phd holder salary in uk

The Savvy Scientist

Experiences of a London PhD student and beyond

PhD Salary UK: How Much Do PhD Students Get Paid Compared to Graduates?

Considering whether to stay in university as a PhD student or to leave and get a job? If so, you may be wondering “How much do PhD student get paid?” and “How does a UK PhD salary compare to a graduate salary?” .

In this post I delve into the details and reveal that the difference in take home pay between a UK PhD stipend and a grad position can actually be much lower than it first appears!

If you’re looking to know how much a PhD could boost your career and salary after finishing your doctoral degree I’d suggest checking out my post: Is a PhD Worth It ?

I also have a complementary post covering my monthly expenses as a PhD student. You may also wish to check out my guide to the application process , PhD FAQs and article on how I got a PhD scholarship .

February 2024 : This post has been updated to include figures for the 2023/24 academic year.

Do PhD students get paid in the UK? If so, how much do PhD students get paid?

Before we delve into the details let’s first cover whether PhD students get paid in the UK. Generally, yes, most PhD students get what is called a PhD stipend to support themselves during their PhD. Importantly, a PhD stipend (in the UK at least) is tax free .

It is worth noting though that not all PhD projects automatically include funding. Funding may also not be applicable for every applicant. For example sometimes it may only be available to home students i.e. those from the UK.

Therefore some students may resort to self funding their PhD. In STEM subjects self funding a PhD is pretty rare and often only happens because of limitations in funding eligibility. I’ve personally worked with a mix of funded and self-funded (often by parents) PhD students, though most are certainly funded by grants and scholarships.

If your project doesn’t already include funding, for most people I strongly advise trying to find funding rather than considering self funding. For more information on this check out my post on PhD Funding in the UK.

2023/24 UK PhD Salary

PhD salary outside of London: In 2023/24 most new PhD students in the UK will receive a PhD stipend worth at least £18,622 per year .
PhD salary in London : In 2023/24 most new PhD students in London will receive an increased stipend to account for cost of living , which is typically around £20,622 per year .

Notice that the PhD stipend for outside of London is at least £18,622 per year. I’ve seen several advertised at the London rate. There are also some available at an even higher rate. For example I know of CDTs in Bristol paying more like £24,000 tax-free.

Your PhD stipend will usually provide funding for 3.5 years, although it can occasionally be for 3 or 4 years.

These values are for most PhD studentships including those awarded by all UK research councils following the UKRI guidelines .

Certain scholarship schemes pay upwards of £25,000 per year, such as the £25,150 (2024/25 rate) President’s PhD Scholarships at Imperial. For details on how to get such a scholarship, check out this article where I go over how I got awarded my own PhD scholarship.

The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network (ITN) runs all across the EU. As well as nice training and exchange opportunities it pays a staggering stipend of approx £40,000 – £45,000 . The grant level is reviewed each year and increases if you have family dependents. I personally wish I’d known about it earlier and highly recommend anyone interested puts a reminder in their diary for when the next call opens!

Is a UK PhD stipend taxable?

Here is what PhD stipends look like compared to some fairly typical starting grad salaries in the UK:

Bar charts summary of the advertised differences in salary between PhD student stipends and graduate salaries. These don't factor in taxes and other charges for employees which students do not pay.

At first glance a PhD stipend doesn’t stack up well against the higher wages of a graduate salary which can sometimes be twice this amount or more. But crucially PhD stipends for students are tax free !

There are a few other financial perks that come with being a student so I was intrigued to find out how the two salaries really compared. The results may surprise you!

Below is a high level overview and I’ll delve into each of the numbers in depth later in the post.

Bar charts summary of the differences in tax-home salary between PhD student stipends and graduate salaries

Grad salary vs PhD salary starting numbers

As mentioned earlier, in 2023/24 a typical PhD stipend outside of London is at least £18,622 . Within London this will typically increase slightly to account for cost of living to around £20,622 . These rates rise every year for new students, but do not rise for each year of the PhD. So for new students considering starting in 2024/25 a UK PhD salary will likely be around £19,100 outside of London.

For the sake of simplifying the comparison I averaged the 2023/24 PhD stipend to £19,622 for all PhD students studying in the UK.

A fairly typical grad salary, for someone qualified enough to be considering a science PhD, is around £30,000 . Of course this is an average salary so needs to be taken with a pinch of salt. As the number can vary dramatically it may be considered too low by some, but I think it’s a good benchmark accounting for different regions of the UK.

I’ve included higher and lower graduate salaries too in the summary charts for this post.

Bar chart showing the starting situation: £30,000 salary for the grad and £19,622 stipend for the PhD student

Salary Gap: £10,378

On the face of it the PhD student would be earning £10,378 less per year: around 35% lower! This is enough of a difference to put off a lot of potential PhD candidates who’ve likely spent the last few years building up student loans.

But unlike normal wages, PhD stipends are tax free so maybe things aren’t as bleak for PhD students as it seems? Let’s explore how they really compare.

Income Tax & National Insurance Contributions

Bar chart showing national insurance and income tax reducing the graduate salary. The PhD stipend is unaffected.

The 2023/24 Personal Income Allowance is £12,570. This means that you can earn up to this amount and not pay any income tax. Earnings from £12,571 up to £50,270 fall into the basic rate bracket of 20% tax.

PhD Student Salary: PhD stipends are tax free and incur no income tax or national insurance contributions. Remaining stipend: £19,622

Professional Salary: On £30,000 you’d pay £ 3486 in income tax and NI contributions of £2004 . Remaining wage: £24,510

Salary Gap: £4888 Income tax and national insurance contributions have immediately almost halved the difference in take-home pay from £10,378 down to £4888!

Student Loan Repayment

PhD Student Salary: Even with a PhD stipend you are officially an unwaged student so you won’t make student loan repayments as a PhD student. Remaining stipend: £19,622 [see footnote 1]

Professional Salary: The amount you may have to pay for student loan repayments depends upon when you started your undergraduate course. If you started your undergraduate course since 2012 you pay student loan repayments on earnings above £27,295. Meaning on a salary of £30,000 you’d pay £243 a year on student loan repayments. If you began your undergraduate course before 2012, repayments start on salaries above £22,015 and would be £541 a year . Most of you likely completed your undergrad degree recently so we’ll go with the more recent, lower, repayments. Remaining wage: £24,267

Salary Gap: £4645

Council Tax

PhD Student Salary: Another cost that students are exempt from is council tax. Though be careful if you share a house with non-students since council tax must then be paid on the property. [2] Remaining stipend: £19,622

Professional Salary: Council tax varies greatly between council boroughs, and depends on the property you live in. For example in Cardiff I lived in a one bed flat and the annual council tax was £1050 per year. During my PhD in London council tax for a lovely three bed house in Clapham it was £1000! Now that I live in Bristol it is over £2000 per year for a three bed house. I’ll go to the liberty of saying on average it would be £1150 per year and would be divided between two people: -£575 each. Total: £23,692

Salary Gap: £4070

Private Pension Contributions

PhD Student Salary: Although universities pay a PhD stipend to students, you are not a member of staff and hence do not make private pension contributions. Remaining stipend: £19,622

Professional Salary: Legislation has been phasing in making contribution to private pensions mandatory. The upside is that employers match your contribution up to varying percentages: sometimes up to about 10% of your salary. Additionally there are tax benefits to contributing so overall you could see it as boosting your salary looking at the longer term view. [3]

I believe there are troubling times ahead for 20-somethings and personally am not relying on a state pension existing by the time we all reach retirement age. Therefore I wholeheartedly recommend making a decently sized contribution at least up to the same amount that your employer matches. For the purposes of this comparison I won’t deduct anything for private pension since it’s not really being deducted so I’ll call this one a draw. Total: £23,692

Student Discount

Ah the obvious one! Student discount may have been the first thing you thought of when you saw this article, but I’m not going to include it in this analysis.

A student card does allow a significant amount to be saved, not only on luxuries such as entry to attractions and deals in shops but also travel. For example in London, an 18+ student oystercard gets you 30% off travelcards. For a monthly zones 1-3 ticket this would save about £50 a month: over £600 a year!

The reason I’ve not included it? How much you use student discount depends on your circumstances and lifestyle and I wanted to keep the analysis widely applicable. Also, there are ways around needing to pay for travel at all: I started cycling to university every day in London .

Curveball: the £12,570 Tax-Free Personal Income Allowance

So far the recent grad is still earning an additional £4842 per year: almost a third more than the PhD student. Owing to the fact that PhD students are exempt from income tax, national insurance contributions, council tax and student loan repayments the gap in earnings has shrunk considerably.

One last calculation I wanted to try was to consider the scenario of a student earning some additional money on the side. It is a common thing to make extra money with teaching assistant, tutoring and consultancy opportunities. In fact I think every PhD student I know does at least a little. There are of course non-academic routes to make additional money too.

I have written a post about some of the ways that I make extra money , many of which are in fact available to non-students. Do be careful to check that this is acceptable at your institution. My favourite way to make extra money is matched betting which is tax-free for everybody. You can find my complete guide to matched betting here .

Tax-free side-hustle

Currently you can earn £12,570 tax free in the UK . Given that the PhD stipend itself is tax free, unlike an equivalent worker you wouldn’t pay any tax on extra earnings up to this threshold. This might sound insignificant but it’s not.

Admittedly, unless you’re very entrepreneurial, it is unlikely that you would make use of the whole tax-free opportunity. But earning several thousand pounds per year on top of the stipend is certainly common.

As pointed out by a reader, John, in the comments below: a consideration should be that that some universities limit how much paid work you can do per month. Even so, there are lots of ways to make money and your time as a student could even be a great time to start your own business .

I’ve been paid more than £25 an hour doing pretty simple work for the university , so these earnings can mount up quickly.

To illustrate the extra earning potential afforded to PhD students, let’s consider the most extreme case where the tax-free earnings are maximised.

Since 2017 there has been a £1000 tax-free trading allowance for workers in the UK , meaning even those in a normal taxable job can earn £1000 on top of their salary from side-hustle jobs. Therefore the grad will pay additional taxes on £11,570 instead of £12,570.

Bar chart showing how much less of a £12570 side-business that graduates retain (£7884) compared to PhD students (all of it).

PhD Student Salary: An enterprising student maxing out the tax-free allowance could earn £12,570 a year and pay no national insurance either, leaving additional take-home pay of £12,570 . With a PhD stipend of £17,062 the student would in total earn £32,192 for the year. They’d keep 100% of those extra earnings.

Again, yes it is unlikely that someone would really earn this much on the side but it is common to make at least several thousand throughout the year.

