AHRC Funding

Hi,

I'm applying for an MA this year which is part of the AHRC block grant partnership funding scheme. I've been fishing around the website for ages, and just can't seem to work out how I am supposed to apply for it! Any help would be very much appreciated!

There are around 30-odd universities which receive AHRC BGP funding. At masters level, the number of universities drops significantly; not even the top universities have masters funding in every arts subject. For example, Bristol have two AHRC awards for PhD study but none at masters level. This means the universities that do have masters level funding will be usually the most competitive, and they will be swamped with applicants.

Nevertheless, the actual number of awards is tiny. In English (the biggest/second biggest subject for the AHRC), there are 288 masters level awards over five years; this works out at about 57/8 per year divided between all the universities. If you do another subject then things can get very bad. For instance there are only nine awards over the space of five years for Russian and eastern-European related studies.

Having said all that (as a sort of reality check), you need an offer from a university that has AHRC funding before you apply for the funding itself, which usually has a fixed deadline anyway from late January to May, depending on the university. It is actually a fairly simple procedure but the chances of getting funding are tiny.

I guess it's becasue nobody has any money. Having said that, the particalar course I really want toget a place on have around 23 funding places for just over 40 students and unitl 2013 I think, taking aways International students who are not qualified, the chances of getting the funding is actually quite high. But on the other hand, the uni I have already got a place only have 3 places for all postgrad students and they have hundreds, so it is also depends on which university you are applying to. Correct me if I am wrong, but my impression is the more famous the university, the more fundings they seem to have. If you want your fees paid for then the Royal College of Art is the place to go to, they have their own funding, scholarships etc that cover I think over 90% of students, but then which art student doesn't want to get a place at the RCA?

The Royal College of Art's website suggests 90% of undergraduate students were eligible for the college bursary scheme. This scheme does not fund postgraduate students. The website also suggests that the college will receive between five and ten AHRC PhD awards per year for three years, but this is not confirmed. Their wording is extremely ambiguous. There is absolutely no way they are going to receive between five and ten awards per year (unless they mean across their entire subject range, which is more feasible), and I would imagine that it is the other way round - they receive between five and ten awards over the space of three years. In either case there will be only one or two AHRC funded doctoral students per year. This brings it roughly in-line with the other university you mentioned.

I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions.

Ummm... the Royal College of Art is a postgrad only college. Masters are oistgrad and 90% of the first years do get funding from the college directly then the muber decrease slight for 2nd year. They don't offer any undergrad studies. And I have a number of friends who have studied and are studying there, I have also been to their open day, so I guess my first hand information is probably a little more accuurate than whatever they say on the website?

Anyway, I always belive the best to do is ring up whichever college you are intereted in and ask. Forum rooms are good but whatever we say here are mostly opinions and not always facts.