UK Biobank Student Access Policy

Purpose

The UK Biobank Student Access Route provides reduced-cost access for postgraduate students undertaking supervised research as part of a recognised academic programme.

Eligibility

The Student Access Route is available to postgraduate research projects that:

• Form part of a recognised doctoral degree programme or equivalent.
• Include confirmation of enrolment from the institution or supervisor.
• Are supervised by an eligible institutional Principal Investigator (PI).

Students undertaking Master's degrees or first-degree programmes are not eligible for the Student Access Route. Where an established researcher applies through UK Biobank's standard access routes and pays the applicable full access fees, Master's and first-degree students may be added to the project team in accordance with UK Biobank's standard project requirements.

Requirements

• Supervisor as PI: The student's supervisor must be the project's PI and is responsible for oversight, compliance, and appropriate use of UK Biobank data.
• Team size: Projects are limited to three named researchers (the student and up to two supervisors).
• Duration: Access is granted for the duration of the student's programme. Projects may receive one extension of up to 12 months; no further extensions are permitted.
• Project ownership: Projects are non-transferable between students and remain under the oversight of the supervising PI.
• Single-student project: Student Access Route projects are restricted to one named student researcher. Projects cannot be shared between or transferred to other students.

Compliance

Failure to comply with this policy may result in project suspension or closure, loss of access to UK Biobank systems, and ineligibility for future applications. UK Biobank will review this policy periodically to ensure it continues to support sustainable postgraduate research access.