Professional Salary: As a grad on £30,000 per year in your main job, to have an equivalent side-hustle earning £12,570, in total you’d pay tax on £41,570. Income tax would be £5800: £2314 higher than on their base salary of £30,000. NI contributions would be £3335: £1331 higher. Plus student loan repayments would be £1284: £1041 higher. Student loan repayments really start increasing considerably when you’re earning more. These additional taxes and costs total deductions of £4686, leaving the professional with extra take-home pay of £7884 . Including their day-job the total they’d be left with is £31,576 .

For this extra £12,570 of work, the student would pocket 100% of it and the professional would keep £7884 ( 63% ). Looking at the pre-tax difference in their earnings: at face value the student would be earning £32,192 and the grad £41,570: a difference of £9378. Yet once taxes are considered the final result is two people with remarkably similar take-home pays: a difference of £616 in favour of the student!

Check it out:

Bar chart showing how much less of a £12570 side-business that graduates retain (£7884) compared to PhD students (all of it) compared to if they don't have a side business.

Under these circumstances the student would in fact take home £616 more per year than the professional! I used the maximum tax-free allowance to highlight the point and yes it’s unlikely that many students will fully utilise it. Yet the point stands that any additional earnings are much better retained by PhD students.

If someone was running a fully-fledged business on the side then the difference becomes even bigger as the grad salary approaches the next tax bracket for earnings of £50,271 and above, at which point the rate of income tax doubles.

There are very few legal ways of making money which are tax-exempt for everyone. One of these rare cases is also my favourite way to make money on the side: matched betting. Intrigued? I’ve written a huge guide to it here . In this rare instance none of the grad’s extra earnings get eroded by tax.

Grad salary vs PhD student salary conclusion

Starting from a difference of £10,378 in salary, taxes and other outgoings have knocked £6308 off the graduate’s wage. This brings the difference in earnings down to £4070. This equates to £339 per month. More than nothing, but not a huge difference. And this doesn’t include any extra earnings on the side which the student can do a much better job of retaining.

Surprised how small the difference is? I certainly was whilst I was writing this.

Here is a chart for comparing a wider range of salaries:

This analysis doesn’t take in to account the extra earning power that gaining a PhD could bring, nor the potential lifestyle benefits of being a student such as autonomy and flexible working hours which it could be argued level the playing field even further. Plus the opportunities afforded to PhD students, which everyone should seize. And yes, student discount if you use it.

Furthermore if you consider the opportunity to make an additional £12k+ per year before incurring tax any difference in earnings can become close to negligible!

I hope that this post has helped explain that the wage gap between UK PhD stipends and grad salaries is not as dramatic it first seems. Perhaps it’s even encouraged you to consider a PhD. If so I’ve written posts to help with your application and an article on how to improve your chances of securing a PhD scholarship . Also if you’re curious you can read about life as a PhD student along with profiles of PhD students around the world .

If you’d like personalised help with your PhD application I am now starting to offer a small number of one-to-one sessions. Please contact me to find out more or click here to book a call.

What do you think about this comparison between a UK PhD stipend and grad salary? Do you think there are any additional factors that I have overlooked? Please share your thoughts in the comments below and if you’ve enjoyed this post you can subscribe to hear about more content:

[1] Some people might say that by continuing studying you’re simply delaying your student loan repayment. Considering most people don’t pay it off in the 30 odd years until any outstanding balance is wiped I think it’s fair to say that this doesn’t ring true.

[2] No council tax is paid on a property if all occupants are students. If you live with one professional they can claim the single occupancy discount of 25% but with two or more professionals the full council tax amount must be paid. If you share in a mixed group it is up to you how you divide it within the group. Ironically given the spirit of this post, last year I voluntarily did pay an equal (third) share of council tax given that my partner was moving to London specifically to live with me…

[3] If you go on to work for a university after your PhD you’ll be enrolled in the USS pension scheme where you’ll usually pay in 9% of your salary and your employer pays in 19%: yes, nineteen! For comparison most often the best private companies may match contributions up to 10%. Pension contributions are often removed from your pay packet before taxes. This effectively leaves you with a smaller salary and hence pay less taxes and national insurance contributions. Between this and your employer’s contributions overall your salary could be “boosted” by quite a bit, around 20% in the USS example, if you consider the pension as part of your long-term salary.

All calculations were carried out using the tax calculator on Martin’s Money Saving Expert. A fantastic website for all things personal finance.

How To Get A Fully Funded PhD Scholarship

14th February 2023 30th January 2024

How to Find PhD Funding in the UK

2nd January 2018 30th January 2024

17 Comments on “PhD Salary UK: How Much Do PhD Students Get Paid Compared to Graduates?”

It’s probably worth factoring in that most HEIs limit PhD students to a maximum I’m of 10hours pw of external work. By my rough estimate, the student would have to earn £25 an hour to make the money you’ve described here. The side hustle, should probably be halved to reflect a more typical salary. Still a fair whack though.

Hi John, yes that’s a good point and I’ll update the post to reflect this. In my experience £25/hour is realistic, at least here at Imperial, though I appreciate it would rarely get fully utilised. Thanks again

Hello Jeff! I am a Sustainability Consultant from India, looking at PhD opportunities in UK. It would be great if we can connect and discuss a bit about your experience and journey. Looking forward!

Hey Akhyata! Great, yes let’s have a chat. I’ve emailed you to arrange it. Best wishes, Jeff

Hi Jeff! I love your article, I’m a pharmacist juggling the idea of a PhD. I would love to take up on your offer to connect.

Hey Kai! Great, I’ll email you now to arrange it.

Hi Jeff, I am a law grad very interested in further study and pursuing a PhD.

I would love the chance to chat to you further about this article and your experience!

Thanks in advance

Hey Clara, Yeah no worries. I’ll send you an email now to discuss.

Hi Jeff, I’m putting together a PhD proposal at the moment and would really appreciate your input on a few things about the process when you have some free time. Cheers, Ben

Hi Ben, sure no problem, I’m happy to try and help. Let’s discuss over email.

Hi Jeff, Thank you for taking the time to write the articles you do. On this particular article, you have saved us all quite a lot of time. With such a minimal difference even without an additional income, it makes a lot of sense, especially with an increase when you graduate.

Those from the UK can take a £24k loan from the Gov (as if they didn’t have enough debt already). Still, it could enable a student to focus more on academia, speeding up the process and increasing the quality of work.

Apologies Jeff, the stipend and student loan are not available at the same time.

Thanks very much for your comments Tyrone. I’m pleased you find the website useful!

If you can get funding, I agree that there isn’t much of a reason to not do a PhD.

I must admit I’ve never looked much at postgraduate loans, in part because I encourage everyone doing a PhD (in STEM at least) to pursue funding. We’re doing PhDs which can help wider society and it doesn’t make sense for people to have to sacrifice even more by adding extra debt if they can avoid it. Interesting to hear that you can’t take out a loan if you have a stipend, thanks for letting me know.

Perhaps of interest to you, there is a post going live tomorrow which should put the length of a PhD in context of someone’s whole career. In short it doesn’t sacrifice much of a career but of course but make a very useful addition!

If there are any other topics you want to see covered please do let me know.

Best wishes.

Tax Free is not a perk. If you are not paying tax in the UK you cannot contribute to your pension. This may not seem important now, but it will later. This is especially important for mature students who can really lose out if there is a break in their NI contributions.

Thanks for your comment Marie.

The point is that normal tax-paying jobs don’t actually pay quite as much more than PhD stipends once you consider tax. I agree that over the long term avoiding paying taxes is neither a good idea because of things like pensions, nor is it socially ethical. But I don’t think there is any harm in taking 3-4 years out for a PhD:

You have to pay NI for a minimum of only 10 years to qualify for some level of state pension in the UK. After this the pension received simply increases linearly with the number of years of contributions, up to a max of 35 years. With retirement age edging up to 70 that gives at least 45 years between undergrad and retirement so most people will comfortably qualify (for now) for the full state pension. I’d argue that there is ample time to earn some tax free money as a PhD student without having to worry about making enough NI contributions. You can even voluntarily pay NI to gain additional qualifying years on your record. More generally I’d suggest also to not rely on receiving the state pension, I’m not personally betting on there even being a state pension by my own retirement (nor do I want to retire at 70+) so it’s always a good idea to build up your own private pension and savings too!

Hi Jeff, I was looking for funded PhD projects in the Marie Curie network and found a few on the EURAXESS website, but they all require a Master’s degree to apply. I was wondering if there is something I am missing or if you know where to find PhD funding opportunities in the Marie Curie network with only a bachelor’s degree. Thank you.

Hi Alex, thanks for your comment. I must admit I’m not an expert on all of the different Marie Curie funding routes available. If you’ve already done an extensive search then it sounds like yes they all may require a Master’s. By the way, when I first wrote this post I believed that all PhDs funded by UK research councils (UKRI) were at the very specific levels as mentioned in the post. However, I now know that there are some exceptions. For example, the Interactive AI CDT here at Bristol pays a stipend of £22,106: quite a bit higher than the standard non-London rate. CDTs such as this one include a foundation year and not everyone has a Master’s, so it may be worth considering schemes such as this. Best wishes, Jeff.

Privacy Overview

Lecturer and Professor Salaries – Explained
After a PhD

Based on the 2018/19 HE Single Pay Spine and the typical 2019/20 university grade system, the average possible salary for university staff in the UK is: £40,761 for a Lecturer, £51,590 for a Senior Lecturer, £64,356 for an Associate Professor and £90,891 for a Professor.

Introduction

On this page, we discuss how the UK academic pay scale works, the average salaries of university lecturers and professors, and how they change with academic rank. While we’ve summarised the salaries at the top of this page, we go on to provide a full breakdown for each rank, so continue reading for the full picture.

How Salary Scales Work within UK Universities

In the United Kingdom, there is a single national pay spine that governs the salaries of university staff. The pay spine, formally known as the ‘ HE Single Pay Spine ’, is led by University and College Union ( UCU ) which negotiates salaries, pay structure and employment conditions on behalf of higher education (HE) and further education (FE) institutions.

It’s important to recognise that although the vast majority of UK universities adopt the HE Single Pay Spine, a handful of institutions do not. In such cases, staff salaries are regulated internally and may differ from those stated on this page.

Many considerations go into determining a staff member’s salary, but to summarise, staff members are assigned a grade based on their level of responsibility, experience and position (e.g. Lecturer, Senior Lecturer or Professor) and a corresponding spine value. In turn, the spine value corresponds to a pre-determined salary listed in the ‘HE Single Pay Spine’.

Note: London universities generally offer slightly higher Lecturer and Professor salaries, but this is only to offset the higher cost of living associated with working in the capital. This offset, more commonly referred to as a ‘London Allowance’, is typically in the region of £3,000 per year .

