Postgraduates
BCLA
Support For Postgraduates
The British Comparative Literature Association has a vibrant postgraduate community with members from across the UK and abroad. The Postgraduate Representatives organise dedicated events on Comparative Literature across different universities across the UK.They are presently responsible for the BCLA Postgraduate Seminar series “Emerging Voices in Comparative Literature“.
If you are interested in presenting at one of our future seminars, please do not hesitate to contact us. Short presentations of 5 – 10 minutes are welcomed from postgraduate (MA, PhD and early career) researchers from any university within or beyond the UK. Presentations may relate to any aspect of your research within the field of Comparative Literature, at any stage of progress, and can be as specific or broadly conceived as you wish. Applicants need not be current members of the BCLA, although the opportunity to join will be available during the event. Please submit an abstract of up to 300 words, including your preferred month, and a short biography of up to 100 words, to bclapostgraduate@gmail.com. Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis.
The Arthur Terry Postgraduate Essay Prize is currently open for entries, as part of the BCLA@50 celebrations. The prize recognises work of outstanding merit at Masters level. There are two prizes of £200 and £100, and the winning entrants are also given one-year free BCLA membership. The deadline for submissions is 31 July at 5pm. For full details, follow the link in the text or below.
The annual Glyn Hambrook Postgraduate Research Award, designed to support BCLA PG members with costs incurred in the course of their research, will be open for applications. The value of the award is up to £250.00.
To get in touch, please contact us at bclapostgraduate@gmail.com.
BCLA
Postgraduate Representatives
The present postgraduate representatives are:
Resources
Here you can find links and information on funding, training and other support for postgraduate researchers in comparative literature.
Link: Funding for postgraduate training and development – UKRI
Description:
The site AHRC PhD Funding provides a comprehensive, up-to-date overview on UK government funding for doctoral students in the Arts and Humanities, the methods by which funding is allocated, eligibility for the awarding of grants, and changes projected for October 2026, including the Doctoral Landscape Awards and the Future Doctoral Provision Programme.
- The Doctoral Landscape Awards, intended to support the equivalent of at least 150 discovery-led student projects per year, in higher education institutions (HEIs) across the United Kingdom.
- The Future Doctoral Provision Programme, in which the AHRC outlines the informing principles behind its future allocations, and, more specifically, the Doctoral Focal Awards, supporting those postgraduate studentships focused on two strategic areas: firstly, the arts and humanities for a healthy planet; secondly, the arts and humanities for a creative economy.
International Placement Scheme, an annual programme providing researchers at doctoral and early career level with dedicated access to world-class resources held at international IPS partner institutions.
Description:
The United Kingdom government administers loans for both Masters and Doctoral students. Applications for these are now open for the academic year 2025 – 2026.
- Postgraduate Masters Loan. Loans are available, averaging £12,500 to support course fees and living costs. A different system applies, however, to residents of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Eligibility for the loans and other criteria are set out in the links.
- Postgraduate Doctoral Loan. The value of the loans awarded to doctoral students are up to £30,301 for the total course, payable in three yearly instalments.
- Postgraduate scholarships for international students. Various named scholarships are available to provide support for living costs and course fees:
The Chevening Programme, which features a diverse range of fellowships mostly for mid-career professionals, also offers fully-funded scholarships for taught Masters programmes for one year: two years of work experience prior to taking up the scholarship is an essential criteria.
The Marshall Scholarships. These are for prospective post-graduate students from the USA, and provide funding for one to two years for Masters degree programmes or up to three years for doctoral study at any university in the UK. Applications for 2026 are now open.
Link:
The Scholarship Hub | Apply for UK Student Scholarships
Description:
The Scholarship Hub’s mission, according to its website, is “to help students find additional funding for university and facilitate the creation of new scholarships to help widen participation”. The main pages provide detailed briefing on types of scholarships available, other means of raising sponsorship such as crowdfunding, additional support from government and other sources. Their Funding Support For University Students lists the scholarships, grants and bursaries currently available in the UK.
Link:
Postgraduate study | Prospects.ac.uk
Description:
The Prospects site focuses more specifically on postgraduate students, providing detailed briefing on every aspect of study at masters and doctoral level, together with search facilities for every postgraduate taught course in the United Kingdom. There is also a comprehensive “Study Abroad” section, giving details on all aspects of postgraduate study in the European nations, the Americas and the Far East, including national scholarship programmes for foreign students, the application process, and visas.
Link:
FindAMasters Degree Worldwide – Postgraduate
Description:
This site provides a directory of Masters degrees and other postgraduate qualifications at universities around the world. It also features databases and numerous articles on all aspects and issues involving postgraduate study in specific academic fields, and also university ranking tables. The site caters both for UK students seeking to study at home and abroad, and international students applying to UK universities
Links:
PhD Programmes, Research Projects & Studentships in the UK & Europe
Find PhDs | PhD Programs | Scholarships – jobs.ac.uk
Several portals offer databases and search functions which enable you to locate more specific programmes, projects and funding offered by individual academics, departments and universities in the United Kingdom and abroad. Find a PhD is the largest and most comprehensive, and entering a literature-related search term will show up current opportunities in the field. PhD Portal is similar, although only offering “Humanities” as a general category, and jobs.ac.uk’s PhD section will also locate what is currently being offered in the field of languages, literature and culture.
