Tuition fees for research courses 2023-2024
Important notes about fees
- The fees outlined below apply to all students whose initial date of registration falls on or between 1 August 2023 and 31 July 2024.
- All students pay the tuition fee set by the University for the full duration of their registration period.
- For self-funded students a tuition fee deposit of £500 is required when accepting an offer of admission. Deposits will be deducted from the cost of the tuition fee and are usually non-refundable, except where an acceptance of offer is withdrawn within 14 calendar days of paying the deposit, or where there are exceptional and unforeseen circumstances that prevent an applicant taking up their place. Please read our Guidance on refunding tuition fee deposits.
- Eligibility for Home fee status is determined with reference to UK Department for Education rules. As a guiding principle UK or Irish nationals who are ordinarily resident in either the UK or Republic of Ireland pay Home tuition fees. All other students (including those from the Channel Islands and Isle of Man) pay Overseas fees.
Additional costs
- An Additional Fee Element (AFE) will be payable in addition to the published research tuition fee. The AFE covers additional costs associated with, for example; programme management support, support from specialist laboratory technicians, access to specific and specialist technical equipment, facilities and analytic equipment. The AFE is chargeable at ‘Technical’ and ‘Non-technical’ rates, ‘Non-technical’ research degrees will normally be desk-based projects. Note that there may be some desk-based projects which rely on the existence of the University’s technical infrastructure and these will be classed as ‘Technical’.
- A bespoke AFE amount may be applied to cover non-standard costs which are incurred as a direct consequence of the research degree, e.g. significant external expertise, equipment or resources bought into Cranfield specifically for the project.
- An extra Direct Operational Cost (DOC) may apply if the project is likely to require particularly expensive consumables e.g. enzymes. This cost should be discussed with the supervisor and will be included in the offer letter.
- Each research project is different, the AFE and DOC are calculated on a student by student basis. Applicants will be able to discuss whether or not their course will incur an AFE, and at what level, with their proposed supervisor. Any agreed AFE and/or DOC will be included in the offer letter for the course even if it is not being charged directly to the student.
- Additional charges will apply for extensions of registration. This will be made up of a monthly extension fee plus the AFE on a pro rata basis. Therefore the amount charged will depend on the duration of extension.
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) International Student Policy
- In line with UKRI policy, UKRI funded research projects will be open to both Home and Overseas students.
- A cap of up to 30% international students will be applied to each UKRI training grant where appropriate and in line with UKRI’s policy.
- All UKRI funded students at Cranfield University will be charged at the Home fee rate. UKRI funding cannot be used to cover the difference between the Home and Overseas fee rate. However, Cranfield continues to have the flexibility to find the international fee from other sources which can include: a department bursary, co-funding partners or from the student directly.
All fees are on a per annum basis.
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) | Doctor of Engineering (EngD) | Doctor of Business Administration | Master of Philosophy (MPhil) | Master of Science by Research (MSc)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
| Fee status | Tuition fee | Non-technical AFE | Technical AFE | Combined tuition and Non-technical AFE | Combined tuition and Technical AFE | Monthly extension fee | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full-time - typically 3 years in duration | Home | £4,712.00 1 | £2,500.00 2 | £7,500.00 2 | £7,212.00 3 | £12,212.00 3 | £393.00 1 |
| Full-time - typically 3 years in duration | Overseas | £19,675.00 | £2,500.00 2 | £7,500.00 2 | £22,175.00 3 | £27,175.00 3 | £1,500.00 |
| Part-time - typically 6 years in duration | Home | £2,356.00 1 | £1,250.00 2 | £3,750.00 2 | £3,606.00 3 | £6,106.00 3 | £196.50 1 |
| Part-time - typically 6 years in duration | Overseas | £9,837.50 | £1,250.00 2 | £3,750.00 2 | £11,087.50 3 | £13,587.50 3 | £750.00 |
1 Fees are based on the current annual fee rate set by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
2 The AFE covers additional costs associated with, for example; programme management support, support from specialist laboratory technicians, access to specific and specialist technical equipment, facilities and analytic equipment. The AFE is chargeable at ‘Technical’ and ‘Non-technical’ rates, ‘Non-technical’ research degrees will normally be desk-based projects. Note that there may be some desk-based projects which rely on the existence of the University’s technical infrastructure and these will be classed as ‘Technical’.
