I've applied for AHRC funding for my PhD application via the M4C consortium, and was told that my application had been chosen to go to the final selection panel which took place in early March, and that I would be notified of the outcome by mid-March. It's now early April, and although I received an offer from the University way back in early February, I can't accept the offer without the funding as I am unable to afford to self-fund. I contacted the University, who simply said that they hadn't heard back from the consortium about their final decisions.

Is this kind of delay normal in these processes? Is it indicative in any way of the likelihood of my application being successful/unsuccessful, or is it more likely to be an administrative issue?

I'm hoping it comes through soon, so that either way I can start planning what I'll be doing once I finish my MA, but even my MA is starting to feel the effects of my jittery anxiousness as I'm not sure what to make of this silence!

Any advice from people with more experience with these funding applications (or any advice in general) would be greatly appreciated! :D