All Applicants
Applications are accepted throughout the year but you should apply as early as possible in order to get the best choice of projects.
Contact the supervisor of each project for more information or email Eric Plum with any more general queries at orcadmis@soton.ac.uk.
View our current projects
UK Applicants
We offer one of the most attractive packages for talented PhD students resident in the UK with full tuition funding, plus, for UK students, a stipend at the UKRI rate plus £2,000 ORC enhancement tax-free per annum for up to 3.5 years (totalling around £21,000 for 2024/25, rising annually).
While this is available for any of our PhD projects, a handful of our research projects have dedicated industry funding and offer an even more attractive package. This would be specified in the project description.
Applicants from EU and Horizon Europe Countries
To encourage applications from EU and Horizon Europe Associated Countries, University of Southampton treats PhD students from these countries the same as UK students for fees purposes. We can offer several partial/full scholarships for fees and living expenses. These are available for any of our PhD projects and will be awarded to strong applicants in need of a scholarship.
See here for full information terms and conditions
Scholarships
We offer scholarships and teaching bursaries ourselves. Your potential supervisor can guide you on what is available.
If you’re an international student you may be able to apply for a scholarship from your country.
Find out more about scholarships
International Applicants (excluding EU and Horizon Europe Countries)
Competition for funding for international applicants is intense. We can offer only a small number of partial/full international scholarships, which are allocated to the strongest applicants based on need. Therefore, BEFORE you consider an application you should seek external funding such as from your own government or other external funds which may be available, including self-funding, well ahead of preparing your application.
Find out more about scholarships
Get industry sponsorship
You may be able to fund your postgraduate research with funding from your current employer or from industry.
Take out a PhD loan
You can borrow up to £28,673 for a PhD starting in 2023. Doctoral loans are not means tested and you can decide how much you want to borrow.
Find out about PhD loans on GOV.UK
Apply for funding from a charity
You may be able to win funding from one or more charities to help fund your PhD.
Learn about charity funding on FindAPhD.com
Fees
We charge tuition fees for every year of study. If you’re applying for a fully funded project, your fees will be paid for you.
EU Fee Waiver: If your country is part of the Horizon Europe Programme, you will pay the same fees as UK students.
Find out if your country is part of the Horizon Europe programme
2023 to 2024 entry:
Subject | UK fees and Horizon Programme applicants | International fees |
---|
Optoelectronics full time | tbc | £25,500 |
Optoelectronics part time | tbc | £12,750 |
Optoelectronics Research Centre full time | tbc | £25,500 |
Optoelectronics Research Centre part time | tbc | £12,750 |
2024 to 2025 entry:
Subject | UK fees and Horizon Programme applicants | International fees |
---|
Optoelectronics full time | £4,786 | £26,100 |
Optoelectronics part time | £2,393 | £13,050 |
Optoelectronics Research Centre full time | £4,786 | £26,100 |
Optoelectronics Research Centre part time | 2,393 | £13,050 |
Alumni discount
You're eligible for a 10% alumni discount on a self-funded PhD if you're a current student or graduate from the University of Southampton.