Staff Fee Concession

1. Must hold a contract of employment with the University (full or part-time). Honorary contracts are excluded.
2. The contract of employment must be open-ended or fixed term for at least 12 months, full or part-time.
3. Must undertake a minimum of 12 hours employment per week, in an ‘established post’.
4. Must be eligible to register under student and immigration regulations for part-time study for a research degree and evidence of the eligibility to study part-time must be provided.
5. Must hold an offer of a place for part-time research degree study or be registered on a part-time research degree programme (*).
6. Agreement of the Head of School/Head of Division in which the employee is based must be obtained via completion of the Staff Fee Eligibility form.
7. A member of staff who leaves University employment while registered for a research degree at the staff concessionary rate will be liable for tuition fees at the relevant rate from the date they cease to be a member of staff.
8. Reduced fees are not available for taught programmes.
9. Where a registered postgraduate research student takes up employment part way through their studies, the concessionary rate may be applied from the beginning of the employment providing the conditions above are met. The Staff Fee Concession form must be completed.
10. Where the contract of employment is for 15 hour or more per week, two external examiners will be required to be appointed to examine the thesis.

(*) Exceptions:

Full-time members of staff who are also registered as full-time postgraduate researchers (e.g. Marie Curie Fellows, MRS Clinical Research Fellows) must meet the following criteria in order for the staff concessionary rate to be applied:

1. Approval from the Head of School (or nominee) and confirmation that their research constitutes 100% of their employment and 100% of their research degree study.
2. Be employed on a full-time contract with the University of Birmingham.
3. For international PGRs, evidence of the type of visa used to enter the UK must be submitted to confirm the eligibility to undertake full-time study.   
4. If the employment and work visa does not cover the total length of the research degree registration, the research degree registration, tuition fee status and visa will be reviewed when the employment ceases.

To apply for the Staff Fee Concession, the Staff Fee Concession form (Word - 137KB) must be completed.

If you are applying for the staff concession before you have commenced your postgraduate research study, the form should be submitted as part of the admission process for your programme.

If you are applying for the staff fee concession after you have commenced your postgraduate research study, the completed form should be returned to pgrstudentrecords@contacts.bham.ac.uk.