Postgraduate Research Fees & Funding

Postgraduate Research Fees & Funding

Research Degree Fees and Costs

To undertake a research degree you, or a financial sponsor will need to pay the cost of the programme fees and be able to cover your living expenses throughout the duration of your registration. You may also need to pay a bench or research support fee depending on the needs of your project.

Programme Fees

Programme fees are used to provide access to a diverse range of activities, support services, and essential facilities at LSTM. All students have access to:

  • High quality supervision from innovators and experts in the research field
  • State-of-the-art laboratory and technical facilities
  • Student Support which includes counselling, occupational health, English language support, accommodation, finance and childcare advice
  • Support from the Postgraduate Research Team on all aspects of the administration of your programme
  • LSTM library services
  • A diverse portfolio of training and development sessions, as well as membership to Vitae’s researcher development resources
  • Modular content on Masters’ programmes and Short Courses delivered at LSTM at no extra cost
  • Weekly Seminar Series delivered by world leaders in Global Health
  • A vibrant research community of regular events, such as the annual PGR conference

Fee levels vary according to your fee status (UK or EU/Overseas), your mode of study (full- or part-time), and your location of study (Liverpool campus or at a distance).

Fee levels are reviewed annually. Under normal circumstances, fees should not increase by more than 5% per annum for continuing students. Students should take this into consideration when planning their budget. Students will be notified of any fee increases in advance at the start of each academic year.

Postgraduate Research Programme Fee Structure 2024-2025

LSTM Liverpool Campus

Home

EU/Overseas

Full-time

£5,900

£17,500

Part-time

£2,950

£5,250

 

LSTM Distance 

 Home

 EU/Overseas

Full-time

£5,900

£9,800

Part-time

£2,950

£5,250

Split-site students would normally pay a pro rata on-site fee for any period of time spent at LSTM that is over one month in duration.

Your programme fee must be paid annually until you have completed your minimum period of registration, and you are eligible and ready to transfer your registration to ‘submission pending’ or submit your thesis.

Submission Pending Fee

Once you have completed the 'research active' phase of your project you may be eligible to transfer your registration to ‘submission pending’. You can only do this if you have completed all data collection/field or lab work/analysis and are engaged in writing up your thesis. Full-time students are generally eligible to transfer their registration after two years of study, part-time students are generally eligible to transfer their registration after four years of study. Full-time students will often transfer after they complete their third year of study, part-time students after their fourth year of study.

The annual submission pending fee is £725.

Bench/Research Support Fees

A bench or research support fee is an additional project cost separate to the programme fee and usually covers project-related expenses from laboratory supplies, specialist training, field trips, or equipment hire. There is no indicative value for this fee, but costs can range from £1,000-£20,000.

Your supervisor will be responsible for setting the fee level during the admissions process. These fees can be requested for the full duration of the ‘research active’ registration period, or just part. If required, the fee level and schedule of payments will be specified within your conditional offer of study.

Further Guidance on Fees

  • Candidates will be required to provide proof of funding as part of the admissions process. The format of your proof of funding will be dependent on your fee status
  • The full fee balance is payable by the fee deadline on the fee invoice.
  • It is not normally possible to pay fees by instalments.
  • Any change to a student’s mode or location of study, or suspension may change fees payable.
  • If fees are owed at the end of a student’s programme, LSTM will not release any award certificate until the balance has been paid.

You can find out more by consulting the LSTM Code of Practice on Payment and Refund of Tuition Fees.

Living Costs and Other Expenses

Please see our Student Living Costs page for a guide to estimated costs of accommodation, food, travel etc. in Liverpool.

Funding

There are many ways that PGR students fund their studies from government bodies, student loans, independent charities and trusts, or even self-funding. It is your responsibility as an applicant or student to source and apply to funding opportunities and provide evidence that you can afford your studies.

A couple of routes that you may want to consider are highlighted below.

If you don’t have a current plan for funding then you’ll need to do your research! Resources such as findaphd.com are invaluable in explaining the different types of funding you could be eligible for and how to complete an effective application.

Studentships

Applicants can check the PhD Opportunities page for information about funded studentships that are available at LSTM.

LSTM has delivered the MRC Industrial Collaborative Awards in Science and Engineering (CASE) and Doctoral Training Partnership (Scheme) in partnership with Lancaster University since 2016-17. LSTM has continues to support postgraduate research studentship applications from funding bodies such as Wellcome Trust and Commonwealth Scholarship Committee.

PhD Loan

You may be eligible to apply for a UK PhD loan from Student Finance England or Student Finance Wales for a postgraduate research degree programme at LSTM.

FindaPhD have provided a helpful guide on this scheme that can be accessed here

LSTM does not offer a process to apply for PGR fee discounts for applicants or students who are not also members of staff at LSTM.