There are two main costs for postgraduate students: fees and living expenses.
Tuition fee details for postgraduate research degrees can be found at the following webpage: PhD tuition fees
The cost of living in London will depend on your lifestyle but, typically, postgraduates need at least £12,000 to cover food, accommodation, travel, books for a full year (i.e. 52 weeks).
Whether you are self-funding or are applying for funding, you should ensure that you have a realistic plan to secure sufficient funding to complete the research and writing-up process within the normal time period. This is usually three to four years for full-time programmes, and six to seven years for part-time programmes.
Please see our PhD projects page for details of our PhD project, some of which have approved funding. The main sources of PhD studentship funding opportunities:
Science and Engineering PhD Studentships: Studentships include the waiver of tuition fees and tax-free stipend at the UKRI London rate (c.£20,622 p.a. full-time, £10,334 part-time; 2024/25 rates tbc) for 3.5 years. Students of all nationalities are eligible for these studentships; however places for international students are capped at 30% of intake across the faculty. Due to this cap, we are unable to guarantee places to any/all international applicants.
S&E Doctoral Research Studentships for Underrepresented Groups 2024/25: The Queen Mary Faculty of Science and Engineering is inviting applications for Doctoral Research Studentships from UK candidates from underrepresented groups (e.g., Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic) in research in the UK with priority this round to Black, Black British, Caribbean, or African candidates. Two PhD studentships will be awarded on the basis of the excellence of the applicant. Awards are tenable for up to 3.5 years, and cover tuition fees and a maintenance stipend at the UKRI London rate (c.£20,622 p.a. full-time, £10,334 part-time; 2024/25 rates tbc). Further details can be found here:S&E Doctoral Research Studentships 2024/25 for Underrepresented Groups [PDF 37KB]
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) studentships: Studentships include the waiver of tuition fees and tax-free stipend at the UKRI London rate (c.£20,622 p.a. full-time, £10,334 part-time; 2024/25 rates tbc) for 3.5 years. Students of all nationalities are eligible for these studentships; however places for international students are capped at 30% of intake across the faculty. Due to this cap, we are unable to guarantee places to any/all international applicants.
You may wish to explore alternative funding sources, e.g. in the form of grants from charities.
Please see the International PhD scholarships database for full details of Queen Mary’s international funding partners, including other schemes not listed here.
Applications from candidates intending to self-fund their PhD are also accepted. Self-funding students must ensure they are able to cover the costs of a PhD outlined above.
UK or EU nationals may also apply for a doctoral loan to contribute towards the cost of their PhD.
Self-funding applicants should follow the guidelines outlined in our usual application process to identify a potential supervisor and secure their agreement to consider your application further before formally applying online.
Our Advice and Counselling Service have produced a detailed online funding guide for postgraduate research students.