Our staff regularly organise conferences and there is a regular programme of visiting speakers and reading groups. As part of the University of London, our research students have full access to the wide range of philosophy events taking place in London, such as those held at the Institute of Philosophy.

A PhD is awarded to students who produce a substantial piece of original research in the form of a thesis of up to 100,000 words.

Applicants will need at least a UK 2:2 within their first Bachelor honours degree or equivlaent within Philosophy or a related subject.

You will also need a relevant Masters degree at Merit or equivalent.

Applicants are considered on a case-by-case basis but should have contacted and secured a potential supervisor before submitting the application in order to apply for your research project.

A research proposal will also required as part of your application. 

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: 67 overall. Writing 71 no other subscore lower than 59.
• 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.
• Duolingo: 120 overall, 135 in Literacy, 135 in Production and no sub-score below 100.

Country-specific requirements

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

A number of previous research students have gone on to secure academic positions.

Home (UK) students tuition fee per year*: £5,238

EU and International students tuition fee per year**: £23,200

Other essential costs***: There are no individual costs greater than £50 per item.

…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 2026/27.

* This figure is the fee for the academic year 2026/27 and is shown as a guide. 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 enrolled on a full-time basis in the academic year 2027/28.  

Royal Holloway reserves the right to increase fees for all students annually. For further information see fees and funding.

*** These estimated costs relate to studying this particular degree at Royal Holloway during the 2027/28 academic year and are included as a guide. Refers to specific individual items of £50 or more, and excludes accommodation, commuting, food, books/other learning materials and printing costs.