uk phd stipend

The Savvy Scientist

Experiences of a London PhD student and beyond

PhD Salary UK: How Much Do PhD Students Get Paid Compared to Graduates?

Considering whether to stay in university as a PhD student or to leave and get a job? If so, you may be wondering “How much do PhD student get paid?” and “How does a UK PhD salary compare to a graduate salary?” .

In this post I delve into the details and reveal that the difference in take home pay between a UK PhD stipend and a grad position can actually be much lower than it first appears!

If you’re looking to know how much a PhD could boost your career and salary after finishing your doctoral degree I’d suggest checking out my post: Is a PhD Worth It ? See details here for how much people earn in academia after getting their PhD .

I also have a complementary post covering my monthly expenses as a PhD student. You may also wish to check out my guide to the application process , PhD FAQs and article on how I got a PhD scholarship .

February 2024 : This post has been updated to include figures for the 2023/24 academic year.

Do PhD students get paid in the UK? If so, how much do PhD students get paid?

Before we delve into the details let’s first cover whether PhD students get paid in the UK. Generally, yes, most PhD students get what is called a PhD stipend to support themselves during their PhD. Importantly, a PhD stipend (in the UK at least) is tax free .

It is worth noting though that not all PhD projects automatically include funding. Funding may also not be applicable for every applicant. For example sometimes it may only be available to home students i.e. those from the UK.

Therefore some students may resort to self funding their PhD. In STEM subjects self funding a PhD is pretty rare and often only happens because of limitations in funding eligibility. I’ve personally worked with a mix of funded and self-funded (often by parents) PhD students, though most are certainly funded by grants and scholarships.

If your project doesn’t already include funding, for most people I strongly advise trying to find funding rather than considering self funding. For more information on this check out my post on PhD Funding in the UK.

2023/24 UK PhD Salary

• PhD salary outside of London: In 2023/24 most new PhD students in the UK will receive a PhD stipend worth at least £18,622 per year .
• PhD salary in London : In 2023/24 most new PhD students in London will receive an increased stipend to account for cost of living , which is typically around £20,622 per year .

Notice that the PhD stipend for outside of London is at least £18,622 per year. I’ve seen several advertised at the London rate. There are also some available at an even higher rate. For example I know of CDTs in Bristol paying more like £24,000 tax-free.

Your PhD stipend will usually provide funding for 3.5 years, although it can occasionally be for 3 or 4 years.

These values are for most PhD studentships including those awarded by all UK research councils following the UKRI guidelines .

Certain scholarship schemes pay upwards of £25,000 per year, such as the £25,150 (2024/25 rate) President’s PhD Scholarships at Imperial. For details on how to get such a scholarship, check out this article where I go over how I got awarded my own PhD scholarship.

The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network (ITN)  runs all across the EU. As well as nice training and exchange opportunities it pays a staggering stipend of approx £40,000 – £45,000 . The grant level is reviewed each year and increases if you have family dependents. I personally wish I’d known about it earlier and highly recommend anyone interested puts a reminder in their diary for when the next call opens!

Is a UK PhD stipend taxable?

Here is what PhD stipends look like compared to some fairly typical starting grad salaries in the UK:

At first glance a PhD stipend doesn’t stack up well against the higher wages of a graduate salary which can sometimes be twice this amount or more. But crucially PhD stipends for students are tax free !

There are a few other financial perks that come with being a student so I was intrigued to find out how the two salaries really compared. The results may surprise you!

Below is a high level overview and I’ll delve into each of the numbers in depth later in the post.

Grad salary vs PhD salary starting numbers

As mentioned earlier, in 2023/24 a typical PhD stipend outside of London is at least £18,622 . Within London this will typically increase slightly to account for cost of living to around £20,622 . These rates rise every year for new students, but do not rise for each year of the PhD. So for new students considering starting in 2024/25 a UK PhD salary will likely be around £19,100 outside of London. 

For the sake of simplifying the comparison I averaged the 2023/24 PhD stipend to £19,622 for all PhD students studying in the UK.

A fairly typical grad salary, for someone qualified enough to be considering a science PhD, is around £30,000 . Of course this is an average salary so needs to be taken with a pinch of salt. As the number can vary dramatically it may be considered too low by some, but I think it’s a good benchmark accounting for different regions of the UK.

I’ve included higher and lower graduate salaries too in the summary charts for this post.

Salary Gap: £10,378

On the face of it the PhD student would be earning £10,378 less per year: around 35% lower! This is enough of a difference to put off a lot of potential PhD candidates who’ve likely spent the last few years building up student loans.

But unlike normal wages, PhD stipends are tax free so maybe things aren’t as bleak for PhD students as it seems? Let’s explore how they really compare.

Income Tax & National Insurance Contributions

The 2023/24 Personal Income Allowance is £12,570. This means that you can earn up to this amount and not pay any income tax. Earnings from £12,571 up to £50,270 fall into the basic rate bracket of 20% tax.

PhD Student Salary: PhD stipends are tax free and incur no income tax or national insurance contributions. Remaining stipend: £19,622

Professional Salary: On £30,000 you’d pay £ 3486 in income tax and NI contributions of £2004 . Remaining wage:  £24,510

Salary Gap: £4888 Income tax and national insurance contributions have immediately almost halved the difference in take-home pay from £10,378 down to £4888!

Student Loan Repayment

PhD Student Salary: Even with a PhD stipend you are officially an unwaged student so you won’t make student loan repayments as a PhD student. Remaining stipend: £19,622 [see footnote 1]

Professional Salary: The amount you may have to pay for student loan repayments depends upon when you started your undergraduate course. If you started your undergraduate course since 2012 you pay student loan repayments on earnings above £27,295. Meaning on a salary of £30,000 you’d pay £243 a year on student loan repayments. If you began your undergraduate course before 2012, repayments start on salaries above £22,015 and would be £541 a year . Most of you likely completed your undergrad degree recently so we’ll go with the more recent, lower, repayments. Remaining wage:  £24,267

Salary Gap: £4645

Council Tax

PhD Student Salary: Another cost that students are exempt from is council tax. Though be careful if you share a house with non-students since council tax must then be paid on the property. [2] Remaining stipend:  £19,622

Professional Salary: Council tax varies greatly between council boroughs, and depends on the property you live in. For example in Cardiff I lived in a one bed flat and the annual council tax was £1050 per year. During my PhD in London council tax for a lovely three bed house  in Clapham it was £1000! Now that I live in Bristol it is over £2000 per year for a three bed house. I’ll go to the liberty of saying on average it would be £1150 per year and would be divided between two people: -£575 each. Total: £23,692

Salary Gap: £4070

Private Pension Contributions

PhD Student Salary: Although universities pay a PhD stipend to students, you are not a member of staff and hence do not make private pension contributions. Remaining stipend:  £19,622

Professional Salary: Legislation has been phasing in making contribution to private pensions mandatory. The upside is that employers match your contribution up to varying percentages: sometimes up to about 10% of your salary. Additionally there are tax benefits to contributing so overall you could see it as boosting your salary looking at the longer term view. [3]

I believe there are troubling times ahead for 20-somethings and personally am not relying on a state pension existing by the time we all reach retirement age. Therefore I wholeheartedly recommend making a decently sized contribution at least up to the same amount that your employer matches. For the purposes of this comparison I won’t deduct anything for private pension since it’s not really being deducted so I’ll call this one a draw.  Total: £23,692

Student Discount

Ah the obvious one! Student discount may have been the first thing you thought of when you saw this article, but I’m not going to include it in this analysis.

