FAQs about postgraduate courses

You can apply for most of our postgraduate courses directly through our Applicant Portal

You can apply for your chosen course by clicking on the "Apply" button on the top right-hand corner of the relevant course page.

Find out more info on the application process and how to apply for our postgraduate courses.

You will need to check your course page or PhD project to check the specific entry requirements.

If you are submitting your own PhD proposal, the general entry requirements are a first or upper second-class honours degree from a UK university or equivalent qualification, or a lower second-class honours degree with a Masters at Merit level from a UK university or equivalent qualification.

If English is not your first language, you will also need the relevant English language requirements.

The majority of our postgraduate taught courses do not have an application deadline, however, there are some courses that do. Check the 'how to apply' section on the relevant course page for specific information.

Our PhDs have four intakes per year in October, January, April and June. Check our how to apply page for the application deadlines for each intake.

We always recommend applying for a postgraduate course as soon as possible, as we may close the course if it is full. If you are an international student, you should apply at least three months before the course start date, to ensure there is enough time to get your visa application processed.

You do not need to pay to apply for a postgraduate course at NTU. You can apply for up to five courses in an academic year.

Postgraduate taught courses

For postgraduate taught courses, any academic references should be from your last school or college on headed paper.

Employer references should include details of your role, duties and length of employment. This can be sent to us directly by the organisation to ntureference@ntu.ac.uk. Please note, it may take up to 5 working days for us to process references that have been emailed to us.

Alternatively, you can upload a copy of your reference to the Applicant Portal - it must be written on headed paper and signed by the referee.

Postgraduate research courses

For research courses, you should submit the names and contact details of two referees. These would usually be, for example, academic tutors who have taught you during your undergraduate or Masters degree (but not your proposed supervisor) or someone of equivalent professional standing.

Ensure that you provide a current and accurate email address for your referees in your application. We accept references that arrive after you have submitted your application.

Applications can take up to 10 working days to process, or longer during busy periods.

For postgraduate taught courses, updates are shown on the applicant portal. If we require further information to support your application, we will contact you. This may delay the time it takes to make an offer.

For postgraduate research courses, applications are made through the research portal. If you have any queries about the status of your application, please contact the Doctoral School at doctoralschool@ntu.ac.uk

Courses that require an interview or portfolio submission take longer to make an offer.

If you want to change the course you applied for, you need to make a new application.

For postgraduate taught courses you can log into the Applicant Portal to apply for up to 5 courses per year. Once you receive your decisions you can choose which offers to accept or decline.

If you want to change your PhD or Professional Doctorate, please email doctoralschool@ntu.ac.uk for advice.

You can defer a confirmed postgraduate taught place by one academic year. If you want to defer your place, please use our enquiry form and we’ll get in touch.

If you wish to defer a PhD or Professional Doctorate place, please email doctoralschool@ntu.ac.uk for advice.

If you're an international student, you may need to do one of our pre-sessional English courses in order to demonstrate your standard of English meets our requirements. You can find more information about our Pre-Sessional English for Academic Purposes (PEAP) courses on our website.

For entry onto a PEAP course you will need to have already completed an IELTS test. You can then work out what length of course you would be required to take to meet the English requirements for your course.

You will need to apply for PEAP alongside your follow-on course application and you will receive a separate offer for each.

Applications can take up to 10 working days to process, or longer during busy periods. Updates will show on the applicant portal. Please upload your IELTS certificate with your course application if you have one.

Access the Applicant Portal here.

If you're having trouble accessing your applicant portal account, please try resetting your password using the email address you applied with. If you are still having trouble, please contact support@ntu.ac.uk to explain the issue - make sure you include your full name, date of birth and NTU ID number if possible. You may wish to attach screenshots of the issue to help us resolve it quickly.

You can update your personal details through the Applicant Portal.

If for any reason you are unable to do this, please contact us. We will need to see proof of ID to change sensitive data.

Many of our Masters courses accept applicants with a 2.2 undergraduate degree. Check your course page for specific entry requirements.

You do not need to have studied a Masters to apply for a PhD. We accept applications from candidates who have a first or upper second-class undergraduate degree. Find out how to apply for a PhD.

A research proposal is part of the application form for our PhDs. If you are proposing your own project, you will use this space to tell us about your research topic, the impact it will have and how you plan to undertake your research.

If you are applying for an advertised project, the title has already been developed. The research proposal section of your application should therefore focus on your understanding of the project’s significance and impact along with the approach you would take. Find out how to apply for a PhD.

You can find the tuition fees for your course on the course web page.

The standard fees for our PhDs are listed on the fees and funding page.

There are a number of ways you can fund your course, including loans, scholarships, studentships, discounts and external funding. To find out more take a look at our funding page.

We offer a number of scholarships for prospective students to help fund your postgraduate study. You need to have been made an offer to study with NTU on an eligible course before applying for a scholarship. Find out more and apply.

If you’ve previously graduated from NTU, you could be eligible for our alumni discount, worth up to 20% of your tuition fee.

Full terms and conditions, as well as a list of excluded courses, can be found on our alumni discount page.

Our annual fully funded PhD studentship scheme opens each Autumn and opportunities are available in all subject areas. We also advertise PhD studentships for specific projects throughout the year. Find out more on our fees and funding page.