Pre-arrival information for post-graduate researchers

Welcome to the University of Leeds and to the beginning of your journey as a postgraduate researcher (PGR)! We have put together some information to help you prepare for your arrival and the start of your research programme. 

Our online Welcome Guide covers everything you need to know about joining us. It includes a simple list of ten things you need to do to help you get started. 

Accept your offer and meet your conditions  

You will be eligible to register once you have received an unconditional offer and accepted this offer. Check your offer letter for any conditions if you are not sure.   

You can send evidence of meeting any outstanding conditions to your Faculty Admissions team. 

You can accept your offer online. 

Please contact your Faculty Admissions team if you have any questions about accepting your offer or meeting the conditions of your offer.   

 

Registration, ID check and student card 

You need to register within four weeks of the start date of your studies and re-register each year within four weeks of the anniversary of your start date.  
You will receive more information regarding the registration process from your Graduate School team within the next few weeks. 

Please note the University does not permit postgraduate researchers to study on a remote basis. If you are on a distance-learning programme you are usually expected to be present in Leeds for induction at the start of your programme.   
If you do not think you will be able to arrive in Leeds within one month of the start date of your programme, please see the information available and contact your Graduate School. 

If you are on a split-site or dual-award PhD there may be different arrangements in place, please contact your Graduate School. 

Accommodation 

You can visit the Accommodation pages of the For Students website to find out more information regarding university and private accommodation. There's a wide range of private accommodation on offer in Leeds. Unipol and Leeds University Union can give you advice and help with your house search.

If you are planning to move to Leeds with your family, please visit the Accommodation for families page of the For Students website.

International arrivals  

If you’re coming to Leeds from outside the UK, visit our Prepare for Leeds webpages for essential information to help you plan your journey.  Read about when to arrive, what to bring with you, and how to book arrival support, including our airport pick-up service from Leeds Bradford Airport and Manchester Airport.  

You can get help to prepare from current students and at our online offer holder events and activities. 

When you arrive, check our website for processes to complete in your first weeks in Leeds and don’t miss our International Orientation programme. Book onto our free Welcome to Leeds talk, interactive workshops and online webinars, and sign up for campus and city tours and interactive activities.

Come along to our popular Global Café, to help you feel at home and meet new people. You can also apply for the University Buddy Scheme and we will match you with another Leeds postgraduate researcher who shares similar interests to you, and we'll invite you to exclusive Buddy social events. 

Orientation support and social activities are available for students arriving throughout the year. 

If you have questions about preparing to travel to Leeds or what to do when you arrive, please contact our Student Information Service. 

Fees, funding and bank details 

If you are funded by a university scholarship, you will receive your stipend payments once you have completed online registration and provided the University with your UK bank account details. 

For more information about fees and funding please visit the Funding for postgraduate researchers pages of the For Students website.

University email account 

Activating your University IT Account

You will receive an e-mail notification from “do-not-reply-identity@leeds.ac.uk” with the subject line “Your University IT Account” and a username in the format abcd1234. Please follow the steps in this e-mail to finish setting up your IT account. 

For more information please visit Self Service - Setting up your University IT account (leeds.ac.uk) 

If you require any support setting up your University IT account please contact the Student Information Service.

It is important you set up this account as soon as you are able as this is where you will receive all information about your induction as well as other important communications throughout your candidature. 

Two-factor authentication (2FA): Duo

The University uses a two-factor authentication (2FA) system called Duo.  Duo adds a second method of identity verification to secure your University of Leeds account and the devices, files and systems associated with it.  

Duo will prompt you to enrol the first time you log in to a protected service. Simply follow the instructions on screen to register your smartphone, tablet or other device and install the free Duo Mobile app.  The Duo Mobile app is available from both the Apple and Android app stores and is the easiest and fastest way to securely log in to your account.  For step-by-step set up instructions, see our guide to enrolling for Duo. 

Disability support 

If you have a disability, please register with Disability Services by completing their sign-up form. You can find out more on the Disability Services pages of the For Students website. 

If you are an international postgraduate researcher, be aware that the term “disability” in the UK is used to describe a wide range of conditions. If you have a condition that you think might affect your studies or if you would like to speak to a member of the team about support available to help you succeed in your studies, you can:

You can expect to hear from your Graduate School within the next month with more information about your induction, including online resources and in-person events to welcome you to our research community at Leeds. In the meantime, if you have any further questions, please contact your Faculty Admissions Team.