When considering further study it is important to consider how you will fund it. In general there is limited funding available for study at Master's level but more funding available for PhD study.
Funding postgraduate study at Imperial
Imperial College has information about Fees and Funding where you can find out about fees, living costs and how to fund postgraduate study. Within this you will find a useful scholarships search tool for scholarships specific to Imperial prospective and continuing students.
Master's funding
Students often self-fund Master's study through savings or loans. The find a masters guide to funding is a comprehensive guide to funding options for masters in the UK and there is government funding advice.
PhD funding
In the UK PhDs are usually funded through what are known as ‘studentships’. These are some combination of living costs and fees, dependent on a student’s nationality. A general rule of thumb is to apply early in the academic year (around autumn) to raise your chances of receiving funding. You may receive an offer of funding included with your PhD offer or you may need to look for funding separately. The findaphd website has guidance on funding options for PhDs.
Here are the main sources of PhD funding in the UK:
Most PhD students studying in the UK are funded through UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) studentships. For a home student this will cover at least £19237 tax free per year for living costs each year of the PhD and at least £4786 per year for fees in 2024-25. A number of these studentships are available for international students, but note that the funding only covers the home level of fees. International students will be charged a higher fee level by the university than home students and so will need to find additional money to top up.
It’s important to note that you do not apply directly to the UKRI for this PhD funding as a student. In STEM subjects the funding is distributed to universities who then allocate the funding to individual students. You apply for the PhD and the project either comes with the funding attached or you are matched to the studentship by the university. The UKRI funding is divided into 7 subject groupings EPSRC, BBSRC, MRC, NERC, ESRC, STFC and AHRC so if you see any of these acronyms attached to a PhD opportunity you will know that it is UKRI funding. They all share the same eligibility criteria.
Institutional scholarships
Another potential funding source are scholarships provided by the university, for example the Imperial President’s PhD Scholarships or the Gates Scholarships at Cambridge. Other universities in the UK also offer similar scholarships and you should be able to find out about them and how to apply from the university’s own webpages on student funding. They are usually highly prestigious and competitive.
Other sources of funding
Other students gain funding from sources such as a scholarship from their home country or funding from a charity such as the Wellcome Trust. The eligibility requirements will be specific to the funder.
The Grants Register 2024 - The Complete Guide to Postgraduate Funding Worldwide is available online via the Imperial Library.
The Alternative Guide to Postgraduate Funding is an interesting collection of grants from charities, trust and foundations for current and prospective postgraduate students. It also includes advice on making funding applications. Use your Imperial logon to access.
