Students come to us through three routes.
Staff
It is reasonably common for members of University scientific staff to pursue a full-time or part-time postgraduate degree alongside their substantive post. As a concession, members of staff receive a 50% discount on the home student fees.
Honorary staff, for example MD candidates from Newcastle Hospitals, must have held their honorary status for at least 1 year before being eligible for staff fees.
Note that staff candidates will have two completely separate e-mail addresses; all communications about postgraduate study will come to the student account. In addition, these candidates will also have two ePortfolio accounts. Again, everything related to their postgraduate studies will have to be recorded on the student profile.
Competitively-awarded studentships
The majority of our home students – which includes all students from the EU – come to us on competitive studentships advertised by one of our PIs. A studentship is normally supported by a research council or charity. It typically covers home tuition fees, plus a stipend for living expenses.
There are few down-sides to a studentship, though. Of course you won’t be able to pick your own project. If you are an international student, then if eligible for the studentship you may have to pay the difference between home and international tuition fees.
Self-funded students
Some students are self-funded. Note that from our perspective, this is managed exactly the same way irrespective of where the money comes from. For instance, many of our overseas students are supported by their home government; this is treated as a ‘self-funded’ application because Newcastle University played no part in awarding the funding. Perhaps ‘non-Newcastle funded’ would be a more accurate description.
Self-funding gives some flexibility in choosing your own area of research, though it will still have to align with the interests of your supervisors. Please note that while there will not be a competitive interview, we expect the same academic standards; you will still have to go through the application process which will usually require an interview.
We can only offer a position if you have the right qualifications, and if we can supervise your chosen area of research. If you’re in any doubt, please contact us and ask.
If you are truly paying for yourself, then self-funding is undeniably an expensive way to obtain a research degree. You might like to consider a studentship, or be eligible for one of these funding streams.
Fees
For all cases, the relevant fees and some further background are given here. Staff and self-funded students will be approached directly by the University to pay their fees in the first instance, though many will have established their own private funding source.