A lot of these advertised positions included a collaboration with a company (quite common in agriculture) so maybe that is a different case and it's allowed to restrict it to more specific residential criteria. Thanks for the clarification. I guess I'll try unsoliticed applications then...

Maybe I misunderstand it but most of the advertised positions (with the europe symbol) I am interested in have the same or a similar remark :

"To be eligible for a full award (Tuition fees and Stipend) students must meet the residency criteria set by the funder."

Residency criteria are usually at least 3 years of residence in the UK, which makes it impossible to meet the criteria if you did not study in UK or stayed there for such a long period for any other reason.

For example :

Hey guys,

I am a german student currently searching for a phd position in UK starting in october 2015. So far, I could not really find any position that is actually open for non-UK residents (searching in agriculture). You can often apply for the position as a EU citizen but you won't get the full funding (just tuition fees), which makes it somehow "useless" as most of the students do not have their own funding. Do I understand that right?
If so, can you recommend any other ways to find advertised positions that are fully accessible to EU citizens, any scholarships you can apply for or is an unsolicited application the only way as a non-UK resident?

Thanks in advance for any helpful advice :)