Average Salaries of University Lecturers and Professors in the UK

Based on the 2018/19 HE Single Pay Spine and the average 2019/20 grading levels adopted by three UK universities, we have determined the average salaries of research assistants, lecturers and professors as shown in the table below.

Note: Although the average salaries provide a quick, useful insight, it would be equally advantageous to know the salary range for each position, as academic salaries are relatively dynamic; the reason for this is discussed later.

Table showing average salaries and ranges for Research Assistants, Lecturers and Professors in the UK

The following image shows these salary ranges in the context of the typical progression paths observed for higher education positions within UK universities.

It is worth noting that while salaries can exceed £100,000 per year for positions with significant managerial responsibility, very few individuals will reach these positions. In fact, data from the Office for Students (OfS) shows that in 2017/18, only 1.5% of academic staff were paid over £100,000.

How Salary Increases Works

Salary increases within a grade.

The expectation is that each year, staff members will move up the spine scale and receive a pay increase in line with their new spine level. This will continue until the ceiling of their current grade is reached. At that point, with the exception of inflation-adjusted increases, the staff member will stop receiving wage increases until they move up a grade.

Note: The grade of a staff member reflects the level of responsibility they have, which usually coincides with their job title, i.e. whether they are a Lecturer, an Associate Professor or a Professor.

Increasing Grades

Moving up a grade is only possible when the responsibilities of a staff member increase noticeably or when they are promoted to a higher position, such as from a Senior Lecturer to an Associate Professor.

Non-Monetary Benefits

As with most professions, a university Lecturer or Professor’s job position comes with non-monetary benefits that complement their salary. These will vary between universities, and sometimes even within the same university, but can include:

Allowances for travel or relocation,
Discounted or fully waived access to training, university courses and on-site recreational facilities,
Private healthcare,

UK vs US Lecturer and Professor Salaries

Unlike the United Kingdom, the United States does not have a national academic pay scale. This means that the salaries of Lectures and Professors in the US vary considerably not only between universities but also between states, institution types (public or private) and academic fields.

In addition, because the US does not have a national academic pay scale, it’s common for staff members to negotiate a pay increase when moving to a new institution. This is not generally the case in the UK as it would place staff members outside of the single pay spine.

According to ‘ The Annual Report on the Economic Status of the Profession, 2018-2019 ‘, produced by the American Association of University Professors ( AAUP ), the average university lecturer salary and average university professor salary within the United States is as per the comparison table below.

Table comparing average salaries for Lectures and Professors in the UK and the US

It should be noted that the US salaries stated above have the potential to be skewed. This is because the data provides a total sum only for the number of universities forming the data, and not for the number of staff members holding each position type.

Browse PhDs Now

Join thousands of students.

Join thousands of other students and stay up to date with the latest PhD programmes, funding opportunities and advice.

The employment of PhD graduates in the UK: what do we know?

17 February 2020
By Sally Hancock

This blog was kindly contributed by Dr Sally Hancock, Lecturer in Education at the University of York. This blog features some of her research supported by a Society for Higher Education Newer Researcher Award (reference: NR201609). The dataset was prepared for analysis by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

In recent decades, the number of PhDs awarded by universities has steadily and in some countries rapidly increased. Across the world, governments have invested in PhD education as part of a broader strategy to develop knowledge-based economies. This agenda, supported by organisations such as the OECD and World Bank, states that future national prosperity requires both the creation, application and dissemination of knowledge, and a supply of highly skilled workers.

In the UK, PhD holders are similarly valued for their ‘ vital contribution to British industrial performance and improved economic productivity ’. There has been considerable investment both in skills training to prepare PhDs for employment outside of academia and more recently, through the introduction of loans to attract more individuals to doctoral study. If the government is to achieve its ambition of increasing expenditure on research and development to 2.4 per cent of GDP by 2027, it is estimated that a further 25,000 PhD students will need to be recruited.

The expansion in doctoral education has not been viewed positively by all. Some question whether there are already too many PhDs and ask whether there are sufficient employment opportunities outside of the academic sector. Several studies suggest that many PhD students continue to prefer academic employment , leading to harsh competition in the academic sector and frustrated ambitions. The mismatch between PhDs’ career expectations and realities has been cited as one of the factors underpinning the relatively poor mental health and wellbeing of this group.

The existing evidence on PhD employment is, however, relatively limited, as PhDs have historically received far less attention than undergraduates. Research suggests that PhD graduates enjoy both higher earnings and higher rates of skilled employment, but this varies significantly by field of study and national context. Developing a reliable evidence base for the UK context is therefore particularly important amid plans for further investment and growth. Over the last decade, reports by Vitae have demonstrated that a diminishing proportion of PhD graduates will secure academic employment. Nonetheless, there is a wealth of qualitative data which suggest the enduring preference of academic careers among PhDs, together with a reluctance to consider ‘alternative’ careers.

In an effort to better understand the outcomes of PhDs, and especially what happens to those who leave the academic sector, this new study made use of the best available data on PhD employment in the UK. These data are collected through the Destinations of Leavers of Higher Education Longitudinal Survey (Long DLHE) which records activity three-and-a-half years after graduation. While HESA does not regularly publish findings on PhD employment, DLHE data have been analysed for this purpose before, most notably by Vitae.

The dataset analysed for this study, however, was different in that it incorporated additional information on PhD holders’ academic and demographic characteristics, linked from the Student Record. Put simply, this allows PhD employment outcomes to be examined in relation to factors such as PhD subject and institution, prior qualifications, age, gender and ethnicity. In total, the dataset includes just under 5,000 UK PhD holders, who graduated in 2008/9 or 2010/11 (a response rate of 39.5 per cent)

Considering first the promises of the knowledge economy, the Long DLHE offers some optimistic indicators. PhD holders’ report higher average earnings than those with a first degree or Master’s only. However, there are notable variations in earnings by the subject, with Arts and Humanities PhD holders earning significantly less than all other subject areas. PhD graduates also report higher rates of skilled employment, though we should note that definitions of ‘skilled work’, and what counts as PhD-level skilled work in particular are highly contested.

Employment outcomes by sector

Turning to consider employment outcomes by sector, figure 1 demonstrates that the vast majority of UK PhD holders (70.1 per cent) have left the academic sector three-and-a-half years after graduation. Of those who remain in academia, one-third are undertaking research, while two-thirds occupy the role ‘higher education teaching professional’. This distinction is admittedly problematic in that it conflates those employed with teaching-only contracts with those in more conventional academic positions (combining teaching, research and administrative duties). Unfortunately, the Long DLHE data cannot generate a more detailed insight into the roles PhD holders are undertaking in academia.

Of those who have left academia, just over half (53.8 per cent) report that they are still engaged in research, with the rest (46.2 per cent) stating that they no longer undertake or work with research. Logistic regressions conducted to predict which PhD holders secure research roles outside academia suggest that PhDs from Russell Group institutions, scientific subject areas (biological sciences; biomedical sciences; physical sciences and engineering), and male PhD holders are significantly more likely to secure research employment. This suggests that while there is evidence of a science-focused knowledge economy in the UK, the recognition of Arts and Humanities and Social Science PhDs – and their research skills – across non-academic sectors is less clear. These findings also suggest that gender and institutional prestige are associated with forging a research career outside of the academy.

While the Long DLHE affords broad insights into the employment destinations of PhD holders, it ultimately provokes more questions than it can answer. Critically, the Long DLHE imparts very little on decision-making or other circumstantial factors that may explain why a particular career pathway unfolds as it does. Perhaps the observation that PhD graduates who are no longer employed in research, whether in academia or beyond, report significantly lower career satisfaction is evidence enough that withdrawing from research is not the intention for many.

If doctoral expansion and the policy promises underpinning this continues, it is vital for the UK to develop better methods to capture the contributions of PhD holders. Following the initiatives of other nations , stakeholders of the UK doctorate ought to prioritise longitudinal methods of data collection, which are rich on demographic and decision-making information.

Average Salary for PhD and Postdoc Positions in the UK

When discussing salaries, we focus on fully-funded PhD positions. It’s crucial to note that self-funded PhD students typically do not receive a salary. An exception exists for students who secure funding from their home countries or other institutions. The salary information presented here pertains to PhD students remunerated by British institutes for their doctoral studies.

It’s important to highlight that the salary (stipend) is not a fixed value and varies based on the funding source and host university. According to the Research Council UK, the minimum Doctoral stipend is £15,285 per annum. Importantly, stipends are tax-free. However, international students requiring a visa to study in the UK must also account for health insurance, as mandated by the UK government. This requirement applies to individuals who:

Are nationals of countries outside the European Economic Area (EEA)
Are applying for a visa to work, study, or join family in the UK for more than six months (excluding permanent residence)

Healthcare Surcharge (Health Insurance) for PhD Students

The healthcare surcharge is a fixed annual fee. As per the UK government, this fee amounts to £400 per year. Consequently, for a 3.5-year PhD program, you’ll pay £1,400 as a lump sum when applying for your visa. Additionally, a £348 visa fee applies. Therefore, the total cost when applying for a visa and healthcare surcharge comes to £1,748. This payment ensures full coverage by the National Health System (NHS) during your study period in the UK.

After graduating, you can extend your visa for two years to seek employment in the UK. The UK government has introduced a new initiative enabling eligible students to work in any career or position for two years post-completion of their studies.

Salary of PhD Positions Funded by Marie Curie Early Stage Researcher

Returning to the topic of salaries, PhD positions funded by Marie Curie Early Stage Researcher (ITN PhD positions) offer significantly higher pay than other positions. A Marie Curie Early Stage Researcher in the UK can expect an annual salary ranging from £30,000 to £35,000. This is double the typical stipend in the UK. For further insights into the Marie-Curie Program, please refer to our dedicated post.

Average Salary for Graduates Holding a PhD in the UK

A PhD in the UK opens doors to higher salaries, enhanced opportunities, and increased employability. On average, graduates with a PhD in the UK earn annual salaries ranging from £33,000 to £55,000, based on data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

While pursuing a PhD in the UK can be a significant financial investment, the potential benefits are substantial, especially for those aspiring to work in academia or engage in research and development.

