I an international student hoping to apply for a Phd next year I am told that I can apply only for one university for the ORS scheme, I wish t apply for a number of universities to improve my chances of entry how can I apply for other universities for scholarships that cover both the tution and living costs. what other schemes are available similar to ORS????

You can only apply for an ORS award after you have been accepted for a place at a university. So you need to apply to a number of universities and then , once you have decided which university you wish to attend, you can apply for the ORS. The ORS only covers part of the course fees (bringing your fees to the same level as paid by home/EU students), it does not provide anything towards living expences. You best chance of funding will be from your own government. Contact the British Council in your home country for details of the schemes available to you. See our Funding pages for further information and links.