MEMS has a number of special Master’s funding opportunities available including these featured below:
Knowledge Orders Master’s Plus Doctoral Scholarships
Thanks to the funding of the Leverhulme Trust, Knowledge Orders can offer during the lifetime of the programme up to three scholarships covering the costs of both an MA and a doctoral position within KOM. In 2026/27 the programme is able to fund one MA candidate who will progress to a doctorate connected with the programme.
The intention of these scholarships is to promote inclusion and so, following the Leverhulme’s rules, students wishing to pursue the Master’s plus doctoral scholarship route need to fulfil certain criteria.
Criteria
The candidate must be:
- Be a UK domiciled student
- Not already have a master’s degree from the host institution
- Be from a low-income household background evidenced by, for example, being in receipt of a full maintenance loan or Special Support loan during their undergraduate studies.
and/or
- Be one of the following categories of ethnicity:
- Black African
- Black Caribbean
- Black Other
- Mixed – White and Black Caribbean
- Mixed – White and Black African
- Other mixed background (including Black African, Black Caribbean and Black Other)
What the Scholarship offers
The Leverhulme lists the provisions of this scholarship as follows:
Each scholarship provides up to £130,000 for up to 54 months of full-time study. This covers:
Research master’s degree (12 months of full-time study):
- maintenance (at UKRI base level)
- tuition fees (at the university’s usual UK fee rate, up to a maximum of £12,000)
Doctoral Degree (up to 42 months of full-time study):
- maintenance (at UKRI base levels)
- tuition fees (at UKRI base levels)
- £10,000 to be used to support the individual student’s research and training needs, these funds can be used at any stage of the Master’s plus programme.
How to apply
To apply for one of these Master’s plus doctoral scholarships, begin by applying to either the MA in Medieval Studies at King’s College London or the MEMS MA at the Centre for Medieval and Early Modern Studies at the University of Kent, stating your interest in this scholarship and how you meet its criteria.
In addition, you will need to complete an application for the funding itself via the relevant institution. Apply via Kent here. Apply via King’s College London here. The application deadline is 12pm on 12 June 2026.
If successful, during your MA year, you will discuss what project to pursue to receive the follow-on Leverhulme doctoral funding.
Informal enquiries are not just welcomed but encouraged. Please contact us or drop a line to one of our team.
CAMEMS Scholarship
£3,000 stipend per annum split into two payments of £1,500 in October and January.
Deadline
Monday 13 July 2026, 17:00 BST
Criteria
Applicants must have made a formal application to study for the Medieval and Early Modern Studies Taught MA at Kent and be in receipt of a formal offer for September entry in 2026.
All candidates who have applied for place on the taught MA programme by Monday 13 July 2026 will automatically be considered for the scholarship, regardless of their fee status, nationality or domicile.
The successful candidate will be given the opportunity to develop their CV by undertaking minimal administrative tasks for CAMEMS in its mission to foster interest in medieval and early modern studies, such as social media and website updates.
Further details
The Canterbury Association for Medieval and Early Modern Studies (CAMEMS) fosters close relations between the University of Kent’s Centre for Medieval and Early Modern Studies (MEMS) and local organisations with involvement and interest in the period, and the wider public. Its members fund the CAMEMS Scholarship to encourage access and interest in medieval and early modern studies.
How to apply
All students wishing to be considered for this scholarship must have applied to their MA programme of choice in the Centre for Medieval or Early Modern Studies by Monday 13 July 2026. Further information here.
Shortlisted applicants will be invited to attend an interview and successful candidates will be informed by email.
Sasha Roberts Scholarship
£3,000 stipend per annum split into two payments of £1,500 in October and January.
Deadline
Monday 13 July 2026, 17:00 BST
Criteria
- Applicants must have made a formal application to study on an MA programme in the School of English or the Centre for Medieval and Early Modern Studies at Kent and be in receipt of a formal offer for September entry in 2026.
- All candidates who have applied for place on a taught MA programme by Monday 13 July 2026 will automatically be considered for the scholarship, regardless of their fee status, nationality or domicile.
Further details
Sasha Roberts joined the School of English in 1997 as a specialist in Shakespeare and the Renaissance. Promoted to a Senior Lectureship in 2006, and with an outstanding academic career unfolding, she was tragically killed in a road accident a few months later.
Sasha was a brilliant teacher, loved and admired by her students, a distinguished scholar, and a vibrant and innovative presence in the department. Her many publications included Women Reading Shakespeare – an anthology of criticism edited with Ann Thompson, a study of Romeo and Juliet in the Writers and their Work series, and a distinguished contribution to Shakespeare scholarship, Reading Shakespeare’s Poems in Early Modern England.
The Sasha Roberts Scholarship was set up by Sasha’s family, her parents Penny and Nigel, her husband Martin, and her son Lio who survived the crash that killed Sasha. A tree has been planted alongside a bench in the garden outside the School of English, both in memory of our sadly-missed colleague.
How to apply
All students wishing to be considered for this scholarship must have applied to their MA programme of choice in English or Medieval or Early Modern Studies by Monday 13 July 2026. Further information here.
Shortlisted applicants will be invited to attend an interview and successful candidates will be informed by email.