Student grants
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Student grants support undergraduate, Masters and PhD students undertaking geographical fieldwork, overseas research and data collection to advance geographical knowledge.
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Funder: Royal Geographical Society
Due Dates (Anticipated): October 2026 (Annual cycle early deadline) | April 2027 (Annual cycle final deadline)
Funding Amounts: £500–£5,000 for RGS Explore Grants; £1,000 research grants; PhD awards up to £2,500 or £4,000
Summary: Grants support student geographical fieldwork, from first undergraduate group projects to data collection for PhD dissertations.
Key Information: Projects must advance geographical knowledge; a geography degree or Society membership is not universally required.
Description
The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) supports over 40 student fieldwork projects each year. Its student grants encompass undergraduate, Masters and PhD schemes, supporting both groups gaining their first fieldwork experience and doctoral students collecting data for dissertations. The programme focuses on geographical research and field-based work rather than tuition or living costs while studying.
The schemes cover original overseas field research, challenging team expeditions with local collaboration, geographical data collection, and research into the social, economic and cultural life of a region. Applicants need not have a geography degree, work in a geography department or identify as geographers, but their projects must contain a substantial geographical component and contribute new geographical knowledge.
