UKRI minimum stipend to rise to £18.6k for academic year
6 May 2023
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has said its minimum stipend for funded doctoral students’ living costs, will rise to £18,622 for academic year 2023 to 2024.
The tax-free sum had been set at £17,668 FTE for the previous year, although this amount was set only in October following protests over the proposed £16,060.
A further rise for the new academic year has been the increase in the minimum fee that universities can draw from UKRI training grants, to £4,712.
UKRI’s People and Culture Champion Melanie Welham said: “Postgraduate research training makes a significant contribution to developing the expertise that underpins the UK’s ambitions to be a leading research and innovation nation. Today’s announcement demonstrates UKRI’s on-going commitment to supporting doctoral students.
“This step is part of our long-term efforts to ensure that the UK remains one of the best places for postgraduate students from all backgrounds to undertake research training.”
She added that other actions taken by UKRI since 2022 included among others: an increase in minimum stipend by 20% in cash terms over two years, increase in Research England funding for English universities to support doctoral education, and the review commissioned from the UK Council for Graduate Education on supporting excellent supervisory practice across UKRI doctoral training investments.
