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funding issue

P

Hi. I am Master degree holder in Audiology. i have strong desire to do Phd from One of the best university in UK. i belong to India. The tution fee and living expenses are quite high in Uk. I would like to know, for Phd, is there any scholarship that covers tution fees and living expenses and what is the procedure to get such scholarships. otherwise, doing Phd on my own present resources seems impossible.

Please provide me some guidance..

L

Hey,

funding will depend on your field of research (ie how much sponsoring is available from industry?), your academic background (your GPA, the reputation of the institutions you've studied at) and, of course, your nationality (some studentships are only awarded to UK nationals or nationals of other countries who have been ordinarily resident in the UK for at least 3 years).
On top of that, every Uni has its own scholarships and prizes available. For information on these, you should check the University's website.
As for studentships, these are usually offered on each departments/research groups website, and usually involve payment of fees and a stipend of 13-14 K in most cases. Projects that are sponsored more heavily by industry may pay more.
For a studentship, you usually have to apply directly to a supervisor. In fact, if you find a reserach area you're really interested in, you should just email a potential supervisor even if they haven't advertised any funded opportunities. I was cursing the cruelty of life because I thought I wouldn't be able to apply for a project I really wanted on the basis of missing funds, but emailed the supervisor anyways and he told me he actually did have funded opportunities available.
Another potential supervisor told me he didn't have funding left for this year, but would be willing to pay my tuition fees. So always ask, even if you think it's hopeless.
For scholarship applications, the most important thing is academic merit. Usually if you don't have a first class honours degree or a masters from a renowned institution, your chances are slimmer than slim. If you are applying for scholarships, make your application as strong as possible, ie stellar references, plus a brilliant research proposal. I also tend to add a personal statement, even if it is not called for in the application instructions. Also, if you have professional experience in the intended field of study, that would also help.
Lastly, your own governement probably offers some sort of stipend for conducting phd studies in another country, so check out what you can apply for.
Generally speaking, it is easier to get funding for PhD study because you are conducting research that a)may pay off for industry in the long run and b)unlike an undergraduate degree can't be gained from just about any university in any country, since you will select a specific research area in a specific group.
Hope this helps, and best of luck to you!

xxx

P

thanks a lot for the valuable information you have provided. earlier i was in doubt but now hope that sooner or later i will be able to explore some means to fund my higher studies. the first step would be to gather as much information as possible regarding scholarships and 2nd to find an course and supervisor and university internal funding programmes.

already started looking for all required information and hope i will realize my dream

S

hi!!! yes come to UK!
I'm sure you'll find something! Don't give up!!!
keep looking!!!
love satchi

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