UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the UK’s largest single funder, which supports around 105,000 postgraduate research students, has pledged to increase student grants by 2.9% for the next academic year. But students say this could push them into poverty and are calling for more support to cover the increased cost of living. UCL-based Emma Francis, who coordinated a letter on behalf of all London-based PhD students funded by the Medical Research Council, which is part of UKRI, said: “The current level of financial support provided by UKRI in PhD students is inadequate and unsustainable and creates a major diversity issue. They curate an exclusive community, they don’t provide equal opportunities for everyone.” UKRI increases scholarships based on the inflation rate of the previous academic year (2.9% from October 2020 to September 2021). Based on this, full-time MRC-funded students outside London will receive £16,062 per year and students in the capital £18,062. With inflation running at more than 9%, the allowance is £1,104 less than the London Living Wage when income tax and national insurance exemptions are taken into account, the letter says. A second open letter to UKRI this week has been signed by more than 5,000 postgraduate students. James Hazzard, a PhD student at Imperial College London, said he had worked shifts in pubs and completed more than 300 hours of teaching and tutoring during his PhD to pay the bills. “Universities are taking advantage of the fact that they pay us insufficient stipends by encouraging us to sign up for casual work, without proper employment rights,” he said. “This has affected my free time, energy, productivity and mental health. If I get sick, like when I got Covid-19 earlier this year, I don’t get sick pay.” Rebecca Matthews, a PhD in developmental psychology at the University of Reading, who is on maternity leave, is not sure if she can afford to return to her research in October. “Tuition for three days of kindergarten is almost the same as what I get for a full-time PhD fellowship,” he said. “On top of that, I have to consider looking after my eldest son and the cost of fuel for the two hours I travel to and from university.” Tax-free subsidies affect parents’ access to subsidized childcare, and Matthews said she was ineligible for 30 hours of free childcare because the allowance was not considered wages. “It really feels like a penalty for mom,” Matthews said. Kathleen Hill, a mature PhD student at Coventry University, said securing housing was increasingly difficult and she had to skip prescription drugs and postpone visits to the dentist because she lacked money. “I can’t afford a lease that’s more than 2.5 or three times my income,” he said. With very few rooms available in that price range, she worries about having to couch surf or be forced to rent unsafe and unregulated housing. “We all know that, financially, a Ph.D. The allowance will not be a great option,” he said. “Many of us have taken pay cuts and made sacrifices to be able to research topics we care about and believe can have a real impact.” Others described working shifts at Tesco to supplement their income and waking up at 4am to do PhD work before office work. UKRI said it was looking into providing more financial support and would provide more details in the summer. A spokesman said: “We recognize that the rising cost of living affects postgraduate researchers. We are therefore actively discussing with other agencies across the sector whether we could provide further support. We will communicate any decision arising from these discussions as soon as possible.”