A student card does allow a significant amount to be saved, not only on luxuries such as entry to attractions and deals in shops but also travel. For example in London, an 18+ student oystercard gets you 30% off travelcards. For a monthly zones 1-3 ticket this would save about £50 a month: over £600 a year!

The reason I’ve not included it? How much you use student discount depends on your circumstances and lifestyle and I wanted to keep the analysis widely applicable. Also, there are ways around needing to pay for travel at all: I started cycling to university every day in London .

Curveball: the £12,570 Tax-Free Personal Income Allowance

So far the recent grad is still earning an additional £4842 per year: almost a third more than the PhD student. Owing to the fact that PhD students are exempt from income tax, national insurance contributions, council tax and student loan repayments the gap in earnings has shrunk considerably.

One last calculation I wanted to try was to consider the scenario of a student earning some additional money on the side. It is a common thing to make extra money with teaching assistant, tutoring and consultancy opportunities. In fact I think every PhD student I know does at least a little. There are of course non-academic routes to make additional money too.

I have written a post about some of the ways that I make extra money , many of which are in fact available to non-students. Do be careful to check that this is acceptable at your institution. My favourite way to make extra money is matched betting which is tax-free for everybody. You can find my complete guide to matched betting here .

Tax-free side-hustle

Currently you can earn £12,570 tax free in the UK . Given that the PhD stipend itself is tax free, unlike an equivalent worker you wouldn’t pay any tax on extra earnings up to this threshold. This might sound insignificant but it’s not.

Admittedly, unless you’re very entrepreneurial, it is unlikely that you would make use of the whole tax-free opportunity. But earning several thousand pounds per year on top of the stipend is certainly common.

As pointed out by a reader, John, in the comments below: a consideration should be that that some universities limit how much paid work you can do per month. Even so, there are lots of ways to make money and your time as a student could even be a great time to start your own business .

I’ve been paid more than £25 an hour doing pretty simple work for the university , so these earnings can mount up quickly.

To illustrate the extra earning potential afforded to PhD students, let’s consider the most extreme case where the tax-free earnings are maximised.

Since 2017 there has been a £1000 tax-free trading allowance for workers in the UK , meaning even those in a normal taxable job can earn £1000 on top of their salary from side-hustle jobs. Therefore the grad will pay additional taxes on £11,570 instead of £12,570.

PhD Student Salary: An enterprising student maxing out the tax-free allowance could earn £12,570 a year and pay no national insurance either, leaving additional take-home pay of  £12,570 . With a PhD stipend of £17,062 the student would in total earn £32,192 for the year. They’d keep 100% of those extra earnings.

Again, yes it is unlikely that someone would really earn this much on the side but it is common to make at least several thousand throughout the year.

Professional Salary: As a grad on £30,000 per year in your main job, to have an equivalent side-hustle earning £12,570, in total you’d pay tax on £41,570. Income tax would be £5800: £2314 higher than on their base salary of £30,000. NI contributions would be £3335: £1331 higher. Plus student loan repayments would be £1284: £1041 higher. Student loan repayments really start increasing considerably when you’re earning more. These additional taxes and costs total deductions of £4686,  leaving the professional with extra take-home pay of  £7884 . Including their day-job the total they’d be left with is £31,576 .

For this extra £12,570 of work, the student would pocket 100% of it and the professional would keep £7884 ( 63% ). Looking at the pre-tax difference in their earnings: at face value the student would be earning £32,192 and the grad £41,570: a difference of £9378. Yet once taxes are considered the final result is two people with remarkably similar take-home pays: a difference of £616 in favour of the student!

Check it out:

Under these circumstances the student would in fact take home £616 more per year than the professional! I used the maximum tax-free allowance to highlight the point and yes it’s unlikely that many students will fully utilise it. Yet the point stands that any additional earnings are much better retained by PhD students.

If someone was running a fully-fledged business on the side then the difference becomes even bigger as the grad salary approaches the next tax bracket for earnings of £50,271 and above, at which point the rate of income tax doubles.

There are very few legal ways of making money which are tax-exempt for everyone. One of these rare cases is also my favourite way to make money on the side: matched betting. Intrigued? I’ve written a huge guide to it here . In this rare instance none of the grad’s extra earnings get eroded by tax.

Grad salary vs PhD student salary conclusion

Starting from a difference of £10,378 in salary, taxes and other outgoings have knocked £6308 off the graduate’s wage. This brings the difference in earnings down to £4070. This equates to £339 per month. More than nothing, but not a huge difference. And this doesn’t include any extra earnings on the side which the student can do a much better job of retaining.

Surprised how small the difference is? I certainly was whilst I was writing this.

Here is a chart for comparing a wider range of salaries:

This analysis doesn’t take in to account the extra earning power that gaining a PhD could bring, nor the potential lifestyle benefits of being a student such as autonomy and flexible working hours which it could be argued level the playing field even further. Plus the opportunities afforded to PhD students, which everyone should seize. And yes, student discount if you use it.

Furthermore if you consider the opportunity to make an additional £12k+ per year before incurring tax  any difference in earnings can become close to negligible!

I hope that this post has helped explain that the wage gap between UK PhD stipends and grad salaries is not as dramatic it first seems. Perhaps it’s even encouraged you to consider a PhD. If so I’ve written posts to help with your application and an article on how to improve your chances of securing a PhD scholarship . Also if you’re curious you can read about life as a PhD student along with profiles of PhD students around the world .

If you’d like personalised help with your PhD application I am now starting to offer a small number of one-to-one sessions. Please contact me to find out more or click here to book a call.

What do you think about this comparison between a UK PhD stipend and grad salary? Do you think there are any additional factors that I have overlooked? Please share your thoughts in the comments below and if you’ve enjoyed this post you can subscribe to hear about more content:

[1] Some people might say that by continuing studying you’re simply delaying your student loan repayment.  Considering most people don’t pay it off in the 30 odd years until any outstanding balance is wiped I think it’s fair to say that this doesn’t ring true.

