How I Self-Funded My Drama PhD as an International Student in the UK (And How You Can Too) - Part I

Starting a PhD is daunting. Starting a PhD as an international student in the UK with no funding? Even more so. Today, I’m going to share my experience of self-funding my drama PhD journey as an American living in the UK. Spoiler alert: my first piece of advice is probably to not self-fund. But, as the first college graduate in my family, I didn’t quite understand all the funding options available. And if I’m honest, I wasn’t sure where to begin.

That said, here we are.

Self-funding has had its ups and downs. On the one hand, it gave me the freedom to study exactly what I wanted to study. I didn’t have to worry about adhering to a specific project prescribed by a funder, and I wasn’t confined to a rigid academic structure. It also allowed me to turn down opportunities, invitations, and projects that I didn’t align with, something that might’ve been more difficult if I had a traditional funding source attached to keeping my supervisor or the university happy. I probably should have said "no" more often (which I’ll reflect on after I finish this thing… if I ever finish this thing).

Beyond working part-time, I was fortunate to have a decent amount of savings to fall back on and some help from family members (thanks, dad!). However, draining my savings? Not fun. So I began to look for scholarships and grants, convinced there had to be something out there to help fund my doctorate.

Turns out, I was right.

Over the last four years, starting the year before my PhD began up to now, I’ve compiled a list of potential funding opportunities that I qualified for as a female, American drama student living in the UK. Some of these are scholarships, some are grants, and some, well… let’s just say I found some loopholes along the way that allowed me to apply for opportunities that initially seemed out of reach.

Here’s a mix of scholarships and funding opportunities I found that might be helpful to others in similar situations:

Scholarships & Grants

• Equity Charitable Trust Offers retraining and education support: Equity Charitable Trust

• Fulbright Scholarship/U.S. Student Program Supports American students studying abroad: Fulbright Scholarship

• USArtists International Financial support for international travel for artists: USArtists International

• USITT International Travel Grant A grant for theatre students traveling internationally: USITT Travel Grant

• Dan David Prize A prize given for exceptional work in humanities, arts, and sciences: Dan David Prize

• Harvey Fellows Overview A fellowship for students pursuing advanced degrees in the arts, sciences, and other disciplines: Harvey Fellows

• SuperMoney’s Financial Literacy Scholarship Another scholarship for students interested in financial literacy: SuperMoney Scholarship

• Actors Federal Credit Union Scholarship for Theatrical Performers A scholarship for theatre students: Actors FCU Scholarship

• Rotary Scholarships Rotary Foundation offers a variety of scholarships for students: Rotary Scholarships

• Hoening Theatre Artist Scholarship For theatre students pursuing advanced degrees: Hoening Scholarship

• Be Bold Scholarship An essay-free scholarship for bold individuals: Be Bold Scholarship

• Society for Theatre Research Awards A funding opportunity for theatre researchers: Theatre Research Awards

• Virginia Liebeler Biennial Grants for Mature Women (Art) A grant for older women pursuing arts-related fields: Virginia Liebeler Grants

• The Wallace Foundation Offers grants for arts education programs: The Wallace Foundation

• Tattoo Journal Ink Scholarship For students with a love of tattoos: Tattoo Journal Scholarship

• Debt.com Scholarship A scholarship for students facing debt-related challenges: Debt.com Scholarship

• Postgrad Solutions - Bursary Financial support for postgrad students: Postgrad Bursary

• Snowden Trust A grant that supports students with disabilities: Snowden Trust

• Worthy Women A scholarship for women pursuing higher education: Worthy Women Scholarship

Final Thoughts

Self-funding a PhD is tough, especially as an international student, but it’s not impossible. While I didn’t have access to everything I needed upfront, the journey taught me a lot about perseverance, creative funding solutions, and being open to a variety of opportunities.

If you're in a similar situation and wondering how to fund your PhD abroad, I hope this list helps you get started. There’s a ton of support out there, sometimes it’s just about finding the right fit. Good luck, and don’t forget to keep an eye out for new opportunities as you go!

Do you have any weird or interesting scholarships, grants or tips to add for self-funding PhD students?