Hi guys!
Please help me sorting out this huge problem I have in front of me.
I will finish my MA in February and I would like to start a PhD next September/October.
Now, the problem is that the applications for PhD scholarships end in early February, so by then I won't be able to apply.
So basically I have to choose between wait next year to apply for my PhD, or start in October without a scholarship.
I would like to ask you if it is possible for 2nd year student to apply for some sort of financial help or a scholarship.
I won't be able to pay my fees in UK otherwise.

Any suggestion will be kindly appreciate.
Thanks! :)

I'd suggest asking your MA dissertation supervisor for advice because it really does depend on how competitive you are as to what I'd advise. Ask him/her how competitive they think you would be for scholarships in the UK (bearing in mind that there's very little funding for humanities / social science PhDs and if you're not a UK/EU national you're not eligible for most of it). I imagine you already know your scholarship chances in your home country, Also ask your supervisor to be very honest about what value a PhD offers in your field for non-academic jobs and the state of the academic jobs market in your field. I think you need to have a full picture of the risks and opportunities to make a good decision. Personally, I would not start without full funding in place, knowing what I do about the job market, but then I'm risk-averse.

Hi Minnie (Sorry - I used to call my friend Minerva that and she hated it!).

The great news is that women studying in the UK have got lots of access to funding. Some grants cover any topic http://www.imd.org/programs/mba/fees/Funding-for-Women.cfm and you can easily find grants for specific topics, especially in STEMM subjects. If you have any trouble accessing grants then contact the Equality and Diversity Office of the university that you want to study at and ask their advice. If you are doing STEMM they can also link to in with women's equality schemes such as Athena SWAN which give you access to networks, mentoring, workshops and other excellent freebies.

:)

Many PhD positions are advertised around March/April for an October start.

That's when I got mine anyway and I noticed a little peak in advertisements then, maybe due to Easter break when PIs have time to write them or something!

Don't start a PhD without funding as it can be hard to get in retrospect.

Hello,

Are you trying in other university for PhD in India? There are top different universities available in India to where you can also get the scholarship. So try to make inquiry in other university’s admission process.