Is it possible? I've applied for several funded studentships and it's not looking promising - it's not all over yet but I've had nothing but rejections so far. I'm trying not to be too disheartened by this, but realistically there is so much competition for the places that I have to accept I might not be able to get one :(

I'm thinking about whether I can get a part-time job (or go part time on my current job) and start the PhD part time. If I do this, will I be 'stuck' part time for the duration of the PhD, or is it possible to apply for funding later, e.g. for the start of my second year? It will be in science, where funding tends to come tied to a particular prospective project, so not sure how this would work in practice? I'd be interested to hear if anyone has experience of trying to do something like this.

It's possible to apply for funding after starting in arts/humanities (AHRC), and I did this in my first year, and won funding for the rest of my PhD. I stayed part-time, but had I been healthier I could have switched to full-time study after winning my funding.

But I've no idea if it's possible in sciences, sorry.