Fully Funded PhD and Postdoc Opportunities in the UK

Fastepo provides a dedicated section for Fully Funded PhD and Postdoc opportunities in the UK, featuring:

Different Funded PhD Programs in UK
Available Master and PhD Scholarships at King’s College London (KCL) in the UK
Academic Jobs at King’s College London
Undergraduate Scholarships at the University of East Anglia
Available Fully funded PhD Positions at the University of Cambridge
Available Fully Funded PhD and Research Positions at the University of East Anglia (UEA)
Available PhD Scholarship and Academic Positions at De Montfort University
Available fully funded PhD Positions at the Coventry University
Vacancies at Trinity College Dublin
Available Fully Funded PhD at University of Liverpool
Fully Funded PhD Studentships at Imperial College of London
Fully Funded University of Nottingham PhD
Online Postgraduate (PhD and Master) courses in the UK
University of Southampton PhD Studentships
Teesside University PhD Studentships
Funded PhD Projects at University of Strathclyde
Swansea University Funded PhD Scholarships
British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship

Fully Funded PhD Positions with Salary

Germany – Fully Funded PhD
Switzerland – Fully Funded PhD
Denmark – Fully Funded PhD
UK – Fully Funded PhD
Sweden – Fully Funded PhD
Finland – Fully Funded PhD
Netherlands – Fully Funded PhD
Norway – Fully Funded PhD
Belgium – Fully Funded PhD
Austria – Fully Funded PhD
Australia – Fully Funded PhD
France – Fully Funded PhD
New Zealand – Fully Funded PhD
Canada – Fully Funded PhD
USA – Fully Funded PhD
Luxembourg – Fully Funded PhD
Spain – Fully Funded PhD
Italy – Fully Funded PhD
Iceland -Fully Funded PhD

Fastepo Team will update all types of academic positions (the latest ones) when they become available. Moreover, be sure to follow our Facebook page to stay up-to-date on new positions. We have PhD and Postdoc related videos on our Youtube channel if you don’t like reading text.

PhD degree in Austria
PhD in Austria
PhD in Belgium
PhD in Canada
PhD degree in Denmark
PhD in Finland
PhD Programs in France
How to apply for a PhD in Germany?
PhD in Iceland
PhD in Italy
PhD in Luxembourg
PhD in Netherlands
PhD in New Zealand
PhD in Norway
PhD in Spain
PhD in Sweden
PhD Degree in Switzerland
How to apply for PhD in UK?
EU Funded Positions in Australia
EU Funded Positions in France
EU Funded Positions in Germany
EU Funded Positions in Luxembourg
EU Funded Positions in Spain
EU Funded Positions in UK
PhD in Biology
PhD in Business and Finance
PhD in Computer Sciences
PhD in Education
PhD in Engineering
PhD in Law and Social Sciences
PhD in Health and Medicine
PhD in Psychology
PhD in Sciences
Undergraduate and Postgraduate Scholarships at Deakin University
PhD Scholarship and Postdocs at Australian National University
600 Scholarships at University of Melbourne
Scholarships at the Center for Quantum Technologies
International fellowship of Cancer Research Institute
Fully Funded Joint PhD and Academic Jobs at University of Melbourne
Scholarships in Canada
Scholarships in Iceland
Renault Foundation Scholarships
DAAD Research for University Academics
DAAD Architecture Scholarship
Graduate Music Scholarships (DAAD)
DAAD Art Scholarship
DAAD Bilateral Exchange of Academics
DAAD scholarship Development-Related (EPOS)
DAAD scholarship for Iranian students
DAAD University Summer Courses
DAAD Working Internships in Science and Engineering (WISE)
How to write a good Marie Curie project proposal?
Chevening Scholarship (UK)
Rhodes Scholarships For international students
University of Manchester Scholarships
Scholarships and Academic Jobs at University of Birmingham
Google Scholarships
Newton Fellowship
Scholarships at British Private Post University (BPP Scholarships)
Undergraduate Scholarships at Trinity College Dublin in Ireland
Postgraduate Scholarships at Trinity College Dublin
Scholarships and Postdoc Jobs at Boston University (BU)
Institute for Advanced Study Funding and Fellowships
Scholarship Universe Purdue
Scholarships at Our Lady of the Lake University
Scholarships and Awards at Bellarmine University
Google Scholarship, Internships and Fellowships
Scholarships for international students at Lincoln University
Scholarships at Rider University in USA
James S. McDonnell Foundation Fundings in the USA
Coca Cola Scholarship
PEO International Scholarships, Grant and Loan
Scholarships at University of Texas at Arlington (UTA Education)
Scholarships for South Asian Citizens
Udacity Scholarships
Student Loan
How to find a Postdoc Position?
Postdocs in Austria
Postdocs in Belgium
Postdocs in Canada
Postdocs in Denmark
Postdocs in Finland
Postdocs in France
Open Postdoc Position at the RWTH Aachen University Hospital (Aachen, Germany)
Postdocs in Italy
Postdocs in Luxembourg
Postdocs in Netherland
Postdocs in New Zealand
Postdocs in Norway
Postdocs in Spain
Postdocs in Sweden
Postdocs in Switzerland
Postdocs in the UK
Postdocs in the USA
Comparison of Salary of PhD Students in Europe
Comparison of Salary of Postdoc in Europe
Salary of PhD and Postdocs in Austria
PhD and Postdoc Salary in Luxembourg
Postdoc Salary in Denmark
PhD Salary in Denmark
Salary of PhD and Postdocs in Finland
Salary of PhD and Postdocs in France
Salary of PhD and Postdocs in Germany
Salary of PhD and Postdocs in Ireland
Salary of PhD students in Marie-Curie ITN
Salary of Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship
Top 20 countries with the highest salary of Marie-Curie Fellowship
Salary of PhD and Postdocs in the Netherlands
PhD and Postdoc Salary in Norway
Salary ladder for PhD students in Sweden
Salary of PhD students in Switzerland
Comparing Postdoc Salaries in the UK
Academic Email: How to email a Professor for inquiry?
Application Letter (also known as cover letter)
Six essential steps to get your article published
How to write a strong Application Letter?
How to prepare an eye-catching CV for academics?
How to write a good project proposal?
Cover Letter Preparing Service
Interview Questions of Academic Position
IELTS Listening Test
IELTS Reading Test
How much does it cost to live in Switzerland as a student?
How much does a university cost in Switzerland?
How much does it cost to study in Sweden?
How much does it cost to live in Sweden as a student?
How to apply for a master’s degree in Canada?
How much does it cost to study in Austria?
How much are the tuition fees in Denmark?
How much does it cost to live in Germany?
Bachelor in the UK
Master’s Degree (MS) in the USA
Best Master of Public Health (MPH) Programs
Master degree in Austria
Master Programs in the UK
Master’s degree in Denmark
How can you study MSc/PhD in Germany without Funding?
How much does it cost to study in Germany?
Best city to study in Germany
PhD Degree Requirements
Top Online MSW Programs
Online Colleges with Financial aid in different study subjects
Business Free online courses
Online MBA Scholarships
Online MBA in the UK
Online Master of Public Health (MPH) at Baylor University
Baylor University Online Programs
Purdue Health and Nursing Online Master Degrees
Purdue University Online MBA
Computer and Information Technology Purdue University (Online)
Top 10 Online Nurse Practitioner Programs
Fastest and Cheapest RN to BSN Online
Online Doctorate in Nursing
Online Criminal Justice Degree
Harvard Business School Free Online Courses
Computer Sciences free online Programs
Free online Programs in Data and Engineering Science degree
Online Medical and Health Free courses
Education and teaching free online courses
Online Doctoral programs in Higher Education Administration
Online PhD Programs at Liberty University
Top Online Program at West Coast University
Online PhD Programs at Grand Canyon University
Fastepo’s Golden Service
Finding Position or Scholarship
CV Preparing Service
Advertise on Fasteo
EDI Statement for Fastepo

About the LSE Impact Blog
Comments Policy
Popular Posts
Recent Posts
Subscribe to the Impact Blog
Write for us
LSE comment

Giulio Marini

Golo henseke, october 18th, 2023, what counts for more in the uk job market – a phd or a master’s.

1 comment | 10 shares

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

There are obvious intrinsic motivations to undertake postgraduate study. Although, in an increasingly precarious academic job market, the prospects of securing better employment as a result of education are considerable. Giulio Marini and Golo Henseke analyse a decade of UK Labour Force Survey data to assess the different liftetime economic benefits of Master’s and PhD degrees.

When contemplating a PhD, people might be drawn by various aspects, such as exploring a field of study in-depth, the autonomy to set an individual research agenda, solving complex problems, interacting with the academic community, or making significant contributions to knowledge. However, people might also consider prospects for career progression including potential earnings, industry destinations and access to a wider range of jobs. People undertake PhDs for a variety of reasons, although it is safe to say few do so solely for the money. This mindset, sometimes referred to as a “taste for science”, a strong preference for academic research, has a price in the labour markets. In other words, engaging in research may lead to comparatively lower economic returns.

Traditionally, outside of the medical field, the long-term gains of obtaining a PhD were perceived to be linked to becoming an academic. However, in the contemporary academy a PhD alone no longer guarantees a position in academia. Consequently, individuals may re-assess the purpose of pursuing a PhD, especially if there are potential labour market penalties for prioritising research and access to an academic career is far from certain. Thus, we ask: “Is a PhD worth more than a Master’s in the UK labour market?”

Despite extensive research on the labour market outcomes of PhD holders, including those outside of universities, we know surprisingly little about the relative payoff of a doctorate over Master’s degrees. This issue holds significance not only to an increasing number of post-graduates, but also for modern post-industrial societies that rely on the assumption that more education brings greater benefits.

This issue holds significance not only to an increasing number of post-graduates, but also for modern post-industrial societies that rely on the assumption that more education brings greater benefits.

We investigated whether the salaries of PhD holders were higher, if at all, compared to the most likely alternative for prospective PhD students—workers with Master’s qualifications. Notably, choosing not to pursue a PhD also means entering the workforce approximately four years earlier, providing an intriguing advantage in terms of working experience and career progression for those with only a Master’s degree. Utilising a decade worth of UK Labour Force Survey data, we combined information on employment, salaries, managerial/ supervisor position, and job destinations including the degree of specialisation and job autonomy with individual background to compare labour market outcomes between individuals with PhDs and those with Master’s degrees.

In summary, our findings indicate that pursuing a PhD is a favourable choice in economic terms, in addition to any potential personal gratifications and other positive externalities it offers. PhD holders earn approximately £1.60 to £3.10 per hour more than individuals with Master’s degrees. The pay premium is mostly driven by the capacity of PhD’s to secure managerial positions. A PhD holder in a managerial role may earn almost £5 per hour more than a peer without managerial responsibilities, all else being equal. A potential pitfall for PhD holders lies in becoming overly specialized without assuming leadership roles, rendering the concurrent earning’s advantage of a PhD nearly negligible on top of the initial loss of work experience and earnings during their years of training.

Fig.1: Gross income of PhDs against Masters in the UK Labour Market accounting for the opportunity costs of first three years of Master holders employment experience that PhDs spent in doctoral education, plus doctoral fee. Cumulative in gaining back in a life span of 36 years of working experience Source: own calculation from UK LFS [2010-2019].

