Please note, the fees for Home/EU are for 2019 entry. Fees for postgraduate research students are set by Research Councils UK. We’re expecting fees for 2020 entry to be announced soon.
These fees are for all research degree programmes on this page. For courses lasting more than one year, small annual increases may apply. For more information, please visit the fees and funding page.
The standard length of a full-time PhD programme is three years, or five years part-time, plus 'writing-up'.
For full-time students, writing up typically takes about three months but may be extended to one year without further paperwork. For part-time students, writing up typically takes one year, but may be extended to two years without further paperwork.
There is a small continuation fee to be paid for the writing-up period. The continuation fee is partly reimbursed, if you submit in less than one year (full-time) or less than two years (part-time).
Doctoral Loan
UK and EU students who haven’t secured a scholarship can take out a Doctoral Loan to help with tuition fees and living costs. They provide up to £26,445 for full-time and part-time PhDs in all subject areas.
Additional costs
There are some extra costs that you may have to pay, or choose to pay, depending on your programme of study and the decisions you make. The list below has some examples, and any extra costs will vary:
- Student visas (international students).
- Books (you’ll have access to many books through the University library, but you may want to buy your own copies).
- Optional conference/field/archive/library trips (Faculties support some travel and conference attendance financially. Details vary. Please check with the Department/School to which you are applying).
- Laptop (you’ll have access to laptops and PC’s on campus, but you may want to buy your own).
- Printing and photocopying (There is a printing allowance in place for all students, currently £20 a year. Some Faculties grant PGR students access to printing and photocopying as staff. Please check with the Department/School to which you are applying).
- Professional-body membership.
- Graduation (gown hire and photography).
Remember, you’ll still need to take into account your living costs. This could include accommodation, travel and food – to name just a few.
Some postgraduate research students may be asked to pay a bench fee in addition to the tuition fee to cover additional costs of their research project. If such a fee is levied for additional project-specific costs, not included in the tuition fee, you will receive further information during the application process.