[2] No council tax is paid on a property if all occupants are students. If you live with one professional they can claim the single occupancy discount of 25% but with two or more professionals the full council tax amount must be paid. If you share in a mixed group it is up to you how you divide it within the group. Ironically given the spirit of this post, last year I voluntarily did pay an equal (third) share of council tax given that my partner was moving to London specifically to live with me…

[3] If you go on to work for a university after your PhD you’ll be enrolled in the USS pension scheme where you’ll usually pay in 9% of your salary and your employer pays in 19%: yes, nineteen! For comparison most often the best private companies may match contributions up to 10%. Pension contributions are often removed from your pay packet before taxes. This effectively leaves you with a smaller salary and hence pay less taxes and national insurance contributions. Between this and your employer’s contributions overall your salary could be “boosted” by quite a bit, around 20% in the USS example, if you consider the pension as part of your long-term salary.

All calculations were carried out using the tax calculator on Martin’s Money Saving Expert. A fantastic website for all things personal finance.

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17 Comments on “PhD Salary UK: How Much Do PhD Students Get Paid Compared to Graduates?”

It’s probably worth factoring in that most HEIs limit PhD students to a maximum I’m of 10hours pw of external work. By my rough estimate, the student would have to earn £25 an hour to make the money you’ve described here. The side hustle, should probably be halved to reflect a more typical salary. Still a fair whack though.

Hi John, yes that’s a good point and I’ll update the post to reflect this. In my experience £25/hour is realistic, at least here at Imperial, though I appreciate it would rarely get fully utilised. Thanks again

Hello Jeff! I am a Sustainability Consultant from India, looking at PhD opportunities in UK. It would be great if we can connect and discuss a bit about your experience and journey. Looking forward!

Hey Akhyata! Great, yes let’s have a chat. I’ve emailed you to arrange it. Best wishes, Jeff

Hi Jeff! I love your article, I’m a pharmacist juggling the idea of a PhD. I would love to take up on your offer to connect.

Hey Kai! Great, I’ll email you now to arrange it.

Hi Jeff, I am a law grad very interested in further study and pursuing a PhD.

I would love the chance to chat to you further about this article and your experience!

Thanks in advance

Hey Clara, Yeah no worries. I’ll send you an email now to discuss.

Hi Jeff, I’m putting together a PhD proposal at the moment and would really appreciate your input on a few things about the process when you have some free time. Cheers, Ben

Hi Ben, sure no problem, I’m happy to try and help. Let’s discuss over email.

Hi Jeff, Thank you for taking the time to write the articles you do. On this particular article, you have saved us all quite a lot of time. With such a minimal difference even without an additional income, it makes a lot of sense, especially with an increase when you graduate.

Those from the UK can take a £24k loan from the Gov (as if they didn’t have enough debt already). Still, it could enable a student to focus more on academia, speeding up the process and increasing the quality of work.

Apologies Jeff, the stipend and student loan are not available at the same time.

Thanks very much for your comments Tyrone. I’m pleased you find the website useful!

If you can get funding, I agree that there isn’t much of a reason to not do a PhD.

I must admit I’ve never looked much at postgraduate loans, in part because I encourage everyone doing a PhD (in STEM at least) to pursue funding. We’re doing PhDs which can help wider society and it doesn’t make sense for people to have to sacrifice even more by adding extra debt if they can avoid it. Interesting to hear that you can’t take out a loan if you have a stipend, thanks for letting me know.

Perhaps of interest to you, there is a post going live tomorrow which should put the length of a PhD in context of someone’s whole career. In short it doesn’t sacrifice much of a career but of course but make a very useful addition!

If there are any other topics you want to see covered please do let me know.

Best wishes.

Tax Free is not a perk. If you are not paying tax in the UK you cannot contribute to your pension. This may not seem important now, but it will later. This is especially important for mature students who can really lose out if there is a break in their NI contributions.

Thanks for your comment Marie.

The point is that normal tax-paying jobs don’t actually pay quite as much more than PhD stipends once you consider tax. I agree that over the long term avoiding paying taxes is neither a good idea because of things like pensions, nor is it socially ethical. But I don’t think there is any harm in taking 3-4 years out for a PhD:

You have to pay NI for a minimum of only 10 years to qualify for some level of state pension in the UK. After this the pension received simply increases linearly with the number of years of contributions, up to a max of 35 years. With retirement age edging up to 70 that gives at least 45 years between undergrad and retirement so most people will comfortably qualify (for now) for the full state pension. I’d argue that there is ample time to earn some tax free money as a PhD student without having to worry about making enough NI contributions. You can even voluntarily pay NI to gain additional qualifying years on your record. More generally I’d suggest also to not rely on receiving the state pension, I’m not personally betting on there even being a state pension by my own retirement (nor do I want to retire at 70+) so it’s always a good idea to build up your own private pension and savings too!

Hi Jeff, I was looking for funded PhD projects in the Marie Curie network and found a few on the EURAXESS website, but they all require a Master’s degree to apply. I was wondering if there is something I am missing or if you know where to find PhD funding opportunities in the Marie Curie network with only a bachelor’s degree. Thank you.

Hi Alex, thanks for your comment. I must admit I’m not an expert on all of the different Marie Curie funding routes available. If you’ve already done an extensive search then it sounds like yes they all may require a Master’s. By the way, when I first wrote this post I believed that all PhDs funded by UK research councils (UKRI) were at the very specific levels as mentioned in the post. However, I now know that there are some exceptions. For example, the Interactive AI CDT here at Bristol pays a stipend of £22,106: quite a bit higher than the standard non-London rate. CDTs such as this one include a foundation year and not everyone has a Master’s, so it may be worth considering schemes such as this. Best wishes, Jeff.

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• PhD Salary in UK – Explained
• Funding a PhD

What Are PhD Salaries?

The average cost of undertaking a PhD in the UK is approximately £20,000 per academic year for UK students and £40,000 for international students. To help offset the cost of this, many students question whether undertaking a doctorate comes with a PhD salary.

The salary of a PhD student is governed by three factors: whether they’re assisting in undergraduate teaching, assisting in research, or have secured a PhD with a stipend. Depending on which of the three categories a student falls within, they will receive an income during their studies, however, the amount will differ by a substantial amount.

To help show you how you can fund your postgraduate degree and how much you can expect to earn whilst doing so, carry on reading below.

