Doctor of Philosophy

==== Funding ====
In the United Kingdom, funding for PhD students is sometimes provided by government-funded [[UK Research Councils|Research Councils]] (UK Research and Innovation – UKRI) or the [[European Social Fund]], usually in the form of a [[Income tax|tax-free]] [[bursary]] which consists of [[tuition fees]] together with a [[stipend]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Funding for research training |url=https://www.ukri.org/skills/funding-for-research-training/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200921001409/https://www.ukri.org/skills/funding-for-research-training/ |archive-date=21 September 2020 |access-date=13 September 2020 |publisher=UK Research and Innovation}}</ref> Tuition fees are charged at different rates for "Home/EU" and "Overseas" students, generally £3,000–£6,000 per year for the former and £9,000–14,500 for the latter (which includes EU citizens who have not been normally resident in the [[European Economic Area|EEA]] for the last three years), although this can rise to over £16,000 at elite institutions. Higher fees are often charged for laboratory-based degrees.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Postgraduate fees in the UK |url=https://www.postgrad.com/fees_and_funding/fees/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161213173726/https://www.postgrad.com/fees_and_funding/fees/ |archive-date=13 December 2016 |access-date=12 April 2017 |website=Postgrad.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=What is a PhD? |url=https://www.prospects.ac.uk/postgraduate-study/phd-study/what-is-a-phd |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161006014106/https://www.prospects.ac.uk/postgraduate-study/phd-study/what-is-a-phd |archive-date=6 October 2016 |access-date=12 April 2017 |website=Prospects |publisher=Graduate Prospects Ltd |at=How much does it cost?}}</ref> {{As of|2022/23}}, the national indicative fee for PhD students is £4,596, increasing annually, typically with inflation; there is no regulation of the fees charged by institutions, but if they charge a higher fee they may not require Research Council funded students to make up any difference themselves.<ref name="Funding for research training">{{Cite web |title=Funding for research training |url=https://www.ukri.org/our-work/developing-people-and-skills/find-studentships-and-doctoral-training/get-a-studentship-to-fund-your-doctorate/}}</ref>

{{As of|2022/23}}, the national minimum stipend for UKRI-funded students is £16,062 per year, increasing annually typically with inflation.<ref name="Funding for research training"/> The period of funding for a PhD project is between three and four years, depending on the research council and the decisions of individual institutions,<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 2016 |title=STFC TRAINING GRANTS (TGs) – ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs) |url=https://stfc.ukri.org/files/tg-frequently-asked-questions/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024065557/https://stfc.ukri.org/files/tg-frequently-asked-questions/ |archive-date=24 October 2020 |access-date=13 September 2020 |publisher=STFC |format=PDF}}</ref> with extensions in funding of up to twelve months available to offset periods of absence for maternity leave, shared 
parental leave, adoption leave, absences covered by a medical certificate, and extended 
jury service.<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 2020 |title=Terms and conditions of training grants |url=https://www.ukri.org/files/funding/ukri-training-grant-terms-and-conditions-pdf/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024143757/https://www.ukri.org/files/funding/ukri-training-grant-terms-and-conditions-pdf/ |archive-date=24 October 2020 |access-date=13 September 2020}}</ref> PhD work beyond this may be unfunded or funded from other sources. A very small number of scientific studentships are sometimes paid at a higher rate – for example, in London, Cancer Research UK, the ICR and the Wellcome Trust stipend rates start at around £19,000 and progress annually to around £23,000 a year; an amount that is tax and national insurance free. Research Council funding is distributed to Doctoral Training Partnerships and Centres for Doctoral Training, who are responsible for student selection, within the eligibility guidelines established by the Research Councils.<ref name=":0" /> The ESRC (Economic and Social Science Research Council), for example, explicitly state that a 2.1 minimum (or a master's degree) is required.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Prospective students |url=https://esrc.ukri.org/skills-and-careers/doctoral-training/prospective-students/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809014052/https://esrc.ukri.org/skills-and-careers/doctoral-training/prospective-students/ |archive-date=9 August 2020 |access-date=13 September 2020 |at=Academic conditions}}</ref>

Many students who are not in receipt of external funding may choose to undertake the degree part-time, thus reducing the tuition fees. The tuition fee per annum for part-time PhD degrees are typically 50–60% of the equivalent full-time doctorate.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-05-19 |title=Part Time PhD Guide – Fees, Durations, Benefits & Challenges |url=https://www.discoverphds.com/blog/part-time-phds |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220109184218/https://www.discoverphds.com/advice/doctorates/part-time-phds |archive-date=9 January 2022 |access-date=2020-05-20 |website=DiscoverPhDs}}</ref> However, since the duration of a part-time PhD degree is longer than a full-time degree, the overall cost may be the same or higher.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-10-09 |title=Check Out UCAS Advice On Postgrad Fees And Funding... |url=https://www.ucas.com/postgraduate/postgraduate-fees-and-funding |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200606141727/https://www.ucas.com/postgraduate/postgraduate-fees-and-funding |archive-date=6 June 2020 |access-date=2020-05-20 |website=UCAS}}</ref> The part-time PhD degree option provides free time in which to earn money for subsistence. Students may also take part in tutoring, work as research assistants, or (occasionally) deliver lectures, at a rate of typically £12–14 per hour, either to supplement existing low income or as a sole means of funding.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Bray |first1=M. |title=Demand for private supplementary tutoring: Conceptual considerations, and socio-economic patterns in Hong Kong |last2=Kwok |first2=P. |year=2003 |volume=22 |pages=611–620 |doi=10.1016/S0272-7757(03)00032-3 |issue=6 |journal=Economics of Education Review}}</ref>