eligible.
Applications are welcome in law, socio-legal studies, criminology and other law-related subjects.
Application Process
Eligible applicants should apply for admission to the PhD Law programme. You can find further information on how to apply for admission to the programme.
Once you have applied for the programme you should then complete an online scholarship application form which is located in EUCLID.
Please note that you will not be able to access the online scholarship form until you have applied for admission to the PhD Law programme.
The scholarship deadline is 2nd February 2026. Please note that the application to the PhD Law programme must be submitted at least ten working days prior to the scholarship application deadline as it can take several days for all system checks to be completed and for access to the scholarship system to be granted.
When logging in to MyEd, you will need your University User Name and password (which will be provided once you have applied for the programme). If you require assistance, please find guidance on our website.
Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application by the end of April 2026.
Contact Information
Please contact phd.law@ed.ac.uk if you have any questions about this scholarship.
The University of Edinburgh is a partner university of the Scottish Graduate School of Social Science (SGSSS). The SGSSS awards a number of studentships across Scotland each year through the student-led 'Open' competition. These studentships can be offered as MSc plus PhD (1+3.5) or PhD (+3.5) awards depending on the experience of the applicant.
Eligibility
Candidates will normally hold a First Class Honours degree (or international equivalent) in a relevant subject, e.g. BA or LLB.
For the PhD award, applicants should hold (or be currently studying for) a relevant Masters degree. Applicants who are not eligible for the PhD award can apply on a '1+3.5' basis which starts with a one-year MSc in Criminology and Criminal Justice and is then followed by a three-year PhD. Please note that you will still need to have PhD supervision secured and your PhD project proposal will be assessed as part of the SGSSS marking criteria.
Awards are available to applicants with UK fee status and a limited number of awards are available for international applicants.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact our Unit of Assessment Lead, Dr Anna Souhami (anna.souhami@ed.ac.uk), to check eligibility for the competition before applying.
Value
The studentship covers the cost of UK or international tuition fees and provides a stipend at UKRI rates (approximately £20,780 per year).
University of Edinburgh Online Information Session – 7th October 2025, 10am BST
The Dean of Postgraduate Research is hosting a 1-hour online information session about the SGSSS Open PhD competition for prospective applicants. Please join this link for the start time of 10am:
Join online information session
How to apply
To be considered for this competition, applicants should:
Apply for admission through the University’s online application system by 17:00 (GMT) 20th November 2025. (Please note you do not need to have received an offer by this date, you must simply have submitted your application). All applicants must have the support of an academic supervisor before applying.
Find out more about applying for a PhD in the Law School
Applicants who need an MSc and are applying for 1+3.5 years of funding can find out more about the MSc Criminology and Criminal Justice programme which is approved by the ESRC.Find out more about applying to the MSc in Criminology and Criminal Justice (ESRC track)
- Register on the SGSSS online application system to apply. Complete and upload the SGSSS Open Competition application form by 17:00 (GMT) 24th November 2025. Copies of transcripts, a CV and two references will also need to be uploaded by this date.
Queries about registering or logging into apply
Visit the Scottish Graduate School of Social Science Open Competition website
Applicants must meet both deadlines in order to be considered for this funding. Late applications will not be considered.
Selection process
The Open Competition includes three stages of review, with candidates updated after each stage until either you are awarded or your application is unsuccessful.
- University of Edinburgh Review: this is two-stage with a nomination needed from the Unit of Assessment lead and then selection by the University panel. Interested candidates will be shortlisted by the University.
- Challenge Led Pathway Review: Each of the six challenge pathways will consider applications shortlisted by universities.
- Global Review: An executive panel of University Deans and members of the SGSSS Directorate meet and make the final award decisions.
Award announcement date
The award decision will be communicated to applicants by early May 2026.
One or more scholarships are available for postgraduate research in Scots private law at the University of Edinburgh for a period of one year leading to the degree of LLM by Research (i.e. by a thesis of up to 30,000 words). The scholarships are offered by the Edinburgh Legal Education Trust, which was formed in 1996 for the advancement of legal education. The Trustees wish to award a scholarship for study beginning in September 2026.
