Studentship terms and conditions

PhD Studentship terms and conditions

The following terms and conditions apply to all University-administered postgraduate research awards, including those that are funded by the Research Council. In the case of externally-funded awards, the rules of the sponsor take precedence over those of the University.

Full-time postgraduate research students are not deemed to be employed by the University and payments to the student are in the form of a ‘stipend’. The stipend is not considered taxable income by HMRC.

Payment Process

The stipend will only be paid after the student has fully registered with the school and faculty. Subsequent payments will be made subject to continued registration.

Stipends are paid monthly via BACS into a UK bank account, usually on 1st of the month (subject to adjustments for weekends and Bank Holidays). New students will be paid their first monthly instalment 5 days after registering in person. Students registering outside of the main September registration week will receive a pro-rata payment in the first instance, future payments will be in line with the monthly payment schedule and the final payment will also be a pro-rata payment.

Annual renewal is dependent on maintaining satisfactory academic process and meeting the criteria set out in any annual progress monitoring reviews.

Expenses/Consumables

If there is an allowance for consumables or travel expenses attached to the studentship, these should be claimed via the Postgraduate Administrator in the school.

Withdrawal/Suspension

If the student withdraws from the University, stipend entitlement will cease.

Stipend payments are not normally paid during a period of suspension. See below for medical absence and maternity/paternity leave.

The student will be invoiced for any overpayment from the date of the suspension/withdrawal.

Medical Absence

If a student is prevented from studying by illness for a continuous period of more than two weeks, he/she must inform his/her supervisor immediately and provide a medical certificate. If the period of ill health is longer than two weeks, a suspension of studies should be sought, which may in-turn affect eligibility for stipend payments. Research Councils will pay for a period of up to 13 weeks medical absence with medical certification.

Maternity/Paternity Leave Policies

Please download the University of Bristol's Maternity, Paternity and Adoption Leave Policy for Research Students (PDF, 157kB).

Fathers or partners considering additional Paternity Leave will also need to complete the Additional Paternity Leave (APL) Form (PDF, 183kB).

Research Council Funded Studentships

RCUK have implemented a single set of terms and conditions for all Research Councils: http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/funding/grantstcs/

Additional Information for All PhD Students

The University Regulations and Code of Practice for Research Degree Programmes can be found here: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/academic-quality/pg/cop-research-degrees.html

For your maximum period of study, please see Section 4.3 of Regulations and Code of Practice for Research Degree programmes.