Types of PhD Salaries

There are three types of PhD degree salaries:

• Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTAs) . In exchange for a salary, you’ll be required to assist in the delivery of one or more courses over a number of years. This includes, but is not limited to, marking student tutorials, supervising lab experiments and providing support to undergraduates during office hours. Besides this, you may have to teach a small section of the course itself. You can discover more about GTAs on King’s College London’s website.
• Research Assistantships (RAs) . In exchange for a salary, you assist a departmental professor with their research. In the ideal scenario, the professor you work with should also be your PhD supervisor and the research you’re asked to support with relates to your own doctoral project.
• Stipend via Studentship: A stipend is a non-repayable grant provided to doctoral students to help support their studies. A studentship covers a student’s tuition fees whilst a stipend covers a PhD student’s living costs. This includes outgoings such as rent, food, bills and basic travel. Unlike Graduate Teaching or Research Assistantships, stipends rarely have duties attached to them. The only expectation of receiving a stipend will be that you maintain continuous progress within your degree.

It’s worth noting these earning opportunities can be also be combined. For example, it’s possible to be a research assistant whilst also committing time to teach undergraduate students.

Average PhD Salary in UK

The average PhD student salary for teaching assistantships will vary depending on the level of responsibility you’re taking. However, to provide figures, past doctoral students have reported receiving approx. £10/hr for marking tutorials, £15/hr for leading laboratory sessions and up to £20/hr for leading undergraduate classes and tutorials.

The actual amount you can earn from teaching assistance will depend on the rate your department offers and the hours you can realistically take on. If you’re on a Graduate Teaching Assistantship programme, they will require you to dedicate a set number of hours per week. If you’re not on a GTA but would still like to earn an income through this scheme, you will likely need to commit several hours per week consistently. Although this can be a great way to earn whilst you study, you need to make sure you manage your time effectively as to not become overwhelmed by taking on an additional commitment.

The average salary for research assistantships will vary depending on the field of the doctoral degree you are enrolled in. Usually, these positions pay between £25,000 to £30,000 per year, however, it’s possible to come across positions which sit slightly outside of this. As a general rule of thumb, STEM assistors are paid more than non-STEM assistors.

In the UK, PhD students can receive a stipend which varies between £15,000 and £18,000 per annum. As part of the studentship your stipend is provided under, your tuition fees will also be paid for. UK tuition fees will vary between universities but are approximately £4,500 per year for doctoral courses starting in 2021/22 as per the UKRI recommendations .

Although £15,000 to £18,000 per year is the typical range for a stipend, some can be far greater than this. For example, Wellcome Trust , a research-charity based in London, offers an annual stipend of up to £23,300 and £26,000 for doctoral students located outside and within London, respectively.

Are PhD Salaries Taxed?

PhD stipends are tax free. Therefore, you don’t need to pay any income tax nor do you need to make any national insurance contributions. This means you’ll keep all the money you receive from an annual stipend. However, this is not the case for Research Assistants.

In the UK, Research Assistants are employed as university staff members and are paid a direct salary as opposed to a stipend. As a result, it will require you to pay tax on your earnings and make national insurance contributions.

To put this into perspective, for the 2019/20 UK tax year, you’re required to pay a 20% tax on any income above £12,500 but less than £50,000. You’re also required to make national insurance contributions of 12% of your weekly earnings over £166 but less than £962. This means that an annual Research Assistantship salary of £30,000 will equate to a take-home salary of £23,938 per year.

How to Get a PhD Stipend

To find research positions which offer stipends, we recommend you search our PhD database and filter by ‘funded’ positions.

Besides this, you can also secure a studentship from UK Research Councils or directly from your university as a scholarship. Independent organisations, such as charities and research trusts, and innovative firms within your industry also offer funding. You can read our PhD studentship guide to see how these work or our Where to find a PhD guide for further ideas.

Finding a PhD has never been this easy – search for a PhD by keyword, location or academic area of interest.

How to Get a Research Assistantship PhD

Unfortunately, research assistantships opportunities aren’t as common to come across compared to PhD stipends. Besides this, when they are available, they’re predominantly in STEM subjects such as computer science and engineering. The reason for this is these subjects usually have access to greater research grants and have a greater volume of practical work available.

To find a research assistantship, we recommend that you contact the university departments who host the courses you’re interested in directly. This is because research assistantships help professors with their research, and while they may require help, they may not be openly advertising for it. They may, therefore, be able to create a role for you within their department or put you into contact with one of their colleagues who already has an open position.

International Students

It’s worth noting that international students will have a harder time securing a funded PhD position than UK ‘home’ students will. This is largely because there are usually fewer funding opportunities available to international students, which as a result also attract significant competition.

Besides this, if you’re an international student studying in the UK you will most likely than not be on a Tier 4 visa. Although a Tier 4 visa will allow you to work to earn an additional income alongside any studentship you may have, there will be certain restrictions on what you can and can’t do. For example, during term-time, you won’t be allowed to work more than 20 hours per week. For a full list of restrictions, please refer to the government website.

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LSE PhD Studentships

It was a huge honour to receive funding from such a prestigious institution

For 2024 entry, LSE will be offering studentships to new PhD students, in 2023 this was 88, in the form of LSE PhD Studentships, LSE DTP  ESRC Studentships  and London Arts and Humanities Partnership (LAHP)  Studentships.

The awards are open to high calibre students of all nationalities studying across all research areas at the School.

Eligibility

LSE PhD Studentships are tenable for four years and cover full fees and an annual stipend, which for 2024 entry is £21,237. They are available for UK and international students undertaking research in any LSE discipline, with annual renewal subject to satisfactory academic performance.

These awards will be made solely on the basis of outstanding academic merit and research potential. This relates both to your past academic record and to an assessment of your likely aptitude to complete a PhD in your chosen topic in the time allocated.

How to apply

Academic departments nominate students for consideration by a School panel for all PhD funding opportunities they may be eligible for. There is no separate application for any of these studentships.

To be considered for this funding, you must submit your complete application for admission to LSE by a specific date. This date differs by academic department. Refer to the individual programme page for the relevant deadline information.  Find your graduate programme .

• deadline for the research programme in the Law School for 2024 entry: 1 December 2023
• deadline for the research programme in the Department of Economics for 2024 entry (including PhD Studentships and ESRC funding: 14 December 2023
• funding deadline for first round of PhD Studentships and for ESRC funding for 2024 entry: 15 January 2024
• London Arts and Humanities Partnership (LAHP) PhD Scholarships  deadline: 26 January 2024, 17:00 GMT
• funding deadline for second round of PhD Studentships deadline for 2024 entry (some departments only): 25 April 2024

Find out about ESRC Studentships .

More information on how to apply for a place on a PhD programme .

