Research students

The assessment panel will include at least one independent academic assessor (a member of academic staff independent from the research ‘group', i.e. from the project and the supervisor) in addition to the supervisor(s). Assessors can only be selected by the Director of Postgraduate Studies, Senior Tutor (PGR) or Postgraduate Committee, who can choose to ask for suggestions from the supervisor.

The form needs to be signed by the Director of Postgraduate Studies – please email the form to the PhD Administrator and we will arrange the signature.

Please see the Graduate School pages for your exact requirements. You must complete a minimum of 2 courses before your ESA, and an additional 2 courses before your LSR. However, you can complete as many courses as you want throughout your degree. Please note, these courses book out extremely quickly so try to book as early as possible.

If you are self-funded, please see the Fees and Funding page.

Your department will provide the necessary computing facilities, but many students like to have their own laptops to take them off-site.  Please contact your Departmental Manager for further guidance. If buying a laptop, you can take advantage of preferential rates by purchasing it through Imperial. If unsure who to contact, please email the PhD Administrator.

To apply for an Interruption of studies (IOS), you will need to submit a request to interrupt your studies via MyImperial. If it is for medical reasons you will need to submit a doctor’s note as well. Please note you can take a minimum of 1 month as IOS and a maximum of 2 years. This includes maternity leave.

You need to have completed all your experimental work and/or data collection and completed your minimum registration period. You also need to have completed your milestone assessments (ESA/LSR), and a Progress Report, before entering writing up status. Please note, you will remain in this status for up to 12 months or to your submission deadline (whichever is sooner). To enter this status, you need to complete the Application for entry to Writing Up Status (doc) and return to the PhD Administrator for processing.

This might be because you haven’t enrolled for the academic year via your My Imperial Student Portal or because the period covered by the last bursary form has expired. You should check My Imperial Student portal first and then contact PhD Administrator if that isn’t the problem. Please note, if you are returning from an Interruption of Studies, you bursary payments will resume only once you have re-enrolled via My Imperial Student Portal.

Some studentships include funds for travel to conferences. It is usual for students to be supported to attend at least one major national or international conference to present a paper; this should be discussed with your supervisor. If you are self-funded, the School can reimburse your conference and travel costs (up to £1,000 per year). You will need to complete an expense claim form and send it to PhD Administrator.

Full-time students may take up to 8 weeks of leave (including Bank Holidays and College Closure Days).  You should book this through your supervisor and for any questions please contact PhD Administrator.

You should submit a request for an interruption of studies via My Imperial, but please note that this will also interrupt any bursary payments. Your milestones and final thesis submission will also be pushed back. If you’re unsure of what to do, please contact the PhD Administrator.

You can submit a Confidential Report Form (part of the Progress Report which should be completed every 6 months) or, if you want the issue addressed sooner, please contact the PhD Administrator or Senior Tutor.

This is usually because you have reached the end date of your registration. For staff-students, please send your latest staff contract to the PhD Administrator. For students, please contact the PhD Administrator for assistance. Alternatively you can contact the Imperial ID office.

The College does not prescribe any particular format but guidance can be found on Thesis Submission and Vivas.