UK Research and Innovation has confirmed that the minimum stipend for
PhD students will go up next school year, bringing the total amount to more
than inflation since October 1. The decision will raise the minimum annual
stipend for UKRI-funded doctoral researchers from £20,780 to £21,805. The
change is expected to help thousands of PhD students at universities all over
the UK.
The minimum stipend for doctoral students in London will go up from
£22,780 to £23,805, which is a 4.5% increase. UKRI said the increase shows that
it is still committed to making life better and providing more financial
support for doctoral researchers.
The UKRI PhD stipend increase comes amid persistent concerns over the
rising cost of living and the financial strain faced by postgraduate
researchers. UKRI noted that the revised stipend levels are designed to help
doctoral candidates better manage housing, transport, and everyday expenses,
particularly in high cost regions such as London.
This latest adjustment follows a significant rise delivered last year,
when UKRI increased the tax free stipend by eight percent in real terms. At
that time, the funder said the change aimed to bring PhD take home pay closer
to the national living wage. The continuation of annual uplifts signals a
longer term approach to addressing affordability challenges in doctoral
education.
Alongside the UKRI PhD stipend increase, the national research funder
has also raised the minimum fee it pays to universities for each UKRI funded
student. From the next academic year, the fee will rise by four point six
percent, increasing from five thousand and six pounds to five thousand two
hundred and thirty eight pounds.
UKRI said the change is meant to show that institutions are having to
pay more to provide high-quality doctoral training, such as supervision,
research infrastructure, and student support services. For a long time,
universities have said that stagnant funding levels were putting pressure on
doctoral programs, especially in fields that require a lot of research.
The decision follows sustained lobbying from student groups and
representative bodies, particularly in London. According to reporting by Times
Higher Education, students’ unions in the capital last year called for a two
thousand five hundred pound increase in stipends. They warned that without
stronger financial support, doctoral study risked becoming accessible only to
the most privileged.
Campaigners argued that low stipends were discouraging talented students
from less affluent backgrounds from pursuing research careers. The UKRI PhD
stipend increase has therefore been welcomed by many as a positive step, though
some groups maintain that further rises will still be necessary to ensure true
financial security.
UKRI has made changes to how it funds things and also made changes to
improve student welfare and inclusion. Last year, the group said that doctoral
researchers could take up to twenty-eight weeks off for medical reasons. The
goal of the measure was to make it easier for students to continue their
studies when they needed to and to lower the barriers for disabled researchers
and people with long-term health problems.
UKRI said that these changes are part of a bigger plan to make the
doctoral research environment more supportive and adaptable. The funder wants
to make doctoral study more sustainable for a wide range of students by
combining better welfare with financial help.
The issue of access to PhD education has also been acknowledged at the
national policy level. According to the Times Higher Education report, the UK
government said in its skills White Paper published last year that it would
review access to doctoral study. The document noted that financial barriers to
postdoctoral education remain too high for students from disadvantaged
backgrounds.
The White Paper also highlighted a decline in the proportion of UK based
PhD students in some disciplines. The government said it would explore the
challenges behind disparities in access to doctoral programmes and the falling
share of domestic applicants.
The latest UKRI PhD stipend increase reinforces a growing recognition
that financial sustainability is central to the future of research and
innovation in the UK. While the new rates may not resolve all cost pressures,
they represent a clear commitment to improving conditions for doctoral
researchers.
As universities, funders, and policymakers continue to assess the long
term health of the research pipeline, stipend levels and access to doctoral
study are likely to remain at the center of debate.
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