The United Kingdom (UK) will reduce its funding for PhD students in the Arts and Humanities next year, as more funding will go to the creative economy, environmental sustainability, and artificial intelligence.
According to the Times Higher Education, this will commence next year.
Previously, PhD students could choose their own research topics. Now, experts worry that this change will limit academic freedom and reduce diversity in research, as students may be forced to work on topics chosen by universities rather than their own interests.
According to the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), fewer scholarships will be given, and only 50 universities will receive funding, compared to 73 universities before.
Each university will get just three PhD studentships, no matter its size or research quality. This means fewer opportunities for students, especially at smaller universities that relied on this funding.
“UCL has more than 50,000 students and 6,000 research students, but it’s only guaranteed three AHRC awards a year, that seems crazy,” said a London-based professor involved in doctoral training.
And while larger universities might feel under supported, mid-sized ones, with fewer alternative sources of funding, might feel the pinch even more if entire faculties are limited to three PhDs a year.
“Research students are vital to research culture, and they learn as much from each other as from their supervisors. How do we sustain the quality of experience with these numbers?” McRae, a professor of Renaissance studies at Exeter.
Impact on Nigerian students
The UK has been a top destination for Nigerian students, with over 44,000 enrolled in British universities, as at 2021/22, including those studying for PhDs. In 2024, the British Government awarded 82 Nigerians prestigious Chevening and Commonwealth scholarships, which include funding for master’s and PhD degrees.
However, PhD funding has drastically decreased, dropping from over 1,000 studentships in 2018-19 to just 150 nationwide. This sharp reduction means Nigerian students may find it much harder to secure scholarships, forcing many to either pay high tuition fees or seek alternative funding sources.
For students from lower-income backgrounds, this presents a significant challenge. With the rising exchange rate, self-sponsoring a PhD becomes an increasingly difficult option, making UK postgraduate study less accessible for many Nigerians.
As the UK government wants PhD graduates to move into non-academic careers, focusing on economically useful skills, critics argue that this restricts intellectual freedom and reduces the value of arts and humanities research.
The new approach to funding could make it harder for Nigerian students to study arts and humanities.
With fewer scholarships available, some students may avoid pursuing a PhD altogether. Since a master’s degree is required before applying for a PhD, the extra cost could discourage students from continuing their studies. This could affect their ability to contribute to global research in these fields.
“The hope is that universities will provide additional funds for PhD studentships to ensure that arts and humanities research not only survives drastic cuts to AHRC provision, but also remains accessible to students from lower-income backgrounds,” said Rebecca Harrison, senior lecturer in film and media at the Open University.
“However, with so many senior management teams implementing financial cuts across the sector resulting in mass redundancies, course closures and loss of research resourcing for remaining staff, it’s hard to imagine that closing the PhD funding gap will be a priority,” she said.
