This initiative provided 24 fully funded doctoral studentships for UK-domiciled Black students. Its primary aim was to remove structural and financial barriers that disproportionately limited Black applicants’ access to doctoral study, particularly given low national success rates for competitive UKRI funding. Studentships were modelled upon standard University of Surrey doctoral funding structures, ensuring parity of stipend rates, fees, and progression expectations with other funded PhD students. The target group comprised high-achieving UK-domiciled Black applicants who would otherwise have been excluded due to funding constraints. Beyond access, the initiative functioned as a visible institutional commitment, contributing to the normalisation of Black participation within postgraduate research (PGR) cohorts.
Provision of 24 fully funded PhD studentships for UK-domiciled Black students, aligned with standard university funding structures to ensure parity in stipend, fees, and progression.
Removed financial barriers to doctoral entry, enabling access for high-achieving candidates otherwise excluded. Increased representation and visibility of Black researchers within PGR cohorts.
Directly addresses structural inequities in access to doctoral funding and participation.
Enabled equitable access to doctoral study through targeted financial intervention.
“If not for the programme, I probably would not be doing my PhD.” - SBS Scholar
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