Support for doctoral researchers affected by the rising cost of living 

We are pleased to announce that we will be providing additional funding for the 22/23 academic year to support doctoral researchers receiving stipends paid by UCL.

For those receiving full stipends via UCL internal awards

This includes GRS, GXD, ROS, Faculty and Departmental awards.

We will be uplifting our UCL-funded studentships to the new UKRI minimum rate, i.e. £19,668. Any stipends already above this rate will remain unchanged. We are working rapidly to process the new rates; however, you may receive incorrect or multiple emails from sfs@ucl.ac.uk. You should still receive your original rate payment on time i.e. by Oct 1 (please see guidance on the first payment date included in your UCL Studentship email); however, your uplift payment may arrive later. Please be patient with us and only alert your local administrators to incorrect or incomplete payments after the payments reach your bank account. We can make further adjustments if necessary after that time.

For those receiving full stipends via UCL funded by external funders other than UKRI

This includes charities, NIHR, other partner organisations, etc…

We will be uplifting your stipend rates in line with the new UKRI minimum rate, i.e. £19,668. UCL will work with the funders to encourage them to provide this additional funding to UCL, but this will not affect whether you receive an uplift. Any stipends already above the new UKRI minimum rate will remain unchanged unless altered by your funder. It is important you allow us time to work with your funders on this as we are intending to achieve a longer-term goal of aligning stipend rates not only for this year but also future years with the UKRI minimum and other increases which may occur.

For those who receive partial stipends below £15k per annum

For those with partial awards, we will be working with your departments to determine a fair uplift amount based on the original terms of the award.

A clarification for students who receive their stipend via UCL funded by UKRI

This includes all Research Councils, including those who receive matched funding.

We are rapidly updating the stipend payments to your new rate and hope they will be correct by the time the first payment reaches your bank account. However, your email notifications from sfs@ucl.ac.uk may not reflect the updated amount; if you have queries about your correct stipend amount, please speak to your local programme manager or departmental administrator rather than contacting Research Studentships or Student Funding teams who cannot confirm correct amounts. For a small number of you, we may need to do additional corrections after your initial payment. You should still receive your original rate payment on time i.e. by Oct 1 (please see guidance on the first payment date included in your UCL Studentship email). Please be patient with us and only alert your local administrators to incorrect payments after the payments reach your bank account.

For those who are paid a salary rather than a stipend

This includes Marie Curie, Clinical Fellowships, and others Research Assistant type studentships.

If you receive a salary, you are employed as a member of staff and so this support does not relate to you. You should look to the staff-related support instead (this is being reviewed by University Management Committee shortly).

For those paid directly by their funder and those who are self-funding

(i.e. you do not receive remittance notices for payments from sfs@ucl.ac.uk)

Please be aware the UCL additional funding for an uplift only applies to those who are paid stipend payments directly by UCL. You will need to contact your funder directly regarding any changes to your stipend payments.

Students unable to meet a tuition fee payment deadline or with any concerns regarding their tuition fees can contact the Fees office for guidance and to discuss options.

If you are struggling financially, you can apply to the UCL Financial Assistance Fund for Postgraduate Research Students (FAF-PGR).

Further information about funding options, including the UK doctoral loan, is available on our main funding page for postgraduate research students.

Finally, for all students, we have launched a Cost of living Hub, with advice and practical support from across UCL all in one place. On the hub, you will find information on how to loan laptops and guidance about emergency accommodation.

We would like to reiterate how important the doctoral community is to UCL and to thank you for your patience and understanding while we operationalise these changes.

■