Managing your studentship

Information for current students

UBEL DTP understand that complications and changes in circumstances may occur in the duration of your studentship award. Please get in touch with us as soon as you experience any problems or issues. We will do our best to assist, working with staff at your registered institution to ensure that you receive support.

The primary source of information we’ve used to create this document is your funder, the Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC)’s Postgraduate Funding Guide. 

  • Your funding end date refers to the end of your funded period of study. You can find your original funding end date on the studentship award letter.  
  • Your submission date can be later than your funding end date. All students should aim to submit by the end of their funded period. However, all full-time students must submit no later than one year after their funding end date and part time students must submit within two years of their funding end date. 
  • Any changes to your student status or record, can change your funding end date or thesis submission date. With this in mind, it is important to inform the UBEL team of any changes to your student status.  

What you need to do if you think you might need to interrupt your studies:

  • Contact us via email at ubel-dtp@ucl.ac.uk to discuss your interruption plans as early as possible copying in your supervisor and departmental administrator. Interruption requests made in retrospect will not be approved, unless they are on medical grounds.
  • Our team will liaise with your supervisor and department to discuss your interruption timeline and financial arrangements. Please note that this process can take up to two weeks. For medical interruptions we might request medical certificates.
  • You will receive an email with the decision regarding your interruption. If your interruption gets approved, we will confirm your new funding end date.
  • Students should also follow institutional procedures to interrupt their registration. Please note this will be administered by your department, not the UBEL Team.
  • Contact us via email up to one month before your planned return date.
  • Please refer to Page 30 of the ESRC Postgraduate Funding Guide.
  • A student may apply to transfer from a full-time to part-time studentship award or vice versa. You should inform the UBEL DTP team, as well as your department, so that we can ensure your record is accurate.  
  • If the case for an award to be transferred from part-time to full-time status is approved, the maintenance grant, fees and other allowances as appropriate would be offered on a full-time equivalent, depending on the period remaining on the award. If a student transfers from full-time to part-time registration, they will be eligible for the normal allowances paid to part-time students. 
  • For full details, please refer to page 26 of the ESRC funding guide.  

Students should not be overcommitted during the period of their award. Full-time ESRC studentship award holders cannot hold either a full-time job, permanent part-time job or temporary role for an extended period of time, during the period of their award. Part-time ESRC studentship award holders cannot hold a full-time job. 

For full details, please refer to page 35 of the ESRC Postgraduate funding guide.

  • ESRC funded students cannot hold an additional award for the duration of their studentship. 
  • If a student already holds an award from, or is otherwise financially supported by, another organisation and the ESRC considers that award, or other form of support, to be sufficient to cover maintenance and/or tuition fees, the student will not be eligible for the award from the ESRC. 
  • If you are in receipt of an alternative source of funding please inform the UBEL DTP team.  
  • For full details, please refer to page 10 of the ESRC Postgraduate funding guide.

Any requested changes in supervision or a change of department (within an UBEL DTP institution) will need to be approved by your Head of Department and Faculty at the institution where you are registered. Please inform UBEL DTP of any changes, so that your funding record can be updated. 

Please refer to page 32 of the ESRC Postgraduate funding guide.

If you are looking to transfer to another ESRC funded DTP, please contact ubel-dtp@ucl.ac.uk in the first instance.  

The transfer process is complex and can take some time.  

For full details, please refer to page 26 of the ESRC postgraduate funding guide.

  • ESRC funding is provided to support students undertaking a PhD; therefore, if a student completes their studies and submits a doctoral thesis before the end of the studentship, the student’s funding should be terminated.  
  • If an award is prematurely terminated for any reason, the student must repay any monies including maintenance grant, fieldwork contribution, etc. overpaid to them. All debts that arise as a result of overpayments, for whatever reason, must be actively pursued by the DTP.  
  • If you are considering terminating your studies, please contact ubel-dtp@ucl.ac.uk  
  • Please refer to page 30 of the ESRC Funding guide.