Student stories

"I received an LSE PhD Studentship, which covers both my tuition and living expenses. It was a huge honour to receive funding from such a prestigious institution and without this support it would have been impossible for me to pursue my PhD."

Katherine Furman East London, South Africa MPhil/PhD Philosophy LSE PhD Studentship

ESRC Studentships Scholarships for PhD study and master's linked to a PhD

How to apply The application process, UCAS and when to apply

Undergraduate fees and funding Details on available scholarships, bursaries, loans and tuition fees

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PhD studentships

If you're looking to get PhD funding for a specific research project or field of study, Doctoral studentships can provide you with either a partially or fully-funded PhD

Who awards PhD studentships?

PhD studentships are most commonly awarded by the UK's seven Research Councils in the form of Research Council grants , with research funding overseen by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) .

Individual UK universities also offer scholarships and bursaries to PhD students, while many professional bodies fund Doctoral research in collaboration with these academic institutions.

For instance, research awards are offered by the following engineering organisations:

• Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) - QUEST scholarships
• Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE)
• The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET)
• Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng)

Additionally, CASE studentships (formerly known as Cooperative Awards in Science and Engineering) can be part-funded by any non-academic body in partnership with the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) . These four-year PhDs require the student to work at the organisation for at least three months.

You can also apply for funded PhD opportunities through many charities, foundations and trusts, including:

• Action Medical Research
• Alzheimer's Society
• British Federation of Women Graduates (BFWG)
• British Heart Foundation (BHF)
• Cancer Research UK
• Diabetes UK
• Rosetrees Trust - PhD Plus
• The Leverhulme Trust
• Wellcome Trust

Before you start applying for a funded PhD, it's always a good idea to discuss this with a prospective supervisor first, as they're often able to provide tips on maximising the likelihood of receiving financial support.

How much can I receive?

Many PhD studentships, including those offered by universities, professional bodies, or charities, foundations and trusts, provide three years' funding paid at a similar rate to the Research Council grant:

• Fees-only studentship - These cover a student's tuition fees, plus any associated project and training costs (a minimum of £4,786 per year in 2024/25).
• Full studentship - These add a non-repayable, tax-free maintenance grant known as a 'stipend'. In 2024/25, this is worth a minimum of £19,237 and it can be used towards living costs - see UKRI - Find studentships and Doctoral training .

For example, at The University of Manchester, the School of Social Sciences PhD studentship includes tuition fees for three-and-a-half years and a maintenance grant of £18,622 (2023/24 rate) per year for living expenses, plus associated research costs - such as fieldwork and attending conferences - from the Research Training Support Grant.

However, you should be aware that some PhD studentship recipients are required to teach undergraduates. While this provides an excellent opportunity to gain vital employability skills, it can also be hugely time-consuming. You must be satisfied that tutoring won't negatively affect the quality of your research before accepting your place.

Is my programme eligible for a PhD studentship?

PhD studentships can start at any time of the year, but most begin in September, October or January.

Certain types of PhD, for example professional Doctorates, may not be eligible for a PhD studentship. The same applies to part-time or distance learning options.

Am I eligible?

PhD studentships typically demand that applicants have a Bachelors degree at 2:1 or above, plus a relevant Masters degree or professional experience at that level of study.

Those who already possess a PhD are often ineligible, while some PhD studentships are limited to students fitting certain criteria - for example, those from a disadvantaged background, from a certain country or of a certain ethnicity.

If you're a European Union (EU) national, you'll need to have settled or pre-settled status under the government's EU Settlement Scheme to be eligible for student finance in this country - and this includes PhD studentships.

How do I apply for a PhD studentship?

The application process can be lengthy, and competition is fierce.

Some PhD students will be automatically considered for financial support once they've been accepted by an institution, but many are required to make separate PhD funding applications. These are usually made directly to the university - even for those studentships from Research Councils, professional bodies, or charities, foundations and trusts.

You'll typically be asked for your PhD application form, a research proposal , a cover letter and your references. After the institution has reviewed your application, you may be invited to interview.

Throughout this process, the university will scrutinise what you'll bring to the institution. Applicants at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU), for example, are judged on:

• the quality of their research project and how it connects with research currently being undertaken at the institution
• how appropriate the supervisory team is
• their calibre, academic qualifications and academic/research experience
• whether the research can contribute towards the Research Excellence Framework (REF), meaning that interdisciplinary research will be preferred.

How do I increase my chances of getting a PhD studentship?

You can improve your chances of success by:

• asking a friend or family member to proofread your application
• carefully choosing your referees, ensuring that they'll speak positively of you
• discussing your draft application with a relevant academic
• explaining how your work will be unique and innovative
• following the funding body's guidance regarding word counts and formatting.

What other PhD funding is available?

If you're unsuccessful with your PhD studentship application, you could consider:

• crowdfunding
• employer sponsorship
• PhD loans .

Find out more

• Explore 5 routes to getting a Doctorate .
• Read about 5 challenges faced by PhD students .
• Consider what to do next after completing a PhD .

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King's College London

Scholarships and studentships.

Find out more about specific funding schemes & scholarships administered by the Centre for Doctoral Studies, below:

These scholarships are available for students applying to joint PhD programmes run in collaboration with the University of Hong Kong, National University of Singapore or the University of Sao Paulo, with King's as their home institution.

The King's Joint PhD Scholarship provides full tuition fees, stipend and an annual research grant.

Visit our joint PhD funding opportunity webpage for more details.

Find out more about the Joint PhD Programmes available at the National University of Singapore, University of Hong Kong, and University of Sao Paolo by visiting the International Education webpage.

King's College London and the China Scholarship Council (CSC) hold an agreement to jointly fund PhD students to pursue research degrees at King's College London. As part of the agreement, successful students receive a scholarship that covers the tuition fee, an annual living allowance that includes overseas student health cover, a return airfare to London and visa application fees.

For full details, please visit our King's China Council Scholarships funding opportunity webpage.

The Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC) Doctoral Training Partnership at King’s College London offers PhD Research Studentships across the Faculty of Natural, Mathematical & Engineering Sciences and the Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine , particularly in the School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences .

For more information please visit our EPSRC Doctoral Training Partnership webpage.

King’s College London and the Centre for Doctoral Studies are offering four studentships to support underrepresented communities within postgraduate research students in two faculties.

The studentship covers:

Tuition fees at home level

An annual stipend (living allowance): at the UKRI rate (for the year 2021/22, this was set at £17,609), (pro-rata for PT registration)

Research costs: up to £1,000 per annum (pro-rata for PT registration)

Eligibility criteria

Applying for PhD, at KCL in the following Faculties:

Arts & Humanities

Social Science & Public Policy

Applicants must be UK-permanent residents who are liable for fees at the home rate and identify as one of the following ethnic groups (as identified by the applicant in the admissions application):

Black British, Black or Black British African, Black or Black British Caribbean, Black or Black British other or Mixed Black.

