A short presentation for prospective applicants considering an application to the White Rose College of the Arts & Humanities for PhD funding.

1. A PhD with the White Rose
College of Arts &
Humanities
Caryn Douglas,
WRoCAH Manager

2. What is
WRoCAH?
How do
you apply
for
funding?
What do
you get?

3. A mature collaborative
research community
Ranked 1st in AHRC DTP competition
Active White Rose collaborations
Breadth of research capacity
Three active cohorts of WRoCAH
doctoral researchers
£19.2M

4. Who are we? … in numbers
Leeds
Sheffield
York

5. What is
WRoCAH?
How do
you apply
for
funding?
What do
you get?

6. Show me the money…
Either … Fees only award
 Fees paid for 3 years at UK/EU research rate
OR … Fees plus stipend award
 Fees paid for 3 years at UK/EU research rate
 A tax-free maintenance grant (£14,553 in 2017/8)
Questions about eligibility should be directed to the PGR Scholarships office
at the institution you have applied to.
+ Membership of WRoCAH Cohort, WRoCAH training
programme, and additional funding for training and
Research Support (all students)

7. Being Together | Learning Together |
Thinking Together
Welcome Event
Colloquium 1:
What Now?
Colloquium 2:
Who With?
Colloquium 3:
What Next?
WRoCAH PGR
Conference
‘Putting Your
Training Plan to
Work’
Student Led Forums
Researcher Training Mobility Fund
(Large and Small Awards)
Wider Opportunity | Bespoke cohort training
Y1 October (month 1)
Y1 October (month 1)
Y1 November (month 2)
Throughout
Y1 February
(month 5)
Y2 December
(month 15)
Y3 May
(month 32)
Researcher
Employability
Project
During Y2
(month 15-24)

8. Research organisations are expected to provide an
environment where research students have the
opportunity to widen their horizons as part of their
training. Experiences outside the "home” Research
Organisation, for example with other academic
collaborators, in non-academic environments or
overseas are encouraged where it fits with the
individual and scope of the project. These should be
well planned to ensure the student gains maximum
benefit.
RCUK – Statement of Expectations for
Postgraduate Training, January 2015
Focus on post-PhD employability

9. Structured funding opportunities to extend
students as a cohort and as individuals
Cohort
Development Fund
Whole cohort
events
Student Led
Forums
Collective
Training
Individual training
and research
support
Training
Research
Support
Researcher
Employability
Projects
Knowledge
Exchange

10. What is
WRoCAH?
How do
you apply
for
funding?
What do
you get?

11. First, get your place of study at sorted, THEN
apply for funding - TIMELINE
Nov
2016
• Competition opens 6 November 2017
• Open competition across the three Universities
• Student-led projects + partners where appropriate
28 Jan
2018
• Closing deadline for student applications
early
Mar
2018
• Students will be informed if they have made the first cut
29 Mar
2018
• Students who made the first cut will be informed if their
applications have been successful

12. You can see studentship availability via the
WRoCAH website
www.wrocah.ac.uk

13. AHRC Competition Studentships: read the
guidance notes for applicants
 Don’t try filling in the
application until you have
read it
 Familiarise yourself with
the WRoCAH offer
 Show that you’re familiar
with the opportunities
available in your application
 Find a current WRoCAH
student and talk to them
 Write, rewrite etc.

14. Your application will be evaluated against 3
criteria
 Academic excellence
 Upward trajectory
 Contextualised for subject area
 Relevant work experience
 Significant non-academic achievements
 Awards, presentations, papers etc
 Progress in initial research for existing students
1. Quality of
Applicant
Your application will get two independent reviews from
academics at the other two Universities

15. Your application will be evaluated against 3
criteria
Your project in context of the existing body of
knowledge in this research area
 Your understanding of your research area
 Originality of the contribution to knowledge
 Proposed methodology
 How you communicate in your proposal (to non-
specialists)
2. Quality of
Project
Your independent reviewers may be non-specialists in
your area

16. Your application will be evaluated against 3
criteria
 Your Fit with your prospective school or
department and its wider cross-White Rose
activities
 Your Training – what training will you need to take
your research forward?
 What you will bring to and gain from being part
of WRoCAH?
3. Fit with
WRoCAH
Your application will get two independent reviews from
academics at the other two Universities

17. Ignore the Grade Descriptors at your peril
There is a full set of the grade descriptors that will be used to evaluate
applications in the Guidance Notes.
 Without evidence it is very hard for reviewers to make accurate
judgements so include as much as you can in your application.
 They do not have the discretion to give ‘benefit of the doubt’ so you
may be marked down if evidence is not present.

18. Tips for success
 Engage EARLY with your
prospective supervisor
 Project proposal – 4,000 characters
 Get feedback on your project proposal
 Write for non-specialist academics
 Draft > edit > feedback > edit > redraft
 Spend some serious time on your application –
you’re asking for £55K+
CRITICAL DATES: 24 Jan| early Mar |29 Mar

19. “The additional support (both
developmental and financial)
from WRoCAH has been
excellent and really means I can
maximise additional training
and development
opportunities”
“WRoCAH’s input has really
enhance my PhD experience so
far”
“WRoCAH have been brilliant at
communicating and explaining
issues and opportunities”
“…the blended support of both
WRoCAH and my
supervisor/department - both
have played complimentary
roles in ensuring I felt equipped
to progress”
“being a WRoCAH student
offered me the means to
achieve many of the things that
I was aspiring to do in my life”