Hi everyone,

Sorry for constantly posting requests for advice but I'm a bit stuck again!

I'm in my first year of my PhD and am self funded due to my funding falling through at the last minute and me having no back-up plan. I can't afford to self fund next year as well (or even this year for that matter) and so am sending off a proposal for an ESRC CASE studentship later on this week. My supervisor has been giving me the firm impression that this is basically my only option and although I have a fighting chance at getting it, it's obviously in no way guaranteed, especially as he said exactly the same thing when I applied for ESRC the first time round. I am therefore getting slightly worried and as I'm not especially attached to my current uni, I was contemplating applying for second year entry somewhere else that might be able to fund me in some way. I don't find out about the ESRC studentship until April so I'll have to apply to unis in the next few months just in case.

Has anyone else done anything similar? I'm not sure if it's entirely possible, or even whether I'm eligible for any other funding bodies due it being for my second year rather than my first. I'm also concerned about applying for certain forms of funding that would require a lot of work on things I'm not interested in (a risk even with the ESRC CASE studentship).

Any help would be much appreciated! Thanks!

I self-funded for my first year, and applied for AHRC funding during it. I got that, and it's paid for the rest of my PhD.

So that aspect of your query is certain possible, and I wish you luck with your application :-x

Good luck too if you end up going elsewhere.

I too self-funded my first Phd year and was funded by the AHRC for the 2nd and 3rd year. It is possible!

Ah thanks for replying - it's good to know that others have been in a similar position and have lived to tell the tale! :-)