If you identify as being of Black or Mixed-Black ethnicity, you are warmly invited to apply for one of these scholarships.

For full details please visit the Harold Moody scholarships webpage.

The KISS DTC has now been replaced with the London Interdisciplinary Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership (LISS-DTP), made up of King's, Queen Mary University of London and Imperial College.

LISS-DTP will now award Economic & Social Research Council ( ESRC -funded) postgraduate research studentships to support doctoral research and training in the social sciences across this partnership. These are available for three or four years full-time, either as a three year PhD (‘+3’) or as a one-year Masters followed by PhD (‘1+3’). Therefore, a masters degree is not a prerequisite for applying for a LISS-DTP studentship.

A range of training programmes are available based on an assessment of the applicant’s prior learning and training needs and each LISS-DTP Thematic Pathway has a variety of Masters programmes associated with it.

Please see the LISS DTP website for details on the Thematic Pathways for more information.

Part-time studentships are also possible at pro-rata rates.

The Open Competition enables students to propose their own research project for funding. The Open Competition opens each November with an application deadline at the end of January. Applicants are notified in April about whether or not they have been awarded a studentship commencing in October.

Studentships are offered as either +3 (PhD only) or 1+3 (Masters and PhD). You will need to identify a supervisor who will write a supporting statement for your application.

Visit our the London Interdisciplinary Social Science (LISS) studentships page or the dedicated LISS-DTP website for more information.

Please send general enquiries to: [email protected]

LISS DTP’s CASE Collaborative studentship competitions promote partnerships between social scientists at King’s College London, Queen Mary University of London and Imperial College and end-user organisations (public or private or third sector ‘partner institutions’).

A collaborative studentship (referred to as a CASE studentship) is one in which the student enhances their training by working closely with the non-academic partner in the development of their research project. They are a great way to initiate longer-term partnerships and to ensure the ‘impact’ of doctoral research.

It is important to note that the academic faculty initially apply for collaborative studentships, as potential supervisors. If successful they may award the studentship either to a named student or through an agreed recruitment process.

The studentship can involve any public or private or third sector partner institution. The involvement of the partner institution should add value to the studentship (e.g. distinctive opportunities for analysis, dissemination, research management, networking and/or knowledge transfer). The PhD project should also enhance the partner institution’s activities by offering the potential for societal or economic impact.

For more information, please visit the studentships page on the LISS-DTP website .

The London Arts & Humanities Partnership (LAHP) is a Doctoral Training Partnership co-funded by the Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and eight Higher Education Institution (HEI) partners:

• King’s College London
• London School of Economics and Political Science
• Queen Mary University of London
• Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
• Royal College of Art
• Royal College of Music
• School of Advanced Study
• University College London

Please visit the London Arts & Humanities Partnership website for full details of the studentships.

Eligibility:

LAHP welcomes applications:

• From ‘home’ and ‘international’ (including EU) applicants (Please refer to LAHP's ‘ International Students webpage‘);
• Across all of LAHP’s subject areas and approaches in the arts & humanities, including for inter-disciplinary and practice-based research;
• From those who have recently completed their Masters’ programmes and those with relevant professional and/or practitioner experience;
• From those wishing to study on a full-time or part-time basis;
• From applicants of all ages and backgrounds.

To be eligible for a LAHP open studentship in the forthcoming recruitment round you must either:

• Have submitted an application to commence a programme of postgraduate study at a LAHP partner institution in the 2021/22 academic year (i.e. to start in October 2022), or
• If you have already commenced doctoral study, you may apply for funding for the remainder of your study, providing that, at the start of the AHRC award (1st October 2022), you will have at least 50% of the period of study remaining (excluding the ‘writing-up period’).

Funding is available for both full-time and part-time students. Awards cannot normally be deferred. Successful candidates will be assumed to be starting their studies in October 2022 unless there are exceptional circumstances approved by LAHP and your Research institution.

Application procedure:

Please visit the LAHP website for details on the full application procedure.

More about Postgraduate Research

Funding & Scholarships

Discover our range of postgraduate research funding opportunities.

Postgraduate entry requirements

Find out more about entry requirements for our postgraduate courses.

Major UK funders commit to increase PhD stipend

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Handful of funders commit to increasing or reviewing support for postdoctoral researchers amid rising inflation

Major funders including the Royal Society and the Leverhulme Trust have agreed to raise the stipend for PhD students in light of the cost of living crisis.

The news comes after UK Research and Innovation announced it would increase the minimum PhD stipend by 10 per cent for the 2022-23 academic year, following a backlash from students over the previously announced lower rise.

From 1 October the minimum stipend for UKRI-funded PhD students will be £17,668—a 10 per cent increase on the previously announced 2022-23 level.

Following the announcement, the Leverhulme Trust was quick to confirm that it would match UKRI’s stipend.

“If you have submitted an application recently that includes PhD students, you do not need to do anything,” the trust said on 5 September. “You will be advised on the process if your application is successful.”

Royal’s Society’s 13% uplift

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Royal Society told Research Professional News it had already approved a 13 per cent uplift to the stipend for PhD researchers supported by a Royal Society grant back in August.

Postgraduate researchers funded by the learned society will now receive a stipend of £18,150 with a £2,260 London weighting if applicable.

“We are in the process of communicating this to all our grant holders and any uplift will be backdated to 1 September,” a spokesperson for the society said.

The director of research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, Susan Kohlhass, also confirmed that the charity had increased its PhD stipends back in July to £19,000 for grants outside of London awarded in the current financial year.

“This is an increase from £16,000 the last time we funded PhD studentships a couple of years ago,” she said.

A spokesperson for the British Heart Foundation said the charity’s stipends were already “amongst the highest in the UK and we currently have no plans to increase this”.

Since October 2020, PhD students funded by the foundation receive a stipend starting at £19,919 and increasing to £23,298 in the third year of study. Students based in London receive between £22,278 and £26,057.

Impacts of crisis ‘will reach far and wide’

Asked if Cancer Research UK would be increasing their stipends, the charity’s director of operations and communications, Dan Burkwood, said they were “looking into this issue and will announce any changes to our rates within the next few weeks”.

“We know that the impacts from the cost of living crisis will reach far and wide within our research community, particularly affecting those PhD-level researchers who are just starting out in their careers,” he added.

A spokesperson for the National Institute for Health and Care Research also confirmed that the funder was “reviewing whether an increase is possible” to its PhD stipends.

The Wellcome Trust did not respond to requests for comment.