Eligibility
The scholarships are open to anyone who, by the start of the LLMR programme, holds an honours degree in law, or an ordinary degree in law plus an honours degree in a different discipline, and who is accepted by the University of Edinburgh for the degree of LLM by Research. Preference may be given to those who intend to progress to the PhD. Further details about postgraduate research study at Edinburgh can be found on our website.
Find out more about postgraduate research study at Edinburgh Law School
An application to the Trust may be made in advance of being accepted by the University of Edinburgh.
Value
The scholarship comprises tuition fees at home students’ rate together with a maintenance award in line with UKRI rates (currently £20,780).
Choice of topic
Applicants are free to choose their own topic. The emphasis, however, should be on legal doctrine rather than on, for example, legal theory or socio-legal issues. Historical or comparative perspectives are welcome. Members of staff at the Edinburgh Law School with appropriate research interests will be happy to give further guidance.
Progression to the PhD
The LLM by Research can (but need not) be used as a pathway to further study for the degree of PhD. Indeed it is often possible to treat the LLMR as the first year of study for a PhD by transferring to the PhD programme during the year spent on the LLMR. For students who make this transfer, funding for the full three years of the PhD will often be made available by the Edinburgh Legal Education Trust.
Application process and closing date
Candidates must first apply for admission to the Law LLM by Research Programme.
Find out how to apply to the LLM by Research
Once you have applied for admission to the Programme, please complete the Edinburgh Legal Education Trust Scholarship Application Form and send it to phd.law@ed.ac.uk by the closing date of 4 May 2026.
Download the Edinburgh Legal Education Trust Scholarship Application Form
The Trustees reserve full discretion to offer, or not to offer, a scholarship.
Further information
Further information may be found on the website of the Edinburgh Legal Education Trust.
One or more scholarships are available for postgraduate research in Scots private law at the University of Edinburgh for a period of two years leading to the degree of LLM by Research (i.e. by a thesis of up to 30,000 words). The scholarships are offered by the Edinburgh Legal Education Trust, which was formed in 1996 for the advancement of legal education. The Trustees wish to award a scholarship for study beginning in September 2026.
Eligibility
The scholarships are open to anyone who, by the start of the part-time LLMR programme, holds an honours degree in law, or an ordinary degree in law plus an honours degree in a different discipline, and who is accepted by the University of Edinburgh for the degree of LLM by Research. Preference may be given to those who intend to progress to the PhD. Further details about postgraduate research study at Edinburgh can be found on our website.
Find out more about postgraduate research study at Edinburgh Law School
An application to the Trust may be made in advance of being accepted by the University of Edinburgh.
Value
The scholarship comprises tuition fees at home students’ rate. In addition, a limited amount of assistance may be given by the Trust in respect of research expenses. Fees will be paid by the Trust directly to the University of Edinburgh.
Choice of topic
Applicants are free to choose their own topic. The emphasis, however, should be on legal doctrine rather than on, for example, legal theory or socio-legal issues. Historical or comparative perspectives are welcome. Members of staff at the Edinburgh Law School with appropriate research interests will be happy to give further guidance.
Progression to the PhD
The LLM by Research can (but need not) be used as a pathway to further study for the degree of PhD. Indeed it is often possible to treat the part-time LLMR as the first two years of study for a part-time PhD by transferring to the PhD programme during the years spent on the LLMR. For students who make this transfer, funding for the full six years of the part-time PhD will often be made available by the Edinburgh Legal Education Trust.
Application process and closing date
Candidates must first apply for admission to the Law LLM by Research Programme.
Find out how to apply to the LLM by Research
Once you have applied for admission to the Programme, please complete the Edinburgh Legal Education Trust Scholarship Application Form and send it to phd.law@ed.ac.uk by the closing date of 4 May 2026.
Download the Edinburgh Legal Education Trust Scholarship Application Form
The Trustees reserve full discretion to offer, or not to offer, a scholarship.
Further information
Further information may be found on the website of the Edinburgh Legal Education Trust.
The University of Edinburgh offers many scholarships for postgraduate study. You should consult the University Scholarship pages for further information on these and other sources of funding that may be available.
Find out more about the range of scholarships offered by the University of Edinburgh
There are a range of additional sources of financial support that you may be eligible to apply to.
Find out more about additional sources of funding for students
Contact us
If you have any questions about our scholarships please don't hesitate to contact us.