Dear PGRs,
As you may be aware, the UKRI has published a statement on ukri.org announcing their decision to increase the UKRI minimum doctoral stipend. I will talk more about that below and how this will work for both UKRI and University of York funded PGRs.
Importantly, I realise that the majority of York’s PGRs are not funded by UKRI and at YGRS, we are exploring with teams across the University other options to support PGRs impacted by the cost of living increases. YGRS will be in touch at the start of term with more information and you can find out more about our package of support for all students and PGRs facing financial hardship.
For UKRI funded PhD students, the minimum stipend from 1 October 2022 for Academic Year (AY) 22/23 will be £17,668 full time equivalent, an increase of 10% on the previously announced £16,062 and an increase of £1,606 for all students in receipt of a full UKRI stipend (pro rata for part-time PhD students).
This increase applies to the minimum student stipend only. There are no changes to the other elements of the training grant such as tuition fees and the research training support grant.
The stipend increase will come into effect from 01 October and apply to UKRI doctoral students in receipt of a UKRI stipend who are:
- due to commence in AY 22/23 or
- are continuing their UKRI-funded studentship in AY 22/23*
*To be eligible, a continuing PGR must still be within their funded period in AY 22/23.
The UKRI is allocating additional funding to its training grants this year to ensure that UKRI-funded students can receive the increase. Changes to payments will be made as soon as possible – but you might not see this increase in your October payment given the limited time Universities have been given to instigate this change. If there is a delay, we will contact you as to when you will start to receive the higher rate of payments which will be backdated to the 1st October 2022, as appropriate.
For those of you on scholarships funded by the University (including departmental scholarships); the University is committed to matching the UKRI percentage uplift in PhD stipends. The University plans to start these revised payments from 01 October.
If you have any queries or feedback – please direct them to your departmental Grad Chair or DTP/CDT lead in the first instance who will collate them and forward them to YGRS, if they cannot address them. This is a sudden, if welcome, change, so we are still working through all the implications.
With best wishes
Professor Kate Arnold
Dean of the York Graduate Research School
