Applications are invited for the Margaret E. S. Merchant Memorial Scholarship. This scholarship is open to candidates applying to the PhD programme in History. Candidates may study either full-time or part-time, on-campus or by distance learning, and they may be of any may be of any tuition fee category (Home/RUK/EU/International). The Scholarship will be awarded on the strength of candidates' overall profiles as presented in their PhD applications, including academic and/or professional achievement, research proposal, fit with supervisory expertise, and letters of reference.
The value of the scholarship is £17,666 per academic year for 36 months of full-time supervised study (or pro-rata for 72 months of part-time study). If the recipient is a home (UK) student for fee purposes their tuition fee will be waived and the remainder of the funds will be offered as a stipend paid in monthly instalments. If the recipient is an international student for fee purposes, they will be responsible for paying the difference between the annual scholarship and the international fee rate. Tuition fee rates can be found here. One scholarship will be awarded with a start date of either 1 October 2026 or 1 January 2027.
Margaret E. S. Merchant was born on 30 November 1923 and graduated from the University of Aberdeen with an MA in 1945 and a Diploma in Education from Oxford in 1947. She had a long and illustrious career as a teacher at both Banchory Academy and St Margaret's School for Girls in Aberdeen. She died in 1986.
Eligibility
- Applicants must be new applicants to the PhD in History or hold an offer of study.
How to apply
- Before applying please contact a potential supervisor within your field. This is an opportunity to discuss your research interests, whether the person you contact would be the best supervisory option, and how you intend to frame your research proposal.
- Apply for the PhD in History via the online application portal here.
- Under “Studentship Title” write “Margaret E. S. Merchant Memorial Scholarship”.
- Students who have already been offered PhD places at the University should write to dhpa-pg-admissions@abdn.ac.uk confirming they wish to be considered for the Margaret Merchant funding.
- You must include a detailed research proposal (1000-1500 words) which sets out your anticipated research topic. Further guidance may be found here.
- You will be considered on the basis of your PhD application materials. No additional documentation is required to be considered for this studentship.
Deadline for applications: 15 August 2026
Enquiries (administrative): dhpa-pg-admissions@abdn.ac.uk
Enquiries (academic): b.marsden@abdn.ac.uk (Dr Ben Marsden, History)