Fees and funding for MPhils and PhDs

Find out how much you should expect to pay for your PhD or MPhil, and what sources of funding you may be able to apply for.

PGR Tuition fees 2025/2026

The following tables show the annual fees payable for the academic year 2025/2026. The fee will increase each year, to the prevailing UK rate of inflation.

Full-time fees

Course Annual fee (Home Students) Annual fee (Overseas Students) Maximum Registration Period Target Thesis Submission Minimum registration period
MPhil £5,006 £16,900 3 years 2 years 1 year
MPhil by Published works £5,006 £16,900 2 years 1 year 1 year
MPhil/PhD £5,006 £16,900 4 years 3 years 2 years
PhD by Published works £5,006 £16,900 2 years 1 year 1 year
PhD (Trad)* £5,006 £16,900 4 years 3 years 2 years

Part-time fees

Course Annual fee (Home Students) Annual fee (Overseas Students) Maximum Registration Period Target Thesis Submission Minimum registration period
MPhil £2,503 £8,450 6 years 4 years 2 years
MPhil by Published works £2,503 £8,450 4 years 2 years 2 years
MPhil/PhD £2,503 £8,450 8 years 6 years 4 years
PhD by published works £2,503 £8,450 4 years 2 years 2 years
PhD (Trad)* £2,503 £8,450 8 years 6 years 4 years

*The PhD (Traditional) route is discontinued and therefore no longer available for new applications.

Studentships Doctoral stipend minimum level for 2025/26: £20,780 per annum.

Other Postgraduate Research Fees

Item Fee
Re-Examination involving a viva-voce examination £600
Bench Fees During the application process, additional fees may be agreed upon and set for each year of a project up to the target submission date. These fees cover expenses such as specialist consumables costs, access to specialist facilities or equipment, etc. and the College will directly invoice students as and when required.

How Tuition Fees are Applied (New and Returning Students)

New students who enrol in January, March or June will have their first-year annual tuition fee pro-rated from the respective enrolment intake up to 31 July. Self-funded students must pay between 25% and 100% of the fees at the first enrolment depending on when they join the University. The full annual tuition fee will then be applied from 01 August for all subsequent years for returning students.

Returning students, and new students who enrol in September, are charged an annual tuition fee that covers from 01 August – 31 July. Tuition fees are normally charged in four instalments: 25% at enrolment in August, 25% in November, 25% in February and 25% in May.

To secure a CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies), international students are required to pay a non-refundable £8,000 deposit. The deposit is deducted from their tuition fees as they become due at enrolment. If a student's visa application is refused, then the deposit will be refunded in full. For further details, please refer to your offer letter or contact phdadmissions@derby.ac.uk

For more detailed guidance on fee payment requirements at enrolment (for new and returning students), please refer to Postgraduate Enrolment FAQS or contact the Research Student Office.

Tuition Fee Adjustments (Current Students)

Authorised Break of Study (ABS)

PGR Students should submit an Authorised Break of Study (ABS) request via PhD Manager. Please refer to the PGR Regulations for further guidance on taking an Authorised Break from Study.

Once an Authorised Break from Study request is approved on PhD Manager, the annual fee will be adjusted as per the table shown.

Any adjustment to tuition fees that results in an excess will be carried over to the following academic year.

If there are outstanding fees on the account following the fee adjustment, Students will be liable to pay this upon their return to study and before they are permitted to re-enrol.

Authorised Break from Study Tuition Fee Adjustment Table

Length of break Percentage reduction Percentage charged
3 months and under 25% 75%
4 months - 6 months 50% 50%
7 months - 9 months 75% 25%
10 months - 12 months 100% 0%

Intention to Submit for Examination

All PGR Students are granted a 25% tuition fee reduction following approval of their Intention to Submit for examination. The adjustment to your fees will be made following approval by the Chair of the College Research Degrees Committee.

Post-Target Fees (Writing-Up)

PGR students that have not submitted their final thesis for examination by their Target Submission Date are classed as Post Target Fee students and continue to pay tuition fees until thesis submission. Full-time students have their fees changed to the part-time annual rate (pro-rata).

Thesis Submission

For all PGR students, the annual fee is payable up to the submission of the thesis for examination.

Following thesis submission, tuition fees will be adjusted to the cut-off point detailed in the table shown. Following the fee adjustment, there may be outstanding fees still payable for the current academic year, or excess on the account where a refund may be due. Students must check their accounts via UDo or contact University Finance Department for further information +44 (0) 1332 592742, salesledger@derby.ac.uk.)

