It's certainly worth applying if you see anything you're interested in. Most adverts now are people trying to fill positions who have had applicants changing their mind at the last minute. Time constraints mean that you'll be dealt with very quickly by anybody you apply to.

If you are an EU student from outside of the UK then there aren't so many fully funded studentships available. Most UK research council studentships only pay fees for residents of other EU countries.

If you have been ordinarily resident in the UK for the past three years for reasons other than full time education then you should qualify for a full research council studentship.

The good news is that other studentships do exist which are available to all EU (and some other European) nationals. Particularly in biology/biomedicine, which probably has more funded PhD studentships than any other subject area. For example look for Marie Currie scholarships, European Science Foundation sponsored programs and EMBL related schemes.

Masters degrees can be applied for from October onwards. The big recruitment drive for them is between November and March - after this time you may find that some popular courses are full.

PhD recruitment also takes place throughout the year as and when academics are informed as to whether they have been awarded a studentship. PhD places are advertised right through to the end of September, but you should try to have something arranged by May as after then the choices become more limited and competition can become much stronger. If you wish to fund yourself through a PhD you can approach academics at any time of year and will be able to start at any time of year.

You should not take tax advice from an internet forum and should contact your local tax office directly for such information.

As far as we are aware it is the studentship, not the student that is tax exempt. However, if you are not earning any other money, it is unlikely that your bank interest would exceed your personal tax allowance and you should be able to reclaim any tax paid.

An informal application enquiry should read something like the one below. Obviously you need to change any of the details which do not apply to you. If you are not able to fund yourself, do not apply for projects where you do not fit the 'Funding Status' criteria. If English is not your first language try to get somebody to check your letter before you send it.

Dear Dr *supervisor name*

I have seen your research project "*Research Project Title*" on FindAPhD and would be interested in applying. Please send me an application form and any further details you have available.

My nationality is *nationality* and although I am hoping to find a scholarship, I will be willing to fund my own study if necessary. I have just completed an MSc in *subject name* at *university name* in *country name*. My CV is attached for your information.

Best regards


*your name*

Generally funding for PhDs in the sciences is obtained by academics and covers both the lab fees, tuition fees and student maintenance. We are not aware of anybody working in laboratory science who has received scholarships in the way you suggest.

Your best hope is if your supervisor can apply for a studentship for your project, but the funding for this wouldn't be available for at least twelve more months. Your supervisor may also be in a position of apply for money from a research charity to support your research should your project be appropriate. Unless your supervisor has genuine reason to believe he will be able to get funding for you in this manner, you should not have been led to believe that there was a real possibility of obtaining funding for a microbiology PhD on your own.

It may be worth contacting your Local Education Authority to see if they know of any educational trusts are available to you (these are sometimes bestowed for people from a particular school, village or ethnic background). It's also worth checking with your new university for similar opportunities. Both of these are long shots.

Some studentships/scholarships are available for Masters courses, but they are few and far between and usually only cover part of your expenses/fees. If you apply for any Masters courses ask about funding availability. You may also find that scholarships exist for people from your particular area of the country (contact your local education authority to see if they know of any schemes).

A CAST Award is given when the PhD is in collaboration with an industrial partner and usually pays a few thousand pounds more per year. In most cases the student is based in a university, but may spend several weeks or months using the facilities of the industrial partner. These studentships are advertised in the same way as any others - through FindAPhD, on university web sites and in the scientific press.

A 'first degree' in the UK is known as a Bachelors, Honours or undergraduate degree. This is usually started at the age of 18 and finished at the age of 21. It is equivalent in status to a Dutch HBO.

If you have your 'Doctoraal', then this will be sufficient for entry into a British PhD programme (irrespective of any previous qualifications).

Your proposal should include:

1 why the research is needed and what is the general area of current concern.
2 what is already known about the proposed research.
3 what information resources and methods will be used to answer the research questions.
4 what are the intended/expected outcomes (contributions to theory, reports, materials, etc).

These things are very specific and you should talk in depth with your supervisor about the year ahead. You should also be making plans for what to do if results continue to be elusive.

If you are talking about postgraduate study or getting your first job then the answer is yes. PhD programmes require you to have a 2(i), or a 2(ii) plus a masters degree. Many Masters degree programmes restrict entry according to the grade of your first degree.

When it comes to getting your first job your degree grade may be all the employer has to go on (very few people are employed because they ‘like reading, cinema, going out and tennis, and once hitch hiked round Thailand with a goat’). After you have work experience or a postgraduate qualification then your first degree grade will become less significant, but in times when nearly 50% of school leavers go to university simply having a degree doesn't make you much different from everyone else - you need to get the best one you can.

An MPhil is usually taken as a precursor to a PhD. Most people are required to start a PhD by registering for an MPhil. In most cases the MPhil is never completed as the registration is changed to a PhD degree after 12-18 months. This system helps universities keep their drop out rates for PhDs low - if somebody wants to quit after a year they simply submit for an MPhil, rather than dropping out of a PhD. Practice varies from subject to subject and university to university.

The actuall difference between the two is that research carried out for an MPhil does not need to 'be original and make a significant contribution to knowledge' (as it would if it were for a PhD). An MPhil project can be to confirm the findings of others.

Try searching this forum for 'USA'. There are a few threads which provide some useful advice.

The British PhD system is different from that in The Netherlands. Firstly it is usually between 3 and 4 years long, rather than the almost open ended Dutch system, and secondly there is no formal need for the student to have a number of publications before they are allowed to submit a thesis.

Your Dutch MSc combined with a good grade in your first degree should be sufficient for you to be accepted on a UK programme.

See our sister site - FindAPhD.com.