Registration and study requirements
Setting yourself up for success
A successful PhD starts with understanding the key requirements of your research degree. This section provides essential information about programme duration, fees, re-registration, and attendance and engagement expectations.
Research degree programme duration
You should complete your research degree within the time scales outlined below.
To complete, you must:
- submit your thesis for examination
- have your viva
- complete post viva activity such as amendments
PhD full time – four years
Three years plus completion year.
Earliest thesis submission - 33 months after your start date.
PhD part time – seven years
Six years plus completion year.
Earliest thesis submission - 48 months after your start date.
MPhil full time – two years
One year plus completion year.
Earliest thesis submission - 12 months after your start date.
MPhil part time – started before 1 August 2023 - four years
Three years plus completion year.
Earliest thesis submission - 24 months after your start date.
MPhil part time – started after 1 August 2023 - three years
Two years plus completion year.
Earliest thesis submission - 24 months after your start date.
Funded PGR
If you are a funded PGR, your funded period may be different to the programme duration. Your offer letter should detail the length of time you will be funded.
Starting your degree after 1 August 2022
If you started your research degree after 1 August 2022, you will need to pay the full award amount detailed in your offer letter.
You still need to pay the full award amount even if you submit your final thesis for examination early.
Fees
Tuition fees
Your tuition fee will be detailed in the offer letter that you received when you were admitted onto your research degree. This is a set fee and will not increase while you are on the programme of study that you were admitted onto.
Thesis pending fee
If you started your PhD or MPhil before 1 August 2022, you will need to pay a thesis pending fee when you move into your Completion Year. See the Research Degree Programme Duration section on this page for an explanation of when your completion year is. The amount will be written in your offer letter.
- This fee is charged once per year
- You will pay it each year when you re-register until you submit your thesis for examination
- It is not reduced if you only study part of the year
There is a four-week grace period. This means if you submit your thesis within four weeks of your re-registration date, you will not have to pay.
Example: If your re-registration date is 1 October, you will not be charged if you submit your thesis by 28 October.
Re-registration fee
If you started your PhD or MPhil after 1 August 2022, you do not pay a fee when you enter your Completion Year. See the Research Degree Programme Duration section for an explanation of when your completion year is. If you do not submit your thesis by the end of your Completion Year, you will need to extend your registration and pay a re-registration fee. The amount will be written in your offer letter.
- This fee is charged once per year.
- You will pay it each year when you re-register until you submit your thesis for examination.
- It is not reduced if you only study part of the year.
There is a four-week grace period. If you submit your thesis within four weeks of your re-registration date, you will not have to pay.
Example: If your re-enrolment date is 1 October, you will not be charged if you submit your thesis by 28 October.
Re-examination fee
If your final exam result is that you need to be re-examined, you will have to pay a re-examination fee of £500 when you next re-register.
- This fee is charged once per year.
- You will pay it each year when you re-register until you submit your thesis for examination.
- It is not reduced if you only study part of the year.
There is a four-week grace period. If you submit your thesis within four weeks of your re-registration date, you will not have to pay.
Example: If your re-enrolment date is 1 October, you will not be charged if you submit your thesis by 28 October.
The University Tuition Fee Policy explains what may happen if fees are not paid and how refunds may be given.
Re-register each year
You must re-register each year. This is part of the conditions of offer and enrolment.
You must complete your registration before starting your research degree.
Important
You must stay registered until your award is complete.
Each year, on the anniversary of when you started, Registry Services will ask you to re-register.
If you do not re-register, you could:
- lose IT access
- lose funding
- be withdrawn from your research degree
Even if you have handed in your thesis for examination or have had your viva, you still need to re-register.
If you have submitted your thesis for examination, you will not be charged a fee for re-registration.
Your award cannot be processed unless you are fully registered.
Expected attendance and engagement requirements
- Full-time students: At least 35 hours a week for 45 weeks each year.
- Part-time students: At least 17.5 hours a week for 45 weeks each year.
We understand postgraduate research students often have other responsibilities. If you need to change your hours, you must talk to your supervisors and agree the changes in advance.
Supervisory meetings
You must meet your supervisors regularly.
- Full-time students: At least 10 times a year.
- Part-time students: At least five times a year.
Both you and your supervisors are responsible for making sure these meetings happen.
After each meeting, you must record it in eDoc.
The university will check that meetings are being recorded, so get into the habit of updating eDoc straight after each meeting.
There is a guide to recording supervision meetings on eDoc in our eDoc guides page.