Finally, from the estimates we compute a simple life-span, cost-benefit analysis, considering the time and fees associated with pursuing a PhD and the opportunity cost of foregone earnings. Fig.1 illustrates the results. Realistically, a PhD holder takes no less than 10 years (even more than 20 years for, say, those who studied STEM) to recover the costs incurred from the pursuit of a PhD. The ‘net’ economic benefits of a PhD title become positive only in the latter stages of one’s career, with potential implications for significant milestones of adult life such as starting a family or buying a house.

While the intellectual challenge and intrinsic pleasure of scientific exploration are compelling factors, our findings underscore that the economic implications of a PhD extend beyond personal satisfaction. Our study reveals that, economically speaking, pursuing a PhD can be a prudent choice. The data demonstrates that PhD holders, on average, earn more than their counterparts with Master’s degrees. However, the pivotal factor contributing to this pay advantage lies in PhDs ability to secure managerial positions. Without assuming leadership roles, the PhD pay advantage is negligible. However, for the average PhD holder it takes over a decade to recover the direct and indirect costs related to the pursuit of their doctorate. This delay prompts contemplation on the broader socio-economic implications, including for milestones such as home ownership and family planning. As societies continue to place a premium on higher education, our findings contribute valuable insights into the interplay between academic pursuits, career outcomes, and the lasting economic impact on individuals and society as a whole.

This post draws on the authors’ article, Is a PhD worth more than a Master’s in the UK labour market? The role of specialisation and managerial position , published in Studies in Higher Education.

The content generated on this blog is for information purposes only. This Article gives the views and opinions of the authors and does not reflect the views and opinions of the Impact of Social Science blog (the blog), nor of the London School of Economics and Political Science. Please review our comments policy if you have any concerns on posting a comment below.

Image Credit: Studio Romantic on Shutterstock .

About the author

Giulio Marini is currently Assistant Professor (tenure track) at the University of Catania, Italy, and Associate Editor of Studies in Higher Education. Previously, he has worked at CGHE at UCL, Cipes (Portugal), Scuola Normale Superiore, and the National Research Council (Italy).

Golo Henseke is Associate Professor in applied economics at IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society. He is affiliated with ESRC-funded LLAKES Centre and the Centre for Global Higher Education.

Pingback: Is Doing a PhD Really Worth It? | This Ȼ Life

Reading Academic Quit Lit – How and why precarious scholars leave academia

August 18th, 2021.

A degree of studying – Students who treat education as a commodity perform worse than their intrinsically motivated peers

January 15th, 2020.

Why don’t we account for luck in research careers?

April 18th, 2023.

What 40,000 job adverts say about academic career progression

February 13th, 2023.

Visit our sister blog LSE Review of Books

PhD Handbook

Jobs After PhD ...

Jobs After PhD in UK: Know About PhD Stipend in UK for International Students

UK as a study destination is one of the most prominent in the world due to the presence of research-intensive universities and quality education. UK universities offer an extensive ground for students to pursue their research in different fields of science, humanities, technology, etc. Some of the best PhD institutes in UK are University of Oxford, Imperial College London, University of Leeds, Coventry University.

Graduates from the PhD programs can go ahead and make wonderful careers for themselves in the future. On average, a PhD student salary UK is around 35000 – 48000 GBP per year. Apart from that, students are also provided with monthly stipends and maintenance fees during their PhD program. This article shares some insights about the stipend, jobs, and salary outcomes for PhD students in UK.

Benefits of Studying PhD in UK?

The UK PhD program has a lot of benefits to offer for PhD students. Home to more than 150 different PhD universities, UK is considered to be one of the most sought-after destinations for international students seeking a PhD. Here are some benefits of pursuing a PhD in UK.

Research Structure : The entire research structure for PhD courses in UK is extremely beneficial for students. The PhD duration is shorter (typically taking about 3-4 years). Also, there is an excellent ground for stellar interdisciplinary research imitated by some dedicated research-intensive institutions.
Industry Experience : Some of the most prestigious institutions offer academic research training along with industry experience. This can be profitable for international students who want to build a career in different fields of science, commerce, management, and arts after the completion of their PhD.
Tax-Free Stipend : The average stipend for PhD in UK for international students is around 25,000-30,200 GBP. The PhD stipends and studentships are tax-free which means students are given the full amount that they earn as their monthly stipend.
Financial Support : International students studying PhD in UK can have financial support from different government organisations, independent grant providers, university scholarships, and industry funding. Students can rely on financial support to get their tuition fees covered or some other expenses as well.

Suggested: Know About PhD Fees in UK for Indian & International Students

Types of PhD Stipend in UK For International Students: Roles of a PhD Student

There are basically three different types of stipend PhD UK. The students can get their stipends or salaries if they are doing a teaching assistantship, a research assistantship, or via a studentship.

1. Graduate Teaching Assistantships

The GTAs or Graduate Teaching Assistantship require the PhD students to assist in the delivery of different courses over their course duration. This can include marking some student tutorials, supervising different lab experiments, and also providing some support to different undergraduate students during their office hours. If you apply for a graduate student assistantship, you will also have to teach a particular section of the course on your own.

2. Research Assistantships

The students who are pursuing a research assistantship in UK will assist the professor of their department with their research to earn UK PhD salary. In general, the professor that students are working for will also be their PhD supervisor. Also, the research that the students do will be related to the doctoral project of your own.

3. Stipend/Studentship

A stipend is considered to be a non-repayable grant that is offered to doctoral students in order to support their studies. The studentship will cover a certain amount of the tuition fee for students. On the other hand, a stipend is meant to cover the living costs of the student. This can include the expenses for rent, bills, food, basic travelling, etc. Unlike Research and Graduate Teaching Assistantships, stipends don’t have any duties or taxes attached to them.

An important note to keep in mind is that one can actually combine these duties. For instance, students can be a part of the research assistantship program and still teach some undergraduate students at the university.

Suggested: Know How to Apply for PhD in UK from India

Job Opportunities for PhD Students in UK

PhD graduates in UK can look forward to interesting and lucrative careers after the completion of their course. PhD graduates in UK are seen performing appreciable tasks in the commercial and research-based sectors such as education, technology, medicine, science, etc. For a better understanding of the average PhD student salary UK, we have tabulated the job roles for PhD graduates in UK and their respective average salaries.

Highest Paying Job Opportunities After PhD in UK

Here we are also providing a list of highest paying job roles after PhD in UK. Let us look at the career opportunities and salary scope in detail.

Suggested: Find Most Paid Jobs In UK in 2022

Top Recruiters for PhD Graduates in UK

A lot of new opportunities for UK PhD jobs wait in line for qualified graduates from UK universities. Top recruiters are always on the lookout for expert professionals who can change the face of the industry with new research-based methodologies and concepts. Here we are mentioning the top recruiters that offer reputable jobs for PhD graduates UK and the salary packages they offer.

Suggested: A Complete Guide to PhD in UK for International Students

How to Find a Job After PhD in UK

After completing the PhD in UK, students have a lot of opportunities in line. They can go for a teaching profession in the academic line or they can get a job in any particular field or industry that they want. It is important for students to find a job in a specific area that they are interested in.

They can work as historians, statisticians, professors, and much more. Also, many research-based companies are looking for graduates with professional experience. Finding a job after PhD requires a lot of research. Students can go ahead and join the field of science, arts, technology, management, business administration, etc. after their PhD.

With an average PhD salary UK being more than 45000 GBP, the country offers a bright future for graduates. This article provides a detailed account of the PhD stipend, job roles, and salary estimates in UK. For more information about jobs for PhD graduates UK connect with our Yocket Professionals and clear all your doubts easily.

Frequently Asked Questions About PhD Stipend in UK

Can I earn money while pursuing a PhD in UK?

Yes, a monthly stipend is provided to PhD students in UK based on the role that they have in the project.

What are the different types of stipends offered to PhD students in UK?

Students can get stipend in the form of: Graduate Teaching Assistantship Research Assistantship Studentship

What career roles can I pursue after PhD in UK?

The best career roles that students can pursue after PhD in UK are: Research Associate Software Engineer Data Scientist Professor

Which institutions in UK offer PhD programs?

Some of the top universities offering PhD courses in UK are University of Cambridge University of Oxford Imperial College London University College London

How much does a PhD program cost in UK?

The average annual cost for PhD programs in UK is somewhere between 15000 GBP to 38000 GBP.

Rohan Deshmukh

Articles you might like

Cookies on GOV.UK

We use some essential cookies to make this website work.

We’d like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services.

We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services.

You have accepted additional cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time.

You have rejected additional cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time.

Entering and staying in the UK
Rights of foreign nationals in the UK
Foreign nationals working in the UK

Skilled Worker visa: jobs that qualify for a PhD salary discount

Check if an occupation code is eligible for the PhD salary discount on the Skilled Worker or Health and Care visa routes - and how much you'll need to be paid.

Skilled Worker visa: Jobs that qualify for a PhD salary discount

Check if your job or occupation code is eligible for a PhD salary discount on the Skilled Worker or Health and Care routes. The table also includes the minimum salary you’ll need to be paid:

if you have a PhD level qualification in a science, technology, engineering or maths (STEM) subject (80% of the standard going rate)
if you have a PhD level qualification in a non-STEM subject (90% of the standard going rate)

Updated in line with changes to the Immigration Rules.

Updated salary information - the annual salaries are now based on a 37.5-hour working week (previously a 39-hour working week).

Updated the minimum salary for each occupation.

First published.

Help us improve GOV.UK

Don’t include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details.

To help us improve GOV.UK, we’d like to know more about your visit today. We’ll send you a link to a feedback form. It will take only 2 minutes to fill in. Don’t worry we won’t send you spam or share your email address with anyone.

Share on twitter
Share on facebook

Growth in proportion of UK academics holding PhDs slows

Latest hesa data suggests that more than two-thirds of full-time academics in the uk have doctorates.

Share on linkedin
Share on mail

Growth in the proportion of UK academics holding doctorates has slowed in recent years, figures suggest.

In its data for 2021-22, the Higher Education Statistics Agency reports the highest qualification of 145,000 full-time UK academics – and for 68.7 per cent it was a doctorate.

After a steep rise in the first half of the decade attributed to more providers requiring new staff have a PhD, it appears that this rate has been largely unchanged for the past few years.

Yann Lebeau, professor of higher education research at the University of East Anglia , said this was the result of three trends, all related to the diversification of the sector.

The growth of courses with a significant vocational nature has boosted the number of academics recruited primarily for their professional expertise, said Professor Lebeau, while many who join the profession as a second career take a long time to complete the part-time doctoral programmes they are often enrolled on.

In addition, he said, the roll-out of teaching-only contracts meant that the number of PhD holders in UK society is not necessarily reflected within academia, where, contrary to many European countries, the qualification is not legally required.

While some universities have increased their share of doctorates by 20 to 30 percentage points between 2014-15 and 2021-22, other have seen a fall of up to 15 points .

