UBEL strongly encourages any students experiencing difficulties to check the student support resources available via the expert teams within partner institutions:  

• • Birkbeck
  • LSHTM
  • SOAS 
  • UCL 
  • UEL 
  • Greenwich 

Any disabled student who, because of disability, is obliged to incur additional expenditure in connection with their studies, may be eligible for an allowance. You should speak to your research organisation’s disability advisor to assess your needs and for further advice on how to claim direct support.

University College London:  https://www.ucl.ac.uk/study/support-and-wellbeing/disability-and-neurodiversity

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine: https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/study/studentservices/disability

School of Oriental and Asian Studies: https://www.soas.ac.uk/disability-and-neurodiversity-support

Birkbeck University: https://www.bbk.ac.uk/student-services/disability-service

University of East London: https://www.uel.ac.uk/study/campus-life/regional-access-centre-east-london/disabled-students-allowance

University of Greenwich: https://www.gre.ac.uk/support/disability/financial-support

Following this, you should inform UBEL, so that our team can ensure that any costs incurred are covered.

Further information is available here.

UBEL encourages you to get in touch with our team if there are any changes throughout the duration of your studentship that may impact your funding.

For further information please refer to: Managing your Studentship. 

As per the ESRC Postgraduate Funding Guide, UBEL can offer extensions to funding end dates for the following reasons:

• Difficult Language Training
• International Institutional Visits (IIVs)
• Parental Leave
• Transfers between part-time and full-time registration
• Suspensions (the duration of interrupted study will be added on to your funding end date)
• Sick Leave (the duration of sick leave will be added on to your funding end date)

Funded extensions for caring responsibilities are not possible and ESRC recommend a transfer to part time enrolment or a suspension of study in this instance.

If anything is unclear or requires further discussion please e-mail ubel-dtp@ucl.ac.uk.

Extensions for students impacted by Covid-19

UBEL is not in receipt of any additional funding sources to cover extensions as a result of Covid-19. 

• UBEL can offer funded extensions as a result of documented ill health (i.e. long covid); sick notes from a GP will be required.
• Where data collection or access to resources have been disrupted, we encourage students to mitigate where possible. If mitigation is not possible and a request for an extension is made, UBEL will require a detailed workplan, evidence of mitigation and email confirmation from supervisors. A funded extension is not guaranteed. 
• UBEL can offer unfunded extensions to thesis submission dates where students have met challenges as a result of Covid-19.  

Any requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis by UBEL management in line with ESRC and institutional regulations.  

If there are any queries regarding extensions, please contact ubel-dtp@ucl.ac.uk in the first instance.  

In 2024, we commissioned a report from  the UCL Psychiatry Team which explored how UBEL DTP can best support the mental health and wellbeing of current DTP students. Please see the toolkit that was developed as a result.

If you need help during a crisis, please contact the Emergency Services, your GP or visit your nearest hospital’s Accident and Emergency department. Call your local 24/7 mental health crisis line.