Fully Funded Doctoral Landscape Studentship: Creative & Caring Communities (CCC)

Full-time or part-time.

The RCA’s strategy to determine the studentship duration will be informed by the principles of equity and inclusion, ensuring we support each student appropriately with any individual needs. The duration will consider the nature of the individual student’s research project, academic background and personal circumstances. We will offer studentships for four years of study (pro-rated for part-time students). We recognise that some projects or individual circumstances will require flexibility over the funding duration. We will require students and supervisors to develop a yearly timeline for the Annual Progress Review.

Fees fully funded

Stipend of £22,780 per academic year (full-time)

Annual studentship renewal

Provided you are making good academic progress, you have not yet reached the end-date of your funding and you have re-enrolled on your programme of study, your studentship will be renewed annually by the RCA.

Your entitlements

As a UKRI-funded student, you will be entitled to certain benefits e.g. paid sick leave, maternity leave etc., in line with the UKRI terms and conditions at the time.

As an AHRC funded student, you will be able to apply for additional funds to support your research and training. This is called the Research Training and Support Grant (RTSG). CCC can support students to attend conferences in the UK and abroad and undertake study visits and research trips. Students can apply for funds to support their own training and professional development, as well as initiatives to develop research communities for themselves and their peers.

Disabled students who have been recruited to UKRI Research Council studentships are eligible to apply for additional financial support towards expenditure arising from their postgraduate studies incurred solely because of their disability. This additional financial support is commonly referred to as Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSA). The UKRI DSA Framework outlines the support available.

The RCA can also offer assistance to students applying for Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA) – for more information please visit the RCA Disability support page.

If you have a disability and require reasonable adjustments, please let us know as soon as possible after accepting your award, by emailing [email protected] so we can signpost you to the relevant teams to ensure adjustments are in place for you by the time you start. This applies whether or not Disability Student Allowance is claimed.

Creative & Caring Communities is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), part of UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) and is a Doctoral Landscape Award supporting PhD study in Arts and Humanities.

Full details of the terms and conditions of AHRC postgraduate studentship awards can be found on the UKRI website.

• The award is conditional on receiving and accepting an offer of a PhD place at the Royal College of Art and for the programme specified above. You should consult the Research Office via [email protected] immediately if your programme of study, mode of attendance or enrolment status changes as this may affect your entitlement to the studentship. In such circumstances the RCA may need to contact the AHRC to determine whether the studentship can be maintained.
• Please note that the award must be taken up during the academic session specified above and cannot be deferred to the next academic year, or the award may be withdrawn. The studentship cannot normally start later than 1 October in the academic session, nor can it be transferred to another institution. Funding cannot be applied retrospectively and will only be effective from your first day of enrolment in the academic session specified above. If you would like to request a late start date in 2026/27 due to exceptional circumstances, please discuss this with your supervisors and email [email protected] in advance of your current award start date.
• Students in full-time employment are not eligible for an award of any kind from UKRI. A Student in part-time employment may be eligible for a part-time award, which should not be less than 50% full-time.
• Both home and international students must be resident in the UK for the majority of their studies and any time spent overseas should be for the purpose of fieldwork/long-term attachment.
• You are obliged to inform the Research Office at the RCA of any other funding you are receiving. Failure to do so may result in the withdrawal or termination of the award.
• You are expected to submit your thesis within the funded period.

Please indicate that you are applying for Creative and Caring Studentship in your application and proposal, and please specify which research area you are applying to.

Potential applicants, who must normally meet the University's minimum requirements for postgraduate studies, should please review the information provided on the relevant link on how to apply, as well as the general guidance on the application process.

Registered RCA Students should submit the following:

Please provide details of your proposal, which should include the following (1,000 words)

• Significance and originality
• Underpinning ideas
• Aims and research questions
• Research design
• Methodology and/or
• Sources (including practice-based research)

Time for completion

Please provide a timetable for the completion of your proposed research.

Note: UKRI expects projects to be designed and supervised in a way that allows students to submit their theses within the funded period, and no unfunded period should be assumed. Please provide a completion plan that aligns with this timeframe.

Personal statement (500 words)

Please provide a personal statement to include the following information:

• What knowledge, skills and training would you bring to the research?
• How and why is the proposed research suitable for the AHRC studentship?
• How would you seek to contribute to AHRC?
• How might you want to engage with different audiences and organisations during your research?

Short supervisor statement

If you are a current RCA PGR student you should provide an update on your current progress in your studies (please additionally advise if you completed APR or Confirmation exam, submitted ethics application).

If you have already commenced doctoral study or will do so before September 2026, you may apply for funding for the remainder of your study, providing that, at the start of the AHRC award (1 October 2025), you will have at least 50% of the period of study remaining (excluding the ‘writing-up period’). If unsure, please contact us at [email protected].