Of UK providers where the highest qualification of at least 100 full-time academics is known, Edinburgh Napier University increased its share of academics with a doctorate more than any other.

Nazira Karodia, vice-principal of learning and teaching at Napier, said the rapid rise was likely an adjustment to new hiring requirements across the sector, but that growth has tapered off because of supply, demand and budget factors.

“Whilst more data is needed to say for certain, it is likely that the rate will stabilise over the coming years, simply because there is a limited pool of potential academics pursuing doctorates at any time,” she added.

At her institution, Professor Karodia said, the continued rise was attributable to several strategic initiatives, including the university’s intensified focus on research excellence.

Northumbria University has also recorded a sharp rise in the number of PhDs among its staff in recent years, which it said was the result of a strategic drive.

“Ensuring that the largest possible proportion of our colleagues had doctorates was an important foundation for our journey and helps ensure that all our students learn in a research-intensive environment,” said Tom Lawson, Northumbria’s deputy vice-chancellor.

London Business School has the highest rate in the UK, as 95.2 per cent of its full-time academics have received doctorates.

It was followed by Royal Holloway, University of London (89 per cent) and Birkbeck, University of London (88.9 per cent).

By contrast, just 5.1 per cent possessed doctorates at University College Birmingham , 6.5 per cent at BIMM University, and 7.4 per cent at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama .

A BIMM spokesperson said a doctorate was not an essential or requisite qualification for teaching staff at a creative arts institution, who are “highly qualified experts in their subject area with significant industry experience”.

A Guildhall spokesperson said the expertise of its staff was developed in settings that are often outside the academy, and their entry into the academy is through a different route than staff who move through PhD qualification.

[email protected]

Find out more about THE DataPoints

THE DataPoints is designed with the forward-looking and growth-minded institution in view

Register to continue

Why register?

Registration is free and only takes a moment
Once registered, you can read 3 articles a month
Sign up for our newsletter

Or subscribe for unlimited access to:

Unlimited access to news, views, insights & reviews
Digital editions
Digital access to THE’s university and college rankings analysis

Already registered or a current subscriber? Login

Where's Wally? Fun run for National Literacy Trust as a metaphor for complete PhD coverage for lecturers ‘undesirable’

Complete PhD coverage for lecturers ‘undesirable’, says professor

But author of 2012 paper on staff qualifications says it is likely to be ‘norm and expectation’ that many academics have a doctorate

‘Illegal’ terms and conditions add to academic overwork crisis

Study finds scholarly autonomy used to justify breaches of 48-hour weekly working hours cap

Evaristo fears Goldsmiths cuts imperil black literature master’s

Booker Prize-winning author is latest arts leader to speak out against job shedding at celebrated university

Dancers bungee off the Millennium Bridge, London, UK to illustrate nearly nine in 10 are facing job cuts

Research time at risk as nine in 10 post-92 universities cut jobs

A quarter of modern institutions looking to shed upwards of 50 roles, with agreements on teaching loads and promotion also under threat, UCU survey finds

Featured jobs

Funding opportunity: Delivering training courses for environmental scientists 2024

Apply for funding to deliver training short courses within the NERC remit, focusing on areas of identifiable training need.

You must be:

based at a UK research organisation eligible for NERC funding
in a role that meets the individual eligibility requirements

Participants of the training should be aligned to NERC remit.

Total budget is £600,000 equating to 10 to 15 awards. All costs will be funded at 100% direct costs. Under certain circumstances, you may request up to £100,000.

Funded training initiatives should take place within a year of the grant being awarded.

Who can apply

Before applying for funding, check the following:

NERC eligibility guidance for applicants
eligibility of your organisation
your training course is within our remit

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has introduced new role types for funding opportunities being run on the new UKRI Funding Service.

For full details, visit eligibility as an individual .

Who is eligible to apply

You may only be involved in one application submitted to this funding opportunity.

The international project co-lead agreements with International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis IIASA and Norway do not apply to this funding opportunity.

You may include project partners who will contribute to the proposed training initiative.

Successful applicants from previous NERC Training Short Course (TSC) funding opportunities are eligible to apply for a TSC award and can apply to have their previously successful courses renewed. However, success in a previous NERC funding opportunity is not a guarantee that an award will be successful in this funding round and all applications will be subject to the same assessment process.

Existing NERC-funded Doctoral Training Partnerships (DTPs) and Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs) are eligible to apply to this competition for funding to support training initiatives aligned with, but in addition to, their existing DTP and CDT student training programmes. Applications may not request funding to support activities already funded through active training grants. Applications must demonstrate that the proposed training is not duplicative of existing training.

Training courses delivered by NERC DTPs and CDTs must be open and advertised to attendees beyond the DTP or CDT. Places on courses must be offered according to the scheme priority criteria.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

We are committed to achieving equality of opportunity for all funding applicants. We encourage applications from a diverse range of researchers.

We support people to work in a way that suits their personal circumstances. This includes:

career breaks
support for people with caring responsibilities
flexible working
alternative working patterns

Find out more about equality, diversity and inclusion at UKRI and NERC’s diversity and inclusion action plan .

What we're looking for

We invite applications for Training Short Course (TSC) awards for training initiatives within our science remit.

You can apply to the non-directed aspect of the funding opportunity or apply to the directed priority areas.

NERC directed priority areas

Future marine research infrastructure priority area.

Our Future Marine Research Infrastructure programme is considering options to replace the RRS James Cook which would maintain or enhance the current capability whilst also supporting UKRI’s Environmental Sustainability Strategy . The use of marine autonomous systems (MAS) may play a larger role within that capability in future and in new ways than currently planned. To support the adoption of MAS technology across the science community and potentially enable novel approaches to addressing current and future science priorities, training initiatives are invited that aim to increase awareness of the technical specifications of MAS and their use in sustained and experimental ocean observation. It is hoped that this initiative would both accelerate the adoption of innovative observational techniques and enhance best practice methodologies for MAS.

A minimum of £100,000 funding approximately one to three courses is ringfenced for this priority area.

Digital skills priority area

NERC’s Digital Strategy 2021 to 2030 highlights skills as a foundational pillar to support digitally enabled environmental science. Applications are welcome for training short courses which underpin one or more of the following strategic themes:

data stewardship – enhancing our data services for accessibility and interoperability
data analysis, understanding and visualisation – supporting the current and future computational capacity needed for environmental science
modelling and simulation – supporting the development and use of new technologies such as digital twins and artificial intelligence

NERC non-directed

All training initiatives must fall within our science remit but may also include training at the interface between these areas and other disciplines, where many major research challenges exist. We particularly encourage initiatives that provide significant added value to other NERC priorities and investments, such as NERC’s strategic research programmes , or NERC remit areas related to the UKRI strategy .

Priority areas can include both discipline and remit specific and transferable skills (for example mentoring; project management; diversity, equity, and inclusion training).

We also welcome bids where some of the directed digital themes are embedded into the training scope, but don’t focus specifically on digital skills.

For information on the training we support through our doctoral programmes visit career and skills development .

Training initiatives may take a variety of forms (including but not extensively):

short courses
field courses
e-learning, webinars or Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)
summer schools

Training initiatives may form part of an accredited Continuing Professional Development (CPD), Postgraduate Certificate or Diploma.

All initiatives must offer places as priority to NERC-funded PhD students and UKRI funded environmental scientists working within academic or non-academic settings for future careers in research and other contexts. Places can also be available to those working in a sector or discipline aligned to our science remit.

Places can also be offered to current or past NERC-funded PhD students to fill training and skills gaps created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Note, NERC Fellows (for example independent research fellowships) and NERC-sponsored fellows (for example NERC Daphne Jackson Trust Fellows) are eligible for places. Where there is competition for course places between priority candidates, or between non-priority candidates, the award holder should offer places to applicants according to the applicant training need and impact that receiving the training will have on them.

Refer to the UKRI best practice principles in doctoral recruitment which sets out the minimum considerations for training grant holders in relation to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI).

We expect you to engage as appropriate with relevant non-academic stakeholders, particularly users of our research, when developing and delivering training.

The duration of this award is 12 months.

Funding available

There is a total budget of £600,000 available for the scheme and we intend to support approximately 10 to 15 awards. Direct costs will be funded at 100%.

You can apply for up to £60,000 to run a training initiative. However, under certain circumstances, you may request up to £100,000 with further justification.

What we will fund

The maximum that you can apply for to run a training initiative is £60,000 although it is expected that most training initiatives will request £20,000 to £50,000 in total. You may however request up to £100,000 with further justification. Funding above £60,000 will be awarded at the discretion of the panel. For example, we anticipate that fieldwork courses will be more expensive than remote courses. Failure to provide additional sufficient justification will limit the amount of funding awarded to a maximum of £60,000.

Funding should be calculated on a per attendee (place on the training course) basis and you may request up to £10,000 in justified direct costs per attendee, although it is expected that most initiatives will require between £1,000 and £3,000 per attendee and applications will normally look to fund between 10 to 30 attendees.

The cost per attendee requested should include, where appropriate, support for travel and subsistence costs for attendees to attend the training. Funding to cover staff travel, subsistence costs, venue hire, materials and consumables can be included. Funding to cover staff salary can be included in the cost per attendee calculation. Staff salary requested can cover time spent preparing and delivering the training course.

You must provide a breakdown of costs for your proposed training to enable the panel to assess the costs associated with the proposed training at a per attendee level and identify costs requested under each heading. If you fail to provide this information, then your application will be rejected for this funding opportunity.

The assessment panel may recommend to us that individual costs, or the overall cost of an application, be reduced prior to making an offer of award. We will contact you during the post assessment process about any changes.

These awards are cash limited and additional funding will not be made available to supplement any awards.

What we will not fund

We will not fund:

PhD studentship costs (for example stipend costs)
facilities costs
cruise costs
equipment costs
estates and indirect costs
training currently funded through a Doctoral Training Partnership or Centres for Doctoral Training

For examples of current NERC research centre training courses see the research centre training programme .

Services and facilities

You cannot apply to use a facility or resource in your application.

Ship-time and marine facilities

You cannot apply to use ship-time or marine facilities.

British Antarctic Survey (BAS) Antarctic Logistics Support

You cannot apply to use NERC BAS Antarctic logistics support.

Supporting skills and talent

We encourage you to follow the principles of the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers and the Technician Commitment .

Responsible research

Through our funding processes, we seek to make a positive contribution to society and the environment. This is not just through research outputs and outcomes but through the way in which research is conducted and facilities managed.

All NERC grant holders are to adopt responsible research practices as set out in the NERC responsible business statement .

