PhD Studentships

Hi there,

Could anyone shed some light on what the key differences are between a PhD studentship and a PhD? Are there any key positive / negatives of one over the other?

A PhD studentship is the funding package (bursary, fees, possibly lab consumables and travel etc) that you typically get in a part or fully funded position. The money for that usually comes from a research grant, a research council, industry, charity or a project that that an academic has been awarded. Some universities will also have a limited number of scholarships available to individual applicants, those tend to be very competitive. The PhD on its own is the qualification you end up with ~4 years after you start if things go well.

Some universities might offer you a PhD position that’s unfunded, not a great deal as you will have to pay for everything yourself and there is usually no financial safety net. Some international students might get a funding package from their home government to cover this, but then have to find someone willing to sueprvise them, so there is still an academic hurdle to get over.