Tuition fees
The annual tuition fees for doctoral studies are linked to your mode of study (full- or part-time) and residential status. The University reviews and sets tuition fees annually. Each student is responsible for the payment of their fees. If your fees are paid by a sponsor you will need to submit written proof of this annually in order to be eligible to re-enrol.
The University also provides information on funding and a training and development allowance. See below for more details.
Find out more about doctoral student fees in the Graduate School SOL page.
Doctoral tuition fees
2026/27 annual fees for research degrees
Funding your research degree
Students may be sponsored or self-funded for their fees and/or living expenses. The University’s Finance pages hold information about various sources of funding for postgraduate studies.
Paying your fees, postgraduate funding, early payment discounts, alumni discounts and payment forms
Studentships
The University may, from time to time, advertise funded doctoral degree studentships. Studentships may be fully funded (fees, maintenance stipend, training allowance) or part funded (eg, fees only). Stipends are normally aligned to the RCUK minimum stipend levels and will generally be disbursed on a quarterly basis to students.
Studentships will normally be advertised through findaphd.com or on the Solent website. Studentships may also be advertised through other media as applicable.
Alternative Guide to Postgraduate Funding
The University also subscribes to the Alternative Guide to Postgraduate Funding. The Guide has information on alternative sources of funding – especially charities – which can make awards (fees, maintenance, research costs) to any student regardless of subject or nationality. The Alternative Guide Online contains a database of funding opportunities, comprehensive guidance, and numerous tools to help you prepare a grant application. Solent has a licence to the Guide, so it is free for all students and staff with a University log in to use. If you are a prospective student who has applied to the University, please email research.admissions@solent.ac.uk to request a PIN to give you access to this resource.
Training and development support
The University provides support for research, including training in research skills and career development through the Researcher Development Programme (RDP), including tailored content in the Doctoral Training Programme. Access to in-house training and development is free and students are encouraged to make full use of the resource available. Find out more by exploring the researcher support pages.
Doctoral students are further supported by specific training to support their studies on the postgraduate research degree pages. Staff and students can use the links to self-enrol on to the relevant courses in Solent Online Learning.
Go to the Researcher Development Programme on SOL
Go to the Postgraduate Research Degree course on SOL
Go to the Postgraduate Certificate in Research Methods course on SOL