3 The combined fees listed are indicative and may be higher if a bespoke AFE or DOC are applied.
Doctor of Engineering (EngD)
| Fee status | Tuition fee | Non-technical AFE | Technical AFE | Combined tuition and Non-technical AFE | Combined tuition and Technical AFE | Monthly extension fee | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full-time - typically 4 years in duration | Home | £4,712.00 1 | £2,500.00 2 | £7,500.00 2 | £7,212.00 3 | £12,212.00 3 | £393.00 1 |
| Full-time - typically 4 years in duration | Overseas | £19,675.00 | £2,500.00 2 | £7,500.00 2 | £22,175.00 3 | £27,175.00 3 | £1,500.00 |
1 Fees are based on the current annual fee rate set by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
2 The AFE covers additional costs associated with, for example; programme management support, support from specialist laboratory technicians, access to specific and specialist technical equipment, facilities and analytic equipment. The AFE is chargeable at ‘Technical’ and ‘Non-technical’ rates, ‘Non-technical’ research degrees will normally be desk-based projects. Note that there may be some desk-based projects which rely on the existence of the University’s technical infrastructure and these will be classed as ‘Technical’.
3 The combined fees listed are indicative and may be higher if a bespoke AFE or DOC are applied.
Doctor of Business Administration
| Fee status | Tuition fee | Monthly extension fee | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part-time - year 1 and year 2 fees | Home | £17,000.00 4 | £550.00 |
| Part-time - year 1 and year 2 fees | Overseas | £17,000.00 4 | £550.00 |
| Part-time - year 3 and year 4 fees | Home | £11,000.00 4 | £550.00 |
| Part-time - year 3 and year 4 fees | Overseas | £11,000.00 4 | £550.00 |
4 AFE will not normally apply, although a bespoke AFE may be applied.
Master of Philosophy (MPhil)
| Fee status | Tuition fee | Non-technical AFE | Technical AFE | Combined tuition and Non-technical AFE | Combined tuition and Technical AFE | Monthly extension fee | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full-time - typically 2 years in duration | Home | £4,712.00 1 | £2,500.00 2 | £7,500.00 2 | £7,212.00 3 | £12,212.00 3 | £393.00 1 |
| Full-time - typically 2 years in duration | Overseas | £19,675.00 | £2,500.00 2 | £7,500.00 2 | £22,175.00 3 | £27,175.00 3 | £1,500.00 |
| Part-time - typically 4 years in duration | Home | £2,356.00 1 | £1,250.00 2 | £3,750.00 2 | £3,606.00 3 | £6,106.00 3 | £196.50 1 |
| Part-time - typically 4 years in duration | Overseas | £9,837.50 | £1,250.00 2 | £3,750.00 2 | £11,087.50 3 | £13,587.50 3 | £750.00 |
1 Fees are based on the current annual fee rate set by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
2 The AFE covers additional costs associated with, for example; programme management support, support from specialist laboratory technicians, access to specific and specialist technical equipment, facilities and analytic equipment. The AFE is chargeable at ‘Technical’ and ‘Non-technical’ rates, ‘Non-technical’ research degrees will normally be desk-based projects. Note that there may be some desk-based projects which rely on the existence of the University’s technical infrastructure and these will be classed as ‘Technical’.
3 The combined fees listed are indicative and may be higher if a bespoke AFE or DOC are applied.
Master of Science by Research (MSc)
| Fee status | Tuition fee | Monthly extension fee | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full-time - typically 1 year in duration | Home | £9,000 4 | £750.00 |
| Full-time - typically 1 year in duration | Overseas | £22,175.00 4 | £1,500.00 |
| Part-time - typically 2 years in duration | Home | £4,500.00 4 | £375.00 |
| Part-time - typically 2 years in duration | Overseas | £11,087.00 4 | £750.00 |
4 AFE will not normally apply, although a bespoke AFE may be applied.