Responsible research is defined as reducing harm or enhancing benefit on the environment and society through effective management of research activities and facilities. Specifically, this covers:

the natural environment
the local community
equality, diversity and inclusion

You should consider the responsible research context of your project, not the host institution as a whole. You should take action to enhance your responsible research approach where practical and reasonable.

Research disruption due to COVID-19

We recognise that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused major interruptions and disruptions across our communities. We are committed to ensuring that individual applicants and their wider team, including partners and networks, are not penalised for any disruption to their career, such as:

breaks and delays
disruptive working patterns and conditions
the loss of ongoing work
role changes that may have been caused by the pandemic

Reviewers and panel members will be advised to consider the unequal impacts that COVID-19 related disruption might have had on the capability to deliver and career development of those individuals included in the application. They will be asked to consider the capability of the applicant, and their wider team, to deliver the research they are proposing.

Where disruptions have occurred, you can highlight this within your application if you wish, but there is no requirement to detail the specific circumstances that caused the disruption.

How to apply

We are running this funding opportunity on the new UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service so please ensure that your organisation is registered. You cannot apply on the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system.

Only the lead research organisation can submit an application to UKRI.

Watch our recording on how to apply for an opportunity in the Funding Service.

Select ‘Start application’ near the beginning of this Funding finder page.

Confirm you are the project lead.
Sign in or create a Funding Service account. To create an account, select your organisation, verify your email address, and set a password. If your organisation is not listed, email [email protected] Allow at least 10 working days for your organisation to be added to the Funding Service.
Answer questions directly in the text boxes. You can save your answers and come back to complete them or work offline and return to copy and paste your answers. If we need you to upload a document, follow the upload instructions in the Funding Service. All questions and assessment criteria are listed in the ‘How to apply’ section on this Funding finder page.
Allow enough time to check your application in ‘read-only’ view before sending to your research office.
Send the completed application to your research office for checking. They will return it to you if it needs editing.
Your research office will submit the completed and checked application to UKRI.

Where indicated, you can also demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. You should:

use images sparingly and only to convey important information that cannot easily be put into words
insert each new image onto a new line
provide a descriptive legend for each image immediately underneath it (this counts towards your word limit)
ensure that files are smaller than 5MB and in JPEG, JPG, JPE, JFI, JIF, JFIF, PNG, GIF, BMP or WEBP format

Watch our research office webinars about the new Funding Service .

For more guidance on the Funding Service, see:

how applicants use the Funding Service
how research offices use the Funding Service
how reviewers use the Funding Service

Applications should be self-contained, and hyperlinks should only be used to provide links directly to reference information. To ensure the information’s integrity is maintained, where possible, persistent identifiers such as digital object identifiers should be used. Assessors are not required to access links to carry out assessment or recommend a funding decision. You should use your discretion when including references and prioritise those most pertinent to your application.

Reference should be included in the appropriate question section of the application and be easily identifiable by the assessors, for example (Smith, Research Paper, 2019).

You must not include links to web resources to extend your application.

We must receive your application by 26 June 2024 at 4:00pm UK time.

You will not be able to apply after this time. Make sure you are aware of and follow any internal institutional deadlines.

Following the submission of your application to the funding opportunity, your application cannot be changed, and applications will not be returned for amendment. If your application does not follow the guidance, it may be rejected.

Personal data

Processing personal data.

NERC, as part of UKRI, will need to collect some personal information to manage your Funding Service account and the registration of your funding applications.

We will handle personal data in line with UK data protection legislation and manage it securely. For more information, including how to exercise your rights, read our privacy notice .

Publication of outcomes

NERC, as part of UKRI, will publish the outcomes of this funding opportunity on What NERC has funded .

If your application is successful, we will publish some personal information on the UKRI Gateway to Research .

Word limit: 550

In plain English, provide a summary we can use to identify the most suitable experts to assess your application.

We may make this summary publicly available on external-facing websites, therefore do not include any confidential or sensitive information. Make it suitable for a variety of readers, for example:

opinion-formers
policymakers
the wider research community

Guidance for writing a summary

Clearly describe your proposed work in terms of:

the challenge the project addresses
aims and objectives
potential applications and benefits

List the key members of your team and assign them roles from the following:

project lead (PL)
project co-lead (UK) (PcL)
research and innovation associates
visiting researchers
grant manager
professional enabling staff
researcher co-lead (RcL)

Only list one individual as project lead.

The project lead is responsible for setting up and completing the application process on the Funding Service.

Find out more about UKRI’s core team roles in funding applications .

Application questions

Word limit: 500

What are you hoping to achieve with your proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Explain how your proposed work:

has a clear vision and objectives with tracking measures
outlines the organisations’ and partnerships’ research and innovation expertise in designated disciplines to provide training and address skills and capacity challenges
describes its anticipated outcomes and impact for society and the economy, outlines the strategies to achieve them

The Vision should:

identify, justify and evidence national need and demand for training of this nature and its outcomes

If applying for Future marine research infrastructure funding you should show:

how the proposed training will advance the UK science community’s understanding of how Marine Autonomous System (MAS) technology deployed at a larger scale might lead to novel ways of addressing future science priorities

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the ‘How to apply’ section.

References may be included within this section.

There is no additional detail required if applying within the digital skills priority area.

How are you going to deliver your proposed work?

Explain how you have designed your approach so that it:

is effective and appropriate to achieve your objectives
is feasible, and comprehensively identifies any risks to delivery and how they will be managed
will maximise translation of outputs into outcomes and impacts
describes how your, and if applicable your team’s, research environment (in terms of the place and relevance to the project) will contribute to the success of the work

You should demonstrate how your training short course will:

have identified, realistic training outcomes within areas of identifiable training need relevant to the NERC science remit
show well-justified, excellent quality training content delivered in an appropriate manner to provide confidence that the training outcomes will be met
use the appropriate scale to meet training delivery outcomes and impact national training needs
the ‘learning journey’ from understanding the technology, to how to measure the ocean in new ways that support frontier science

Applicant and team capability to deliver

Word limit: 1,650

Why are you the right individual or team to successfully deliver the proposed work?

Evidence of how you, and if relevant your team, have:

the relevant experience (appropriate to career stage) to deliver the proposed work
the right balance of skills and expertise to cover the proposed work
the appropriate leadership and management skills to deliver the work and your approach to develop others
contributed to developing a positive research environment and wider community

The word limit for this section is 1,650 words: 1,150 words to be used for R4RI modules and, if necessary, a further 500 words for Additions.

Use the Résumé for Research and Innovation (R4RI) format to showcase the range of relevant skills you and, if relevant, your team (project and project co-leads, researchers, technicians, specialists, partners and so on) have and how this will help deliver the proposed work. You can include individuals’ specific achievements but only choose past contributions that best evidence their ability to deliver this work.

Complete this section using the R4RI module headings listed. Use each heading once and include a response for the whole team, see the UKRI guidance on R4RI . You should consider how to balance your answer, and emphasise where appropriate the key skills each team member brings:

contributions to the generation of new ideas, tools, methodologies, or knowledge
the development of others and maintenance of effective working relationships
contributions to the wider research and innovation community
contributions to broader research or innovation users and audiences and towards wider societal benefit

Provide any further details relevant to your application. This section is optional and can be up to 500 words. You should not use it to describe additional skills, experiences, or outputs, but you can use it to describe any factors that provide context for the rest of your R4RI (for example, details of career breaks if you wish to disclose them).

Complete this as a narrative. Do not format it like a CV.

UKRI has introduced new role types for funding opportunities being run on the Funding Service.

For full details, see Eligibility as an individual .

Ethics and responsible research and innovation (RRI)

Word limit: 250

What are the ethical or RRI implications and issues relating to the proposed work? If you do not think that the proposed work raises any ethical or RRI issues, explain why.

Demonstrate that you have identified and evaluated:

the relevant ethical or responsible research and innovation considerations
how you will manage these considerations
consideration for preventing environmental harm and enhancing environmental benefit in line with NERC’s responsible business statement

If you are collecting or using data, identify:

any legal and ethical considerations of collecting, releasing or storing the data including consent, confidentiality, anonymisation, security and other ethical considerations and, in particular, strategies to not preclude further re-use of data
formal information standards with which your study will comply

Demonstrating a commitment to DEI

How are you showing a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in your work?

consideration that attendee shortlisting and recruitment is fair and transparent
that the proposed training will make the attendee experience as inclusive as possible
effective monitoring and reporting to foster a diverse and inclusive environment

Within the ‘Demonstrating a commitment to EDI’ section we also expect you to provide:

information on the use of a standardised shortlisting matrix and provision of DEI guidance for staff involved in the recruitment process
information on ensuring all staff receive appropriate DEI training
information on signposting of courses and how provisions will be made to ensure inclusion
consideration of course delivery to accommodate variable circumstances where possible

Project partners

Provide details about any project partners’ contributions.

Add details about any project partners’ contributions. If there are no project partners, you can indicate this on the Funding Service.

A project partner is a collaborating organisation who will have an integral role in the proposed research. This may include direct (cash) or indirect (in-kind) contributions such as expertise, staff time or use of facilities.

Add the following project partner details:

organisation name and address (searchable via a drop-down list or enter the organisation’s details manually, as applicable)
project partner contact name and email address
type of contribution (direct or in-direct) and its monetary value

If a detail is entered incorrectly and you have saved the entry, remove the specific project partner record and re-add it with the correct information.

For audit purposes, UKRI requires formal collaboration agreements to be put in place if an award is made.

Resources and cost justification

What will you need to deliver your proposed work and how much will it cost?

You should indicate how many places you are requesting funding for. It is expected that most training initiatives will request between 10 to 30 places.

Funding should be calculated on a per attendee (place on the training course) basis, and you may request up to £10,000 in justified direct costs per attendee. Although it is expected that most initiatives will require between £1,000 to £3,000 per attendee.

The cost per attendee requested should include:

support for travel and subsistence costs for attendees to attend the training (where appropriate)
funding to cover staff travel
subsistence costs
materials and consumables

Funding to cover staff salary should include information concerning costs attributable to staff time spend preparing and delivering training. Staff salary costs should be split evenly per attendee to calculate the ‘per attendee’ cost.

Indirect and estate costs must not be included.

If you are requesting funding greater than £60,000 then include additional justification for this request.

You must provide a breakdown of costs for your proposed training to enable the panel to assess the costs associated with the proposed training at a per attendee level.

The overall total requested cost should be a single figure entered under ‘exceptions – other’ and zero costs should be entered against any other heading.

How we will assess your application

Assessment process.

We will assess your application using the following process.

Assessment panel

We will invite experts to assess your application against the assessment criteria for this funding opportunity. We will rank it alongside other applications after which the panel will make a funding recommendation.

We will give feedback with the outcome of your application.

Principles of assessment

We support the San Francisco declaration on research assessment and recognise the relationship between research assessment and research integrity.

