hello everyone,

I'm turkish. I did my undergrad on political science in turkey, then had an msc on psychology in the uk. I want to get a phd but I don't wanna live of my parents so I guess the Uk is not gonna be an option because it's expensive. I was thinking of paid phds. They have them in netherlands.

Someone help me out, name universities or country options.

I'm interested in doing a phd on counselling psychology (have to add i'm not so strict on counselling)

thank you in advance for your replies

Hey Seyma. I've just finished a funded PhD in clinical psychology in the UK. You can apply for funding for your PhD in the UK, which would cover your tuition fees and give you a stipend (usually a minimum of around £13,500 per year for 3 years- just about enough money to live off). You can apply for advertised PhDs which sometimes come with funding, or you can put together a project proposal, find someone who's willing to supervise you, and then apply for funding. At the moment both of these routes are very competitive- getting funding is very tough anyway (and it seems to have got tougher than when I got funding a few years ago), and psychology is a particularly competitive subject too. Was your MSc a taught MSc, a research MSc, or part taught and part research? It's important that you have some research experience for a PhD in psychology, and the fact that your undergrad degree was in a different subject might make it more difficult as well (although it might not- I'm not sure to be honest). Pretty much every uni in the UK will have a psychology department, but you will need to pick out departments with staff who specialise in the subject you want to pursue for your PhD. Best, KB

Hi Seyma,
Just about all UK universities does offer funded PhD programmes but you need to look whether they fund the theme of your interest. However I also know these funded PhDs are highly competitve and limited so in the case where you are not selected why don't you consider a graduate loan from any UK bank. I am quite sure this will cover your tution fees as well as your personal expenses.

As far as I know it is much harder to get a scholarship as an international student. I am in a UK university and the vast majority of funded students are home students (UK/EU citizen with at least 3 years in the country).
In any case, I would recommend to apply first for a master in a university with high rankings in research in psychology. Then, once accepted you will have the chance to meet staff and familiarise yourself with different areas of research. Your chances of getting funding increase significantly as an internal candidate. And, you have the advantage of knowing your supervisor before starting a PhD.
I am in a completely different field so my advice couldn't be more specific.

Good luck