PhD students have access to excellent computing facilities in the Department. In addition, staff members hold workshops and discussion meetings in a variety of areas on a regular basis.

There are weekly seminars from national and international speakers.

PhD researchers also benefit from Royal Holloway’s access to world-class research and library facilities in London and to advanced postgraduate courses in their research field shared with other University of London Colleges through the London Taught Course Centre.

Once the research has been successfully completed the student must write and submit a final report in the form of a PhD research thesis. This will be evaluated by at least two experts and the student will be invited to attend an oral examination where they must satisfactorily defend their thesis.

The minimum entry requirement for an MPhil or an MPhil leading to a PhD degree is the equivalent of a UK Upper Second Class Honours degree in an appropriate subject, although in many cases a Masters (or MSci) level qualification will also be expected. Candidates must also be demonstrably proficient in English.

Before applying we recommend securing a supervisor in order to apply for your research project.

We advise getting in touch with the Director of Postgraduate Education making an informal enquiry for your chosen research degree to inquire whether there is any other additional material they require you to submit in your application.

English language requirements

All teaching at Royal Holloway is in English. You will therefore need to have good enough written and spoken English to cope with your studies right from the start.

The scores we require

• IELTS: 6.5 overall. Writing 7.0. No other subscore lower than 5.5.
• Pearson Test of English: 61 overall. Writing 69. No other subscore lower than 51.
• Trinity College London Integrated Skills in English (ISE): ISE III.
• Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) grade C.
• TOEFL ib: 88 overall, with Reading 18 Listening 17 Speaking 20 Writing 26.

Country-specific requirements

For more information about country-specific entry requirements for your country please see here.

Our PhD students have a high employability rate.  Our Mathematics PhD students either continue on the academic route by taking up Post-Doctoral research positions at other institutions or move, for example, into the Financial Sector. Many of the skills acquired by Mathematics PhD students are in demand outside of Academia.

Home (UK) students tuition fee per year*: £4,786

EU and international students tuition fee per year**: £25,500

Other essential costs***: There are no single associated costs greater than £50 per item on this course

…How do I pay for it? Find out more about funding options, including loans, grants, scholarships and bursaries. 

* and ** These tuition fees apply to students enrolled on a full-time basis in the academic year 2025/26.

* Please note that for research courses, we adopt the minimum fee level recommended by the UK Research Councils for the Home tuition fee. Each year, the fee level is adjusted in line with inflation (currently, the measure used is the Treasury GDP deflator). Fees displayed here are therefore subject to change and are usually confirmed in the spring of the year of entry. For more information on the Research Council Indicative Fee please see the UKRI website.

** This figure is the fee for EU and international students starting a degree in the academic year 2025/26.  

Royal Holloway reserves the right to increase fees for overseas fee-paying students annually. Be aware that tuition fees can rise during your degree (if longer than one year’s duration), and that this also means that the overall cost of studying the course part-time will be slightly higher than studying it full-time in one year. The annual increase for continuing students who start their degree in 2025/26 will be 5%.  For further information see fees and funding and the  terms and conditions.

*** These estimated costs relate to studying this particular degree at Royal Holloway during the 2025/26 academic year and are included as a guide. Costs, such as accommodation, food, books and other learning materials and printing, have not been included.