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    Current Applicants

    Postgraduate Research Students Joining Instructions

    Online Enrolment - Open to New students 

    You will have received an email inviting you to enrol if you are eligible, please do not try to enrol if you have not received the email. 

    As a new student you must enrol online in order to begin your PhD journey. Each subsequent academic year you will be asked to enrol online as a returning student. The online enrolment link can be found here: Online Enrolment. 

    Induction

    Postgraduate Research student induction is run separately to Undergraduate and Postgraduate Taught inductions – this is solely due to the different type of study you will be undertaking.

    October 2024 starters: Your induction week begins on Tuesday 1st October and will run all week with additional required inductions as required (project dependent) in your first few weeks.

    Individual inductions will be organised dependent on start date.

    What to expect for your induction:

    • Registration with the Postgraduate Research Student Advisor.
      • Overseas students: please ensure to bring along your passport and original qualification certificates for copying for Visa purposes.
    • Welcome talk with Research Postgraduate Programmes Manager.
    • Tour of the campus and a chance to meet some of the current Postgraduate Research Students (PGR).
    • Inductions and overviews on: 
      • Health and Safety
      • IT
      • Library
      • Wellbeing and Student Services 
      • English Language Support
      • Ethics 
      • Data/statistics 
    • Personal Development and Planning Advisor meet and greet
    • Meet the students - a chance to meet current Postgraduate Research Students (PGR)
    • Tours of the Future Farm and Entomology unit

    Key requirements for your first few weeks

    During your first few weeks you are required to complete several important documents and may be required to undertake several facilities inductions - depending on the topic of your PhD. This element in particular, is extremely important to complete, as it impacts your first major submission at 6 weeks (Application to Register for a Research Degree).

    You will be provided with an individual research timeline detailing your submission points and when they need to be completed. You will also be sent a link to a shared Teams folder where you will find the bulk of the documentation you require during your research including the initial few months forms:

    • Health and Safety and Facilities Access forms.
    • First six-month reporting forms (these will be discussed with you at induction).
    • Research Ethics link.
    • Postgraduate Research Student Journey – a full document detailing your 3-4 year PhD.
    • Where to find – a folder of useful information that will help as you start your research journey.
    • The Postgraduate Research Student Handbook – this is your ultimate guide to everything you need.
    • Monthly meeting QR code/link.

    Within your first two weeks you will undertake your first team meeting – this is then formally reported on for the Research Degrees Awarding Board. You will find the document to be submitted for this in your induction pack: Initial Supervisory Meeting Report.

    You will be required to have at least one formal  meeting  monthly with your Director of Studies and/or your supervisory team. These must be minuted and recorded. In reality you may find you meet with your team on a more than monthly basis - it is good practice to get into the habit of recording these meetings as often as you can. Access to an online template will be given to you once you have started your research journey with us.

    Remember – we will be here throughout your journey so if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact either the Postgraduate Research Student Advisor (Emma Hancox) or any of the team who will be happy to answer any query you may have.

      

    Frequently Asked Questions

    When can I enrol? 

    Enrolment will be available when your offer is Unconditional and you will be notified when it is available to you individually via email from the PGR Office.

    Enrolment for October 2024 starters has not been launched yet. You will be contacted when it is available.

    The enrolment link will be sent out in the email but is also available from the main Research Students Joining Instructions page.

    Where will I be working?

    All full-time onsite research students are allocated their own desk and PC/Laptop within a shared office of other research students.

    For ‘remote’ and part-time students – we have a hot desk facility within the shared offices – please notify the Postgraduate Research Student Advisor a couple of days in advance if you need access to this. Please note we do not provide It equipment for fully remote students.

    • Part-time  or remote students can arrange accommodation for when they will be on campus by contacting the Conference Office by email or by calling 01952 815324 – this is subject to availability,  but requests are being accepted now. If there is no accommodation available they have an extensive list of local Bed and Breakfasts.

    All Postgraduate Research students have access to any of the IT suites across campus and you are more than welcome to make use of those facilities without notifying Emma Hancox in advance.

    If you are coming to campus with your own laptop and prefer a screen and cable as opposed to a University loaned PC/Laptop please notify the Postgraduate Research Student Advisor in advance.

    I am self-funded – when do I need to pay?

    Students requiring visa sponsorship have two options for payment:

    1. Payment for the year in full in advance of arrival. A 5% discount will be applied to any students choosing this option and paying in full in advance.  

    2. Payment in three instalments, the deadlines for which are dictated by the point of the year at which the student commences their course of study, as outlined below:

    • Semester 1 Intake: o Payment 1: 34% due prior to issuing the CAS o Payment 2: 33% due on or before 14 October 2024 o Payment 3: 33% due on or before 20 January 2025

    • Semester 2 Intake:  o Payment 1: 34% due prior to issuing the CAS o Payment 2: 33% due on or before 12 March 2025 o Payment 3: 33% due on or before 7 June 2025

    Students requiring visa sponsorship can make payments at Harper Adams website / Finance  by selecting ‘International Payments’. 

    Paying by instalments  

    Payment of your university fees and accommodation fees can be made online via our  in full at the start of your year of study or alternatively, paid in three termly instalments by accessing our Payment Gateway and selecting your fees be paid by instalment.

    When will I receive my first stipend payment?

    As long as you have provided  your bank details using this link: , you should receive your first stipend payment within a day or two of your start date along with a payment schedule from our Finance Office.

    Payments are usually made on the 28th of every month, unless this falls on a weekend or bank holiday, when you will receive it the Friday before.

    Is there a shop on campus?

    We have a small shop on campus called The Feed Store (located on the ground floor of the Faccenda Centre) which is open at the following times during term time:

    Monday to Friday: 9am - 3pm
    Saturday and Sunday: 10am - 2pm

    Harper Adams is a cashless campus - you must have a suitable payment card to make purchases.

    How can I get around if I don't have a car?

    We run a subsidised shuttle bus service during term time between the campus and Newport, which runs hourly throughout the day. More information, including how to purchase your bus pass and a current timetable on our Student Travel Information page.

    The shuttlebus timetable is reviewed and updated on a yearly basis. The shuttle bus connects campus with the Bus Interchange in Newport, from where you can access Arriva bus services to Telford, Stafford and other local towns.

    The following shows approximate distances from the campus to the nearest major towns.

    Town

    Miles by road

    Approximate driving time

    Telford

    12

    20 Minutes

    Stafford

    16

    30 Minutes

    Shrewsbury

    19

    35 Minutes

    Wolverhampton

    23

    35 Minutes

    Birmingham

    39

    50 Minutes

    Chester

    44

    1 Hour

    Please note, out of standard term time the shuttle bus runs on a reduced service and will come based on pre-bought ticket sales only.

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