Withdrawal from Programme

If a PGR student withdraws from their studies, they may be eligible for an adjustment of tuition fees. This may be a refund of fees paid or a reduction in fees due. Fee adjustments are calculated with reference to the table shown. Withdrawal requests must be completed and approved on PhD Manager.

Thesis Submission Date/ Withdrawal Date Number of months Student to pay To be credited
1 August - 31 August 1 0% 100%
1 September - 31 October 2 - 3 25% 75%
1 November - 31 January 4 - 6 50% 50%
1 February - 30 April 7 - 9 75% 25%
1 May - 31 July 10 - 12 100% 0%

Penalties for Non-Payment

If payment is not made in accordance with University policies, the University reserves the right to take action to recover the debt. If a standing order payment is not made, the University may require payment of the total amount outstanding, not just the missed payment. Any student that has an outstanding debt to the University will not be re-enrolled for subsequent academic years. Students with outstanding debt to the University, are not entitled to graduate or receive their certificate.

Find out more information from the University Finance Department

Funding sources

Once you have found your project or developed your research proposal, you will need to think about how you intend to fund your studies, unless your project has funding attached. You should start to do this before you apply. There are several funding options that may be available to you. 

In some cases, you may need to have an offer from us before you can apply for funding, and you will need to have your funding approved before you can enrol, so check the deadlines for your application and enrolment.

Sponsored students must provide proof of sponsorship before they can enrol. This can either be an original letter of authorisation on company-headed paper or a purchase order. The sponsor letter should indicate if the sponsor is willing to pay the tuition fee for a specific year or for the full period of study. Please note that all such letters must be addressed to the University of Derby, signed, and must include the student's name and ID number.

The sponsorship letter must indicate who is paying and the address the invoices should be sent to. The sponsor must pay the full annual tuition fee within 30 days of the student’s enrolment. Sponsors will be sent an invoice for each student sponsored. Invoices should be paid promptly, or the student could be suspended from their studies. Instalment payments are not available to sponsors.

If the sponsor is not resident in the UK or does not have a UK address, then payment of the fees must be made in full at or prior to enrolment. If a sponsor defaults on the payment of fees, liability for the debt will rest with the student. For other methods of payment, please contact the University Finance Department or call +44 (0) 1332 592742.

Should the financial sponsor request annual reports on the student's academic progress, these will be supplied directly to the sponsor at the end of each academic year by the student’s supervisory team and a copy will be sent to the Research Student Office. 

Students who have previously graduated from a Higher Education programme at the University of Derby are eligible for a 10% alumni discount on their PGR studies (this amount is subject to annual review).

Students should contact their respective Director of Studies if they believe they are eligible for a fee discount or fee waiver. All fee discounts and waivers are renewed annually in August and are valid for one year only. Where fee discounts or waivers are applicable, it is the responsibility of the student to ensure that the request is submitted on time, following the appropriate process, authorised and presented when enrolling and included in their Annual Progress Review report.

Financial support to staff to achieve Doctoral outcomes - Permanent and fixed-term staff members may be eligible for a reduction in fees if they meet the required criteria. Follow the guidance available on iD/People Experience and Culture (HR) pages (Supporting Accredited Programmes of Study) *login required*. If the criteria is met, staff must complete the staff sponsorship online form.

Please refer to the offer letter and Studentship/Fee-Only Bursary contract for details about the duration and level of tuition fees covered by the contract. From the moment the contract ends, students will be liable to pay fees until thesis submission.

If you are under 60 when you start your course, you may be able to borrow up to £28,673 to study a doctoral-level course, such as a PhD or EdD (for courses starting on or after 1 August 2023). This loan is available whether you are studying full-time or part-time, but you will need to meet certain eligibility criteria.

You can use this loan to pay for your tuition fees or living costs. Interest is charged on the loan and, of course, you need to pay this loan back, but not until:

  • You have graduated (or the April four years after the course started)
  • Your salary is over the threshold amount for your repayment plan. The threshold amounts change every year

You can find out the most up-to-date information about doctoral loans including how to apply on the Gov.UK website. 

The University of Derby has a postgraduate research development (PGR) fund to support research students. We make funds available at different points throughout the academic year and award them on a competitive basis. The fund will support students with training, events and conferences.

If you are a UK student and have a disability that affects your ability to study, you may be entitled to Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA). This can pay for the additional support that you may need for university.

You can find out more about DSA on the Gov.UK website, including eligibility stipulations, how much you could get, and how to apply.

Non-academic organisations can help fund research at the PhD level, in collaboration with the university hosting the study. The following organisations offer this type of funding:

Useful links

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