Value of your Studentship
Fees
The university ensures that university fees are paid on your behalf, including university continuation fees. You do not need to take any action regarding the payment of fees. If you receive an invoice for your fees, contact your home institution in the first instance.
Maintenance grant (stipend)
The maintenance grant (stipend) will be paid to you by your university in advance in regular instalments (quarterly or monthly, as per the university’s practice). The annual stipend is payable at the current UKRI rate (as published on the UKRI website). Funding is adjusted on a pro-rata basis for part-time students and where the award is for a period of less than 12 months in any year.
Overpayment
If you suspend or withdraw from study during your award, your are not entitled to any maintenance or fee payments from the date you suspend and/or withdraw from study. If any funds have been paid to you in advance, you must refund the ESRC via your home institution.
Concurrent scholarship funding
You must inform the DTP immediately if you receive or are applying for a grant or an award from another body to support you postgraduate work, especially in the form of payment of fees or a maintenance grant. You must not hold two awards for the same purpose concurrently.
Disability Support Allowance
Students with a disability may be entitled to a Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) in addition to the ESRC studentship funding. DSA helps to cover the cost of any additional support that someone studying for a doctorate might need as a result of a disability, mental health problem or specific learning difficulty. The allowance can cover: non-medical personal assistance, specialist equipment, extra travel costs and general expenses.
If you may be eligible for such support, you should speak to their university’s disability advisor at the earliest possible opportunity. They will be able to assess your needs and put the right support in place, and can start this process before you have enrolled.
Additional Funding Schemes
GUDTP students have access to a range of additional funding opportunities to support their studies and development. Applications for all forms of funding must be submitted in advance of the activity as per the specific guidance. Full details are available on the website:
Leave Entitlement
International students
For all leave, students with a Tier 4 or a student visa should ensure that they are familiar with the UK Visas and Immigration terms and conditions around attendance and absence on their degree programme.
International students are required to comply with the conditions of their visa and providers with the requirements on them as sponsors. The rules on visas are set by the UK Home Office. Currently this means that international students may be limited in how much leave they may take without returning to their home country, and may not be able to utilise all of the leave as described below.
Annual leave
Students are entitled to take annual leave during the course of their doctoral programme. UKRI recommends that ‘a minimum of 30 days to a maximum of eight weeks per year to include public holidays’ should be allowed (pro rata for part time students). The university’s policy on annual leave should inform the exact number of permitted days.
Collaborative Studentship award holders are expected to consider their obligations to the partner organisation when planning leave.
Medical leave
Under the UKRI sick leave policy, students in receipt of a full award are eligible for 28 weeks of sick pay within any 12 month period for periods of illness after 1 October 2025. For periods of medical leave prior to 1 October 2025, the maximum allowable leave was 13 weeks in a 12 month period. They are eligible for sick pay from the first day of their award until the end of the funded period, if a medical certificate or letter is provided. If the period of medical leave is at least one month, then a corresponding funding extension will be provided.
Time off for common, short illnesses (for example colds, stomach bugs) would not normally result in an extension to the studentship.
It is not permissible to provide further funding once the funding end date of the student award has passed. Therefore, claims for medical leave must occur prior to the end of the funded period.
The total cumulative amount of medical leave must not exceed 52 weeks across the whole Studentship.
Family leave
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Maternity leave: DTP students are entitled to 52 weeks of maternity leave if the expected week of childbirth will occur during the period of their award. The earliest maternity leave can commence is 11 weeks before the expected week of childbirth. For those in receipt of a full award, the first 26 weeks will be paid at full stipend rate (pro-rated as necessary for part time students). The following 13 weeks will be paid at a level commensurate with statutory maternity pay. The final 13 weeks are not paid.
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Adoption leave: The main adopter of a child placed during a studentship is also entitled to 52 weeks of leave. For those in receipt of a full award, the first 26 weeks will be paid at full stipend rate (pro-rated as necessary for part time students). The following 13 weeks will be paid at a level commensurate with statutory maternity pay. The final 13 weeks are not paid.
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Partner’s/Paternity leave: Partners are entitled to up to two weeks paid Ordinary Paternity Leave on full stipend. Ordinary Paternity Leave cannot start before the birth and must end within 56 days of the birth.
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Parental leave: Under the unpaid parental leave scheme, eligible students are also entitled to an extended period of unpaid parental leave, up to a maximum of 50 weeks.
Changes of Mode of Study
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You may be able to change mode of study from part-time to full-time, or vice-versa, during you studentship. You should discuss this with your supervisor and department/faculty in the first instance.
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It is expected that a change to mode of study would only occur once during the life of an award, however if there are exceptional circumstances, where you need to revert back to your original status, such instances can be considered on a case-by-case basis.
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Transfers to part-time in the last six months of an award will only be considered in exceptional circumstances.
Suspension from Study
- If health or personal reasons are preventing you from progressing in your doctoral research, it may be advisable to temporarily suspend or interrupt studies. You may also suspend so as to take up a short professional opportunity.
- The ESRC allows suspensions for up to a maximum of 12 months across the duration of the studentship, unless there are exceptional and compelling reasons.
- When your studentship is suspended, the award end date is extended in line with the duration of the suspension. You will not receive stipend payments during a period of suspension.
- You should discuss plans for suspension with your supervisor(s) and department/faculty in the first instance. Please also inform the GUDTP team before suspending, so that we can advise on the implications for your funding. University’s guidelines for applying to suspend must be followed.
Withdrawal from Studies
On occasion, a student may choose to withdraw from their doctoral programme. If you are considering withdrawal, you should discuss this with your supervisor in the first instance. If you withdraw, you may be asked to repay any maintenance grant (stipend) payments for the period after your official withdrawal date, but will not need to repay any other funding that they have received.