Ansh Bhatnagar, a PhD researcher in theoretical particle physics at Durham University and organiser for the PGRs Against Low Pay campaign—which has called for an increase in support for PhD students during the cost of living crisis—said UKRI should ensure all funders match its minimum stipend.

“As a campaign, we will continue to organise for every postgraduate researcher to receive the support they need to make it through this crisis,” he said. “Nobody will be left behind.”

• International

Stipends and Fee Levels

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) typically increases its stipend and fee levels annually in line with inflation, based on the Treasury GDP deflator. The University of East Anglia always uses at least the minimum fee level recommended by UKRI when setting its Home tuition fees for postgraduate research. The UKRI minimum stipend level is frequently used as a guide by other studentship providers.

UKRI Studentship rates and minimum doctoral stipend

Further information can be found on the UKRI website .

What is UKRI? - About UK Research and Innovation

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has been created as a result of the 2017 Higher Education and Research Bill. UKRI brings together the seven Research Councils, Innovate UK and a new organisation, Research England. Research England is formed of the Research and Knowledge Exchange functions of the former HEFCE and its remit includes oversight of the Research Excellence Framework (REF).

Need more help with UKRI?

If you have any questions, please contact Postgraduate Research Admissions Enquiries by email or call us on   +44 (0)1603 59 1709 .

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In this section

• Imperial Home
• Fees and funding
• Postgraduate doctoral
• Grants and scholarships

President's PhD scholarships

• What the scholarship covers

Check if you're eligible

How to apply, review and selection, when you'll hear, current scholar or imperial staff member.

If you have a question about the application process/application form, please speak with the relevant Admissions department and/or your department or supervisor.

If you have a question about our President's PhD Scholarships, please email the Student Financial Support team:  [email protected]

If you are a high performing undergraduate or Master's student and have a strong desire to undertake a PhD programme at a world-class research institution, a President's PhD Scholarship could provide you with the outstanding opportunity to receive full funding for tuition fees and a generous stipend for a 3.5 year PhD place at Imperial College London.

The President’s PhD Scholarships allow students to undertake a research project of their choosing with the support of an excellent supervisor, alongside cohort-building opportunities with other President's PhD Scholars.

Meet our scholars

Read stories of Imperial students who have received a President's PhD Scholarship.

What the scholarship covers

Each of the 50 scholarships available provides the following support during the 3.5 years of study:

• Full funding for tuition fees
• A stipend of £25,150 (2024-25 rate) per annum to assist with living costs 
• A consumables fund of £2,000 per annum for the first 3 years of study
• A programme of bespoke opportunities and events delivered by the Graduate School

You will also have access to the  full range of support available to postgraduates at Imperial, including tailored support for disabled and international students, and the wider Graduate School programme of professional skills courses.

This competitive scheme has higher than usual eligibility requirements, attracting candidates that show excellent academic performance and promising research potential. 

We accept applications from talented candidates from Imperial College London, the UK and worldwide. There are no restrictions on nationality.

The scholarship applies to both full- and part-time study.

We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds, as we recognise that diversity not only benefits Imperial but also helps the sector to better represent the communities that we serve.

Academic criteria

• Candidates must be in receipt of, or due to receive, a  first class or equivalent  in an undergraduate or integrated Masters degree; or if this has not been achieved
• Candidates must be in receipt of (or where this has yet to be received be able to provide evidence of high performance that will lead to) a distinction in a standalone Master’s qualification.

This allows candidates who have demonstrated excellence at Master's level, but not achieved a first class undergraduate degree, to be able to apply to the scheme.

Candidates with only a single undergraduate degree or integrated Master’s must still must be in receipt of, or due to receive, a first class or equivalent.

Alternate Pathways

At Imperial we are committed to attracting, nurturing and championing the best local, national and global talent by providing equality of opportunity and removing barriers.  Through the Alternate Pathways route, candidates with non-traditional academic and/or career pathways, who show exceptional research potential can apply for this scholarship.  

Other criteria

• Applications are accepted from talented candidates from Imperial College London, the UK and worldwide. There are no restrictions on nationality, although some departments may be unable to support international candidates.
• The scheme is only open to new PhD applications. Current registered Imperial PhD students are  not eligible  to be considered for a President's PhD Scholarship.

Read our scholarships terms and conditions .

Applications for this scholarship scheme will be considered at three points throughout the academic year – see 'When you'll hear' below.

Before you apply

• You must have made contact with a supervisor in an academic department at Imperial College London who has agreed to supervise your research project.
• Supervisors are limited to supervise one scholar at any time. Please review the  President's PhD Scholarships - Unavailable Supervisors page for more information.

Application process

• There isn't specific scholarship application form. 
• You should submit your application for admission to study at Imperial through our  online admissions system  and your department will put you forward for the scholarship based on academic merit and potential.

Scholarship-specific instructions for the admissions process are below; you must also meet any additional application requirements stated by your department of choice.

Additional admissions instructions

• For the 2025–26 academic year, the earliest start date for funded places is 1 August 2025, the latest start date is 1 November 2025.
• the first page should be a personal statement (motivations for applying to Imperial and the scholarship, and any other supporting information not included elsewhere on the form that you feel will enhance your application)
• the second page should be your research proposal. You may submit updated versions of this statement if required following application submission if your department shortlists you for the scholarship. You are encouraged to write in the first person. 
• When prompted for the names of  two academic referees , these should be people who can provide an academic reference in support of your application (e.g. your personal tutor or your thesis supervisor). You should not include your proposed PhD supervisor. You are encouraged to share this guidance  with your two referees, noting, in particular, the recommendation to use ‘they/them’ language (rather than gender pronouns).
• To be considered for the President's PhD Scholarship scheme, you must select this option in the funding section of the additional questions tab within the online application form.

50 scholarship places are available. Applications will be reviewed by a two-stage process:

• Candidates meeting or predicted to meet the eligibility criteria will be reviewed by the Department to which they have applied. Departments will select a shortlist of candidates to present to the College Selection Panel for consideration. 
• A Faculty allocation stage will score and rank candidates in Departmental shortlists, making initial offers to the most promising candidates. Faculty Vice Deans present these candidates with justification for offers at the College Selection Panel.
• The College Selection Panel makes additional offers from a ring-fenced allocation to candidates that meet widening participation or other strategic alignment goals. 

Assessment criteria

Candidates are assessed by the Faculties and College Selection Panel against the following criteria:

• past academic results
• transcripts
• relative class position
• distinctions
• the candidate’s research experience to date
• their interest in discovery
• the research plan and its potential contribution as described in their research proposal
• the departmental statement, which also reflects on performance at interview

Successful candidates will receive written confirmation of their scholarship. Any offer of a PhD place will be conditional on the candidate receiving the predicted qualifications.

