There are a few ways to cover the cost of a PhD. You can apply for one of our funded PhD projects, you can secure your own funding, or you can apply to a funded joint PhD course with a partner institute.
Apply for a funded PhD project
Our Research Projects page lists some projects as having Funding, and can be filtered for by the appropriate Funded tags. The funding covers both the tuition fees and a standard tax-free PGR stipend for your living costs, typically for either 3.5 or 4 years.
In most cases the funding for these projects comes from a UK Government source, and so are often limited to UK nationals. EU students may also be eligible for the funding if they meet the below conditions.
To be eligible for a full award (fees and stipend), candidates must satisfy the following criteria:
Be a UK National or have settled status, have pre-settled status, have indefinite leave to remain or enter.
Meet the residency requirements:
living in the EEA or Switzerland on 31 December 2020, and have lived in the EEA, Switzerland, the UK or Gibraltar for at least the last 3 years before starting a course in the UK
Have lived continuously in the EEA, Switzerland, the UK or Gibraltar between 31 December 2020 and the start of the course
The course starts before 1 January 2028
Children of UK Nationals are eligible (without having to be a UK National themselves), provided both they and their parent(s) meet the residency requirements.
Irish Nationals living in the UK or Ireland are eligible for a full award under the Common Travel Area agreement
EU, EEA or Swiss citizens can apply to the EU Settlement Scheme to continue living in the UK after 30 June 2021. If successful, applicants will get either settled or pre-settled status.
The EPSRC and the STFC are two of the main government agencies that give funding for the physical sciences. For EPSRC, notes on eligibility can be found here, STFC details can be found here.
However, aproportion of some of these projects are funded for international students. If you are an overseas student (qualify for the higher overseas fees rates) you may be eligible. You should contact the supervisor of the funded project to express your interest, or contact PhysicsAdmissionsPG@warwick.ac.uk, and they will provide guidance on the particular conditions of the funding associated with the project.
If a project looks of interest to you yet does not have funding it can still be worth contacting the supervisor. They can indicate potential sources of funding you can apply to, or whether there will be a later funding release that can support the project.
Secure your own funding
The two main components of the costs for a research degree are the University fees and the maintenance required for your living expenses. Warwick's Postgraduate Admissions pages show our fees and have advice on living expenses.
Funding a PhD yourself typically means securing a scholarship, although it could be funded by your current employer or from your personal/family finances (self-funding).
Below are some of the main scholarships that can be applied to that will cover the costs of a PhD. Further information on available scholarships can be found on the Doctoral College pages and also Scholarships at the University of Warwick.
Warwick's Chancellors International Scholarship is a competitive scheme run by the University to fund international postgraduate research students. It covers:
The payment of tuition fees at the full overseas rate
If you are already in your first year of study when you apply then the length of funding will be reduced accordingly.
The deadline is early in the application cycle (normally early December), so please contact potential supervisors early in order for them to support your application.
The University will cover the full payment of overseas tuition fees for the duration of the CSC funding period and a stipend enhancement to bring it to standard rates;
The China Scholarship Council will provide a maintenance stipend and return international airfare between the UK and China for successful applicants.
Successful candidates will be required to return to China after completing their PhD.
The PATHWAY PhD scheme is aimed at prospective students self-identifying as being of black heritage who would like to pursue a PhD at Warwick. The scheme covers both UK and international tuition fees.
The awards will cover the full payment of UK/international fees and maintenance stipend paid at the prevailing rate for 3.5 years.
Eligible candidates should contact their prospective department and express interest for being nominated for this award
The Bell Burnell Graduate scholarship fund is a UK-wide fund set up to support full or part-time graduates who wish to study towards a doctorate in physics and are from groups that are currently under-represented in physics.
The funder's definition of under-represented groups in physics refers to:
Women
Students of Black-Caribbean, Black-African and other minority ethnic (BAME) heritage
Students with disabilities, or who require additional funding to support inclusive learning
LGBT+ students
Students from disadvantaged backgrounds who may struggle to find the levels of funding needed to complete their studies
Students with qualifying refugee status who meet the above criteria are also encouraged to apply
If you belong to one of the eligible under-represented groups we would encourage you to discuss with your prospective supervisor and let them know that you are interested in applying to this funding option. You should then jointly contact physicsadmissionspg@warwick.ac.uk to flag your interest with the department.
Each university can only submit a maximum of two applications. As a result, the department often has to do a competitive shortlisting process to determine the two that can proceed with an application. By contacting the postgraduate admissions office you will be notified and entered into any such shortlisting process.
Joint PhD Scholarships
There are several schemes that allow a PhD student to pursue funded PhDs in Physics at Warwick with a partner institute.
Collaborative PhD funding is available for joint projects with the Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT), Ningbo, China. Full details are at the scheme webpage, but in summary:
A funded 2+2 year PhD between Warwick and the Eastern Institute of Technology, Ningbo.
During the two years at Warwick the student will receive tuition fees for two years and a UKRI rate maintenance stipend for two years.
A funded 2+2 year PhD between Warwick and Singapore's A*STAR research institutes.
Students apply to the scheme first, then select their project after securing the funding scheme.
Covers tuition fees, UKRI rate maintenance stipend, one-off moving costs to relocate to Singapore, return airfare to Singapore, and medical insurance while based in Singapore.
Three year PhD, with minimum of one year at Warwick and one year at Monash, Australia.
UK (home) students apply to Warwick, Australian (home) students apply to Monash, international students apply at the University where the wish to start. You will also need a Joint Supervision Statement from your proposed supervisors at both institutes.
You must apply to the dedicated Alliance Joint PhD Physics course.
The scholarship covers all the fees, and grants a maintenance stipend and a travel allowance.
