PhD Completion Bursaries in Chinese Studies

The UCCL offers bursaries to Home (see note at bottom) candidates for a fourth year of doctoral study on any aspect of Chinese Studies.

These competitive awards provide bursaries of up to £10,000 towards the costs of a ‘writing up’ (also known as ‘thesis pending’) year, where no other substantial funds are available.

Eligibility:

To be eligible, students must:

be a UK citizen or other student eligible for ‘Home Fee’ status;
have reached a third year of research or the equivalent in part-time terms;
be able to provide demonstrable progress in the form of supervisor’s reports and an assessable body of written work, c. 5,000-10,000 words in length.

In addition:

Candidates must be able to demonstrate a sufficient knowledge of the Chinese language in their written work;
The candidate's financial situation will be taken into account;
Preference will be given to candidates intending to progress into an academic career in which researching and teaching on China forms a significant part of their duties.

Application:

The next deadline for the application is 1st December 2024. The application must be completed in full and be emailed to info@universitiesccl.org.uk by this date to be considered.

Applicants must submit:

a UCCL Doctoral Studentship application form (see below);
a summary outlining the overall project with a table of contents
a piece of written work (no more than 10,000 words) to give the assessment panel an indication of the quality and breadth of the research. This can be either a more detailed summary of the PhD or an existing chapter(s);
two academic letters of reference, of which at least one must be from the PhD supervisor. These should include, if known, reference to any relevant longer term career plan of the applicant. The referees should also confirm, if known, whether the applicant will receive any other scholarship or financial support during the period in question;
a broad brush budget for the period in question.

Selection criteria will be based competitively on:

the originality and rigour of the candidate’s written work;
the significance of the promised outcome of the research.

The results of the selection process will be announced by the end of March 2024.

The Bursaries will be paid to successful applicants in two equal lump sums, in September and in January, only once confirmation has been received from the relevant university that the student has successfully progressed into the fourth year (or equivalent for part-time students).

Progress:

UCCL may withdraw the Bursary if the mandatory requirements are not met within expected time frames. Before doing so, UCCL will request further information on academic progress from the relevant supervisors.

Students should notify the UCCL in the event that they take leave of absence from their studies for any reason, incuding long term illness, maternity, paternity or adoption leave, or if they withdraw from their course.

NB It must be emphasised that this particular scheme is aimed at supporting UK citizens and others for whom ‘Home Fee’ rates have been charged during their PhD studies. The following website provides a comprehensive guidance on how eligibility is determined:

Eligibility for home fee status and student support in England

Applications and enquiries should be addressed to the UCCL address listed in the Contact section.

The Universities' China Committee in London

The Universities' China Committee in London

PhD Completion Bursaries in Chinese Studies

Information for Applicants

The Universities' China Committee in London

The Universities' China Committee in London

PhD Completion Bursaries in Chinese Studies

Information for Applicants

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