Hi everyone!

Just wondering- i have a PhD interview next week- what questions in terms of funding, should I ask? I'm still not sure what all the costs involving a PhD are, but this particular one is funded. This is what information about funding i have been given:
'...studentship includes an annual tax-free stipend of approx. £15,863 (2014/15 rate) plus university fees at the EU/UK rate.'

Without sounding stupid...does that mean everything is covered or is there stuff i should be worrying about?:S

Please help!!!!

Hi Thedrosophilist,

as I understand it, you won't have to pay any school fees, and on top of it you'll get money to support your life costs (the tax-free stipend). That's very good!!

If there are other large costs involved, it will depend on the nature of your project and what you've planned for dissemination (software, devices, lab instruments, participants' payment? And then conference fees and travel costs related to the project - for conferences or to run exps, interviews, field trips, etc.).

Good luck with your interview!

xx W

Thank you so much for your help! I'll ask about conference fee, travel etc help. In terms of the running costs of the PhD, i don't really know as its an advertised PhD and the advertisement itself was very vague so I'm assuming I will be told more about what I'm actually looking at at some point...As this is the first interview I'm having in terms of PhD, its all a bit confusing.

Do you/ anyone else know what 'bench fees' are? I've tried looking it up and the definition seems to vary according to different websites:S

Have a look at this topic regarding bench fees: http://www.postgraduateforum.com/thread-11838
You should ask about that in the interview if you want to be sure, although I wouldn't expect bench fees at an advertised position. Better to make sure, it may vary based on school/subject.

Conferences will likely not be covered automatically, but there are often university/department pools for travel and conferences that you can apply for. Can't hurt to ask what the options or typical procedure is.

Thanks for the link, datura, and for the help. I've loked into it a bit more, and i don't think there are bench fees after all. But i'll ask about the conference thing anyways, thanks for your help!

That's a very good stipend! Usually they are less than 14,000 pounds.

You won't have to pay bench fees (this is a fee for lab equipment that the lab gets directly, rather than your uni fees that go to the uni and dept, not your lab) if you are fully funded by the university.

You probably won't get any money for conference fees, but this is ok as most science students have to find the money for these from other places anyway.

That sounds like full funding in London so I don't think there'll be other major costs. Best of luck with the interview!