HYDERABAD, India, 2019-Jul-21- If you are planning to pursue your PhD when you study in UK, you can have many options and universities to choose from. At this level of your education you would have decided on the field of study that you would be researching on. However as a potential student in the United Kingdom, you would most probably have many doubts as to how to obtain funding for your research and doctoral studies. We provide a few tips to help you with the process

Tips On How to Fund PhD When You Study In UK


Find out How Much the PhD Will Cost You
The first thing you should do, when you consider taking up doctoral studies, is to find out much it is likely to cost. The answer would depend on the country and generally a PhD in the United Kingdom is considered to be expensive, when compared to other countries. You could quite possibly run up an annual tuition fee of around 3,000 to 6,000 GBP if you reside in the UK or 18,000 GBP if you are international students for the first three years of your study.

Other costs that need to be taken into account when you calculate your PhD funding requirements can be the cost of living and opportunity costs. Additionally, opportunity costs could also be quite high as a PhD takes much longer than any other degree, you could end up spending more on staying in UK as well as traveling multiple times to your home country. This also takes away the potential earnings you would have got, if you had opted to work instead of pursuing your PhD. Given this information, it is important to consider the various options for obtaining the necessary funding in UK

Approach National Research Councils
One of the best ways that you could get funding for your research is through the national research councils in the UK. There are seven different research councils in the country, and each of them covers a specific field of study. These Research Councils provide financial support to domestic as well as international students who study in UK, either as an individual or part of a research department or group.

Consider Obtaining Funding From Your University
Many universities provide merit- based scholarships, studentships as well as other opportunities for funding their PhD research. The schemes generally cover the complete or partial cost of the tuition fees. Some universities also help the students to cover the cost of attending conferences and taking field trips. You could also opt to fund your PhD is by obtaining a PhD assistantship. As a PhD assistant you would be involved in teaching younger classes, research assistance or a combination of the two and would earn a stipend or salary for your efforts.

Consider the Various Career Prospects after Your PhD
There are excellent prospects for careers after you complete your PhD. You have better chance for long term growth and better payscale. Most corporate entities put a premium on the highly specialized knowledge as well as the maturity and soft skills of the PhD graduate and pay accordingly. Therefore, it is advisable to not be daunted by the high cost of pursuing a PhD but consider the various options for employment that you would have after completion of your research. You could gain employment either as a senior consultant or domain expert in your field of study after you complete your research or you could continue as a professor in the same field of study.