Fees for postgraduate research study
Tuition fees for your PhD/MPhil will cover the cost of your study at the University, as well as charges for registration, tuition, supervision, examinations and graduation.
Payment of fees will also entitle you to membership of the Library and Students' Union. For general fee information, including paying your fees if you are self-funded or externally sponsored, visit the University's postgraduate research fees pages.
Postgraduate researchers on funded programmes or studentships (i.e. DTPs) will have their tuition fees paid internally.
Fees for PhD, MPhil and MD programmes fall into one of our standard fee bands. Your primary supervisor will determine which is appropriate according to the nature and complexity of your research project and associated activities (such as conference attendance).
The fee band is displayed within the project description on self-funded project adverts, or will be confirmed during the interview/offer stage.
Tuition fees are generally not quoted in adverts where they are covered by a funded studentship.
Some of our programmes attract a non-standard fee and these are displayed on the specific programme pages, for example in dentistry/clinical dentistry.
For the academic year 2023/24 (September 2023, January 2024 and April 2024 start dates), the UK fees are:
- Standard - to be confirmed (set by UKRI)
- Band 1 - £10,000 per year (low cost research project)
- Band 2 - £17,500 per year (medium cost research project)
- Band 3 - £22,500 per year (high cost research project)
For the academic year 2024/25 (September 2024, January 2025 and April 2025 start dates), the UK fees are:
- Standard – to be confirmed (set by UKRI)
- Band 1 - £11,000 per year (low cost research project)
- Band 2 - £17,500 per year (medium cost research project)
- Band 3 - £23,000 per year (high cost research project)
For the academic year 2023/24 (September 2023, January 2024 and April 2024 start dates), the international fees are:
- Standard - £26,500
- Band 1 - £27,500 per year (low cost research project)
- Band 2 - £34,500 per year (medium cost research project)
- Band 3 - £39,500 per year (high cost research project)
For the academic year 2024/25 (September 2024, January 2025 and April 2025 start dates), the international fees are:
- Standard - £27,000
- Band 1 - £28,500 per year (low cost research project)
- Band 2 - £34,500 per year (medium cost research project)
- Band 3 - £40,500 per year (high cost research project)
The annual cost of your programme will be confirmed in your offer letter.
For UK applicants the annual tuition fee will increase slightly each year. For international applicants, tuition fees remain fixed for the duration of your study.
If you are a self-funded applicant, you will also need to cover your living expenses for the duration of your programme. You will be required to present evidence of available living cost support if you need to apply for a student visa.
We offer a wide range of fully-funded studentships each year through our prestigious and competitive funded programmes. Some of these are open to international applicants and can cover the full costs of tuition fees.
Should you be awarded a fully funded studentship that covers tuition fees and living costs (paid as a monthly stipend) you must be able to personally meet the costs required to relocate to Manchester as these are not provided by the studentship (i.e. visa costs, health surcharge, relocation, flights).
Funded programmes
Browse our fully funded PhD programmes, including prestigious doctoral training partnerships and industry funded schemes.
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Funding opportunities
Find out about the other sources of financial support available including scholarships and awards for UK and international applicants.
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