The Leverhulme Centenary Doctoral Scholarships will open in November 2025 for submission in March 2026. While the scheme requirements remain largely as set out for the 2023 round, this round includes additional studentships, as well as funding for postdoctoral opportunities and programme administration costs.

For UK universities to fund up to 30 Leverhulme Doctoral Scholarships in an interdisciplinary priority research area for that institution.

Following the Trust’s recent £100 million commitment to mark its 100th anniversary, the Leverhulme Centenary Doctoral Scholarships (LCDS) will include:

An increased number of doctoral scholarship places

Additional scholarship places to support students from underrepresented groups in the UK to undertake a master’s plus doctoral programme

An increased number of doctoral scholarships for international students

Dedicated funding to support research and training expenses and cohort-building activities

New funding to support a limited number of postdoctoral level opportunities for LCDS programme graduates

New funding to contribute to dedicated administrative assistance costs

The option to apply as a consortium of up to two universities  

ELIGIBILITY:

Institutional eligibility: The scheme is open to applications from any UK university that holds research degree awarding powers in its own right.

To increase the reach of the scheme and the diversity of institutions the Trust funds, applications will also be accepted from a consortium of a maximum of two universities. In the proposal, one university and one principal applicant must be identified to lead. The principal applicant will submit the proposal and, if an award is made, take responsibility for financial and reporting matters. The funding contract would be held by the lead university.

A university may submit only one application as lead but may partner in multiple applications, provided they are in different disciplinary areas. 

Once a university has selected their preferred bid, they should send the principal applicant’s name, departmental affiliation, and email address to Emily Nisbet. Access will then be granted to the Leverhulme Trust Grants Management System. 

Eligibility for additional funding: In addition to the 24 four-year doctoral scholarship places, institutions may also recruit six students to a master’s plus PhD programme. 
Students wishing to pursue the master’s plus PhD route need to fulfill the following criteria:

Be a UK domiciled student

Not already have a master’s degree from the host institution

Be from a low-income household background, evidenced by, for example, being in receipt of a full maintenance loan or Special Support loan during their undergraduate studies. 
AND/OR

Be one of the following categories of ethnicity
Black African
Black Caribbean
Black Other
Mixed—White and Black Caribbean
Mixed—White and Black African
Other mixed backgrounds (including Black African, Black Caribbean and Black Other)

Other mixed backgrounds (including Black African, Black Caribbean and Black Other)

There are three elements in the application procedure:

A short application form and a detailed programme description, submitted by the nominated principal applicant from the lead university.

A supporting statement from a designated representative of the university, e.g., the pro-vice-chancellor for research, or someone holding a similar role. Please note that for applications from consortia, supporting statements are required from a designated representative from both participating universities. The Trust will expect to see demonstrable commitment from the host institution(s) for the proposed doctoral center. However, there is no requirement for the university to offer matched studentships in this round.

Institutional approval of the application: the lead applicant university’s normal procedure for approving Leverhulme Trust applications.

BENEFIT:

What the Trust offers:

UK Doctoral Scholarships: UK students undertaking a PhD will each be eligible for a fixed-sum scholarship for up to 48 months of full-time doctoral study. This covers:

maintenance (at UKRI base levels)

tuition fees (at UKRI base levels)

£10,000 to be used to support the individual student’s research and training needs

International Doctoral Scholarships: Up to six fixed-sum scholarships in each award can be made to international students for up to 48 months of full-time doctoral study. This covers:

maintenance (at UKRI base levels)

tuition fees (at the university’s standard international fee rate, up to a maximum of £25,000 per year)

£10,000 to be used to support the individual student’s research and training needs

Master’s Plus Doctoral Scholarships: In addition to the twenty-four standard PhD scholarships, universities can apply for up to six further studentships for a master’s plus doctoral programme. These students can be recruited at any time as part of the three cohorts. 

Each fixed-sum scholarship for up to 60 months of full-time study covers:

Research master’s degree (12 months of full-time study):

maintenance (at UKRI base level)

tuition fees (at the university’s usual UK fee rate, up to a maximum of £12,000)

Doctoral degree (up to 48 months of full-time study):

maintenance (at UKRI base levels)

tuition fees (at UKRI base levels)

£10,000 to be used to support the individual student’s research and training needs, which can be used at any stage of the master’s plus programme.

Please note that these funds are ring-fenced for supporting students from these underrepresented groups.

Funds for cohort-building activities: £75,000 of ring-fenced funding will be made available to support cohort-building activities over the duration of the award.

Funds for post-doctoral support: New for this round, the Trust will provide up to £400,000 of ring-fenced funding to support a programme of post-doctoral opportunities that will help LCDS graduates to transition successfully to academic or non-academic careers. At this stage, applicants will need to provide only an outline of how they would anticipate using these funds. If successful, a detailed description of the activities planned would be requested in year 3 of the award.

Funds for administrative support: New for this round, universities may also request up to £225,000 of funding for dedicated administrative support for the programme.