Find out about the UKRI principles of assessment and decision making .

We reserve the right to modify the assessment process as needed.

Assessment criteria

The criteria against which your application will be assessed are:

applicant and team capability to deliver
demonstrating a commitment to DEI
resources and cost justification

Find details of assessment questions and criteria under the ‘Application questions’ heading in the ‘How to apply’ section.

Contact details

Get help with your application.

If you have a question and the answers aren’t provided on this page

IMPORTANT NOTE: The Helpdesk is committed to helping users of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service as effectively and as quickly as possible. In order to manage cases at peak volume times, the Helpdesk will triage and prioritise those queries with an imminent opportunity deadline and/or a technical issue. Enquiries raised where information is available on the Funding Finder opportunity page and should be understood early in the application process (for example, regarding eligibility or content/remit of a funding opportunity) will not constitute a priority case and will be addressed as soon as possible.

For help and advice on costings and writing your application, contact your research office in the first instance, allowing sufficient time for your organisation’s submission process.

For questions related to this specific funding opportunity, contact [email protected]

Any queries regarding the system or the submission of applications through the Funding Service should be directed to the helpdesk.

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 01793 547490

Our phone lines are open:

Monday to Thursday 8:30am to 5:00pm
Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm

To help us process queries quicker, we request that users highlight the council and opportunity name in the subject title of their email query, include the application reference number, and refrain from contacting more than one mailbox at a time.

You can also find information on submitting an application .

Sensitive information

If you or a core team member need to tell us something you wish to remain confidential, email [email protected]

Include in the subject line: Delivering training courses for environmental scientists; sensitive information; your Funding Service application number.

Typical examples of confidential information include:

individual is unavailable until a certain date (for example due to parental leave)
declaration of interest
additional information about eligibility to apply that would not be appropriately shared in the ‘Applicant and team capability’ section
conflict of interest for UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to consider in reviewer or panel participant selection

For information about how UKRI handles personal data, read UKRI’s privacy notice .

Additional info

Our commitment to the principles of the modern slavery act 2015.

Modern slavery is a crime and a violation of fundamental human rights. It takes various forms which deprive a person of their liberty in order to exploit them for personal or commercial gain, such as:

human trafficking
forced and compulsory labour

We are committed to the principles of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, and the abolition of modern slavery and human trafficking.

Reporting requirements

All successful applicants will be required to report on their training initiative. This information is requested so that engagement across priority skills areas can be determined and will be used to determine the format of future awards of this nature.

Award holders will be expected to report as follows:

number of applications received
NERC PhD Students
Early Career Researchers
general feedback regarding the competition
applicant feedback regarding the course

We will distribute appropriate proformas well ahead of the deadlines for the collection of the data.

The collated data will inform future short course funding opportunities and may also feed into the provision of training courses across our postgraduate training portfolio.

This is the website for UKRI: our seven research councils, Research England and Innovate UK. Let us know if you have feedback or would like to help improve our online products and services .

IMAGES

Average graduate salary UK 2023
PhD Salary UK: How Much Do PhD Students Get Paid?
PhD Salary In the UK Explained
UK Doctors' Salary and Satisfaction Report 2021
The PhD Degrees That Pay Off With The Highest Salaries [Infographic]
PhD Salary UK: How Much Do PhD Students Get Paid?

VIDEO

A PhD Holder 🎓🎓🎓INkosazane yo Nyazi Lwezulu #phd #graduation #shembe #fyp
Higher Education PHD Holder ##Doing Network Business @@
Labourers Salary In UK
కసితో కెమిస్ట్రీ లో PHD
phd kya hai
PhD in the UK: Everything you need to know

COMMENTS

PhD Salaries in the UK
Here is a table of the most common PhD salary sources in the UK and when they're paid: PhD salary sources Salary type: Salary amount: Typical pay schedule: PhD stipend: £18,622 tax free: Quarterly or monthly: Graduate teaching assistantships (GTAs) £15-20 per hour: Weekly or monthly:
PhD Salary in UK
The average cost of undertaking a PhD in the UK is approximately £20,000 per academic year for UK students and £40,000 for international students. To help offset the cost of this, many students question whether undertaking a doctorate comes with a PhD salary. The salary of a PhD student is governed by three factors: whether they're ...
Doctorate (PhD) Salary in United Kingdom
Avg. Salary £20k — £148k. Master of Finance (MFin) Avg. Salary £26k — £98k. Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) Avg. Salary £39k — £56k. Master of Applied Computer Science (MACS) Avg. Salary £ ...
PhD Salary UK: How Much Do PhD Students Get Paid Compared to Graduates?
Earnings from £12,571 up to £50,270 fall into the basic rate bracket of 20% tax. PhD Student Salary: PhD stipends are tax free and incur no income tax or national insurance contributions. Remaining stipend: £19,622. Professional Salary: On £30,000 you'd pay £ 3486 in income tax and NI contributions of £2004.
UK Lecturer and Professor Salaries
Associate Professor. £64,356. £67,255 ($87,344) Professor. £90,891. £91,123 ($118,341) It should be noted that the US salaries stated above have the potential to be skewed. This is because the data provides a total sum only for the number of universities forming the data, and not for the number of staff members holding each position type.
PhD In UK: Fees 2023, Top Colleges, Placement And Salaries
As reported by Prospects UK, more than half of PhD holders in the UK are employed in professions related to education or science with a notable presence in the science and pharmaceutical industry. Profession. Average Salary. Associate Professor. 53,700.
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Salary in United Kingdom
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Jobs by Salary. Job Title. Range. Average. Research Scientist. £29k - £78k. £39,690. Data Scientist. £34k - £64k.
Salary: Phd in United Kingdom 2024
Updated 9 Apr 2024. Very High Confidence. Base Pay Range. £13K - £21K / yr. Average Base Pay. 77 salaries. No additional cash compensation has been reported for this role. How much does a Phd make? The national average salary for a Phd is £16,660 in United Kingdom.
Salary: Phd in London, UK 2024
The estimated salary for a PhD is £18,259 per year in the London, United Kingdom area. This number represents the median, which is the midpoint of the ranges from our proprietary Total Pay Estimate model and based on salaries collected from our users. The "Most Likely Range" represents values that exist within the 25th and 75th percentile of ...
The employment of PhD graduates in the UK: what do we know?
In total, the dataset includes just under 5,000 UK PhD holders, who graduated in 2008/9 or 2010/11 (a response rate of 39.5 per cent) Considering first the promises of the knowledge economy, the Long DLHE offers some optimistic indicators. PhD holders' report higher average earnings than those with a first degree or Master's only.
PhD Salary in UK
As per the UK government, this fee amounts to £400 per year. Consequently, for a 3.5-year PhD program, you'll pay £1,400 as a lump sum when applying for your visa. Additionally, a £348 visa fee applies. Therefore, the total cost when applying for a visa and healthcare surcharge comes to £1,748. This payment ensures full coverage by the ...
Will a PhD make you better off? Not until 33 years later
The study highlights the potential oversupply of UK-based PhD graduates, with their number rising from 383,000 in 2012 to 579,000 in 2021, a 51 per cent increase, of whom only half work in academia. ... Research finds that working overseas can boost PhD holders' salaries . By Hilary Lamb. 1 March.
Phd Graduate Salary in United Kingdom
How much does a Phd Graduate make in United Kingdom? £33,000. / Annual. Based on 568 salaries. The average phd graduate salary in the United Kingdom is £33,000 per year or £16.92 per hour. Entry level positions start at £29,109 per year while most experienced workers make up to £42,500 per year. Median. £33,000. Low.
What counts for more in the UK job market
PhD holders earn approximately £1.60 to £3.10 per hour more than individuals with Master's degrees. The pay premium is mostly driven by the capacity of PhD's to secure managerial positions. A PhD holder in a managerial role may earn almost £5 per hour more than a peer without managerial responsibilities, all else being equal.
PhD in UK: Fees 2024, Top Colleges, Placement and Salaries
Here are some average salaries for various job titles in the UK for PhD holders: Job Title Average Salary (in GBP) Average Salary (in INR) Research Scientist: 39,690: 41.35 lakhs: Data Scientist: 46,474: 48.42 lakhs ... After completing your PhD in UK one can work at higher posts in different fields and earn an average annual salary of 40,000 ...
What is known about doctoral employment? Reflections from a UK study
Over the last two decades, international governments have positioned PhD holders as vital to prosperity - and yet, understanding of PhD holders' economic, social and cultural contributions remains considerably undeveloped. This article shares insights from a secondary analysis study of PhD employment in the UK.
Jobs After PhD in UK: Know About PhD Stipend in UK for ...
Some of the best PhD institutes in UK are University of Oxford, Imperial College London, University of Leeds, Coventry University. Graduates from the PhD programs can go ahead and make wonderful careers for themselves in the future. On average, a PhD student salary UK is around 35000 - 48000 GBP per year. Apart from that, students are also ...
Skilled Worker visa: jobs that qualify for a PhD salary discount
Updated salary information - the annual salaries are now based on a 37.5-hour working week (previously a 39-hour working week). 9 May 2023. Updated the minimum salary for each occupation. 1 ...
PhD Graduate Work, jobs (with Salaries)
Full job description. Job Title: Senior PHD Coordinator. Salary: Band E £43,116 gross per annum (pro rata) Contract Type: 2 Year Fixed Term. Hours: 0.6 FTE (We understand the importance of work-life balance, and are happy to discuss the possibility of flexible working with applicants, but do require on-site working 3 days per week) Location ...
Doctorate (PhD), Economics Salary in United Kingdom
Gender Breakdown for Doctorate (PhD), Economics. Female. 66.7 %. Avg. Salary: £0 - £0. This data is based on 3 survey responses. Learn more about the gender pay gap.
Growth in proportion of UK academics holding PhDs slows
Growth in the proportion of UK academics holding doctorates has slowed in recent years, figures suggest. In its data for 2021-22, the Higher Education Statistics Agency reports the highest qualification of 145,000 full-time UK academics - and for 68.7 per cent it was a doctorate.. After a steep rise in the first half of the decade attributed to more providers requiring new staff have a PhD ...
Doctorate (PhD), Chemistry Salary in United Kingdom
Degrees in the same industry as Doctorate (PhD), Chemistry, ranked by salary. Doctor of Science (DS), Geology. Avg. Salary £38k. Bachelor's Degree, Chemistry. Avg. Salary £38k.
Delivering training courses for environmental scientists 2024
19 April 2024. Opening date: 19 April 2024 9:00am UK time. Closing date: 26 June 2024 4:00pm UK time. Start application. Apply for funding to deliver training short courses within the NERC remit, focusing on areas of identifiable training need. You must be: based at a UK research organisation eligible for NERC funding.