Applicants not selected for the scholarship will automatically be considered for a standard PhD.

Successful candidates will receive written confirmation of their scholarship. Any offer of a PhD place will be conditional on the candidate receiving the predicted qualifications.

• Applicants who apply by 23:59 (UK time) 4 November 2024  and are awarded a scholarship will be notified by  end of January 2025. 
• Applicants who apply by 23:59 (UK time) 9 January 2025  and are awarded a scholarship will be notified by  end of March 2025.
• Applicants who apply by 23:59 (UK time) 10 March 2025  and are awarded a scholarship will be notified by end of May 2025.

If you're a current Imperial President's PhD Scholar or Imperial staff member, please find information for you at the following links:

• information for current scholars
• information for Imperial staff

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8 big differences between the US and UK PhD experience

And one important similarity. 

Helen Robertson

Credit: Malte Mueller/Getty

And one important similarity.

11 March 2020

Malte Mueller/Getty

In 2019, I took a risk by moving halfway around the world as a postdoctoral researcher in molecular evolution.

Since then, I’ve been struck by how different the grad school experience is here at the University of Chicago in the US, compared with my time at the University College London in the UK, where I completed my PhD in 2017.

Here’s what I’ve noticed:

1. UK grad school interviews are shorter and more lab-specific

In the UK, you’re likely to apply directly to a lab for an advertised project or one that you develop with your supervisor.

In the US, the application process is more centralized. You usually apply to a school instead of a lab. Some programs even require you to take a standardized Graduate Entry Program test, though this seems to be on the decline .

Grad school interviews in the US tend to be longer. They can involve a series of interviews, tours, and faculty events over a number of days.

2. In the US, a work-life balance is harder to achieve

I’ve been surprised by how all-encompassing a US doctorate can be. Even after the first year of teaching, the number of seminars, journal clubs, and university-related activities make the US PhD experience very grad school-centric.

I was fortunate during my UK-based PhD to approach it more like a full-time job than a continuation of my masters year. There were intense periods that required late nights in the lab, but I had time to pursue other interests , which provided some balance and made me more productive at work.

Of course, it’s difficult to generalize about working patterns. Demanding schedules are not wholly dictated by the country you’re studying in. A recent study found that 76% of surveyed grad students spent more than 41 hours a week on their project.

3. It takes longer to complete a PhD in the US

Probably the best-known difference is the time it takes to complete a PhD.

UK PhD programs tend towards three years in length, although it’s increasingly getting closer to four years – a trend that might soon be reflected in funding arrangements .

It’s a different story in the US, where, according to the Survey of Earned Doctorates , students take an average of 5.7 years to graduate.

4. UK PhD fees tend to be lower

Fees err on the more expensive side in the US, as they do for undergraduate degrees – although this isn’t always true for international students.

US PhD fees, coupled with the longer study time, means that the costs associated with grad school are generally higher than in the UK, even before living costs are considered.

If you have a funding body attached to your project, it will likely pay your tuition fees as part of its finance package. But this flags a major difference between the two countries: funding and scholarships.

5. Many US students need to apply for their own funding

From my understanding, most advertised science-based PhD projects in the UK are attached to funding, which covers tuition fees, bench costs, and living expenses. The tax-free PhD stipend set by all UK Research Councils is £15,285 (approximately US$20,000), although other funding bodies pay more.

In the US, there is no national funding level – your level of financial support will be dictated by your school or lab. This means there is generally much more encouragement for US PhD students to apply for their own funding than there is in the UK.

This is good experience for a future scientific career, but if you have to work additional hours to supplement scholarships, you’ll ultimately end up with less time for your project.

6. US PhD programs are more structured

This is particularly true in the first year for US PhDs, which includes lectures, exams, and lab rotations. Only at the end of the first year, after passing your qualifying exam, do you have the opportunity to pick the lab you’re going to pursue your PhD research in.

In the UK, I started in the lab that I spent the duration of my studies in. This meant no structured classes or rotations in my first year, and I began my own research right away.

PhDs that are run through a Doctoral Training Centre (DTC) – centres that manage the Research Council-funded PhD degrees – are increasingly popular in the UK, and include classes and rotations during the first year, but often without the frequent exams and coursework that characterize grad school in the US.

7. There is more focus on defending your thesis in the UK

Writing my thesis was the final hurdle of my UK PhD experience. It gave me the opportunity to document my ideas, successes (and failures), and the context of my project. I defended my thesis in a closed session with two examiners: one internal to my institution, and one external.

From what I’ve seen, finishing a doctorate in the US is less focused on a thesis. Instead, your committee determines that you have completed sufficient work and skill attainment to warrant your defense. Only then can you write your thesis, and defend it in a public session.

In the UK, it’s unlikely you’ll know your examiners well, but a US PhD defense is assessed by the same thesis committee that have known you for the duration of your studies.

8. Teaching is an added bonus in the UK

My UK PhD funding set no teaching requirements: instead, I was free to teach labs and mark coursework at the discretion of my supervisor. And I was paid for any teaching hours I did.

Teaching requirements in the US vary from school to school. For some students, working as a teaching assistant is necessary to pay fees and living expenses – particularly if you don’t have comprehensive funding.

There might also be minimum teaching requirements for the duration of your PhD in the US. In this respect, the time commitment and financial compensation of teaching is very institution-specific.

One important similarity: The lab you join will determine your experience

Despite the differences in structure and requirements between UK and US PhDs, one thing that is common to them all is that, ultimately, your PhD is going to be shaped by the lab you decide to join.

If have a positive working environment and appropriate guidance and support from your supervisor, and you’re interested in and motivated by your thesis topic, then your grad school experience will likely be rewarding.

And that’s true regardless of the country you’re studying in.

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Studentships and doctoral training

If you want to study for a doctorate such as a PhD you cannot apply directly to UKRI or our research councils for funding. You’ll need to contact the research organisation (normally a university) where you wish to be based.

Find out more about our support for doctoral students .

UKRI funds doctoral training by awarding training grants to research organisations. Research organisations then support studentships from those grants and recruit students to them.

We offer two types of training grants:

• doctoral focal awards support studentships in tightly focused themes with highly tailored programmes
• doctoral landscape awards provide broader flexible funding to support the UK’s overall capability and capacity needs

Search funding opportunities .

Find out more about how our councils develop people and skills:

• Arts and Humanities Research Council
• Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
• Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
• Economic and Social Research Council
• Medical Research Council
• Natural Environment Research Council
• Science and Technology Facilities Council

Last updated: 14 February 2024

This is the website for UKRI: our seven research councils, Research England and Innovate UK. Let us know if you have feedback or would like to help improve our online products and services .