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• CAREER FEATURE
• 23 May 2022

PhD students face cash crisis with wages that don’t cover living costs

• Chris Woolston 0

Chris Woolston is a freelance writer in Billings, Montana.

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Salaries for PhD students in the biological sciences fall well below the basic cost of living at almost every institution and department in the United States, according to data collected by two PhD students.

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Nature 605 , 775-777 (2022)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-01392-w

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UKRI increases stipend for PhD students by £2,000

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Funder increases stipend by further 10 per cent to £17,668 amid cost of living crisis

UK Research and Innovation has announced it is increasing the minimum PhD stipend by 10 per cent for the 2022-23 academic year, following a backlash from students over the previously announced, lower, rise.

From 1 October, the minimum stipend for UKRI-funded PhD students will be £17,668—a 10 per cent increase on the previously announced 2022-23 level.

This means the minimum stipend level will be over £2,000 more in 2022-23 than in 2021-22, UKRI said on 2 September.

‘UKRI committed to reviewing its funding offer’

“I am pleased to announce this increase in stipend levels as a result of our review this summer of the support we provide our postgraduate research students,” said Melanie Welham, UKRI champion for people, culture and talent.

“As well as raising the minimum stipend now, UKRI is committed to further reviewing its funding offer as part of its current work on the new deal for postgraduate research.”

The increased amount will be provided to students in receipt of a UKRI stipend from 1 October 2022.

The announcement follows a consultation with the research community earlier this year considering the cost of living crisis, which has seen inflation and energy prices soar.

During the consultation, thousands of postgraduate researchers urged the national funder to increase the support further.

The funder had initially planned to increase the stipend from £15,609 to £16,062, an increase of just 2.9 per cent.

‘Work on stipends had to be prioritised’

In a statement published alongside the announcement on the UKRI website, Welham said: “The response from the community to our call for input and the messages we received from students, supervisors, research organisations and mission groups directly and via social media, made it clear that the work on stipends had to be prioritised ahead of other elements of the new deal for postgraduate research.”

She added that the funder’s initial plan had been to provide a “smaller one-off payment to students”.

“However, we have listened to your feedback and worked up our more substantive proposal.”

As part of its work on the new deal for postgraduate research, Welham said the funder was considering the principles by which UKRI funds postgraduate students, as well as how it determines the amount it will pay them in future and how its policies interact with the activities of other government departments.

‘Positive step’

Rory Duncan, former UKRI director of talent and skills and pro-vice-chancellor at Sheffield Hallam University, told Research Professional News it was a “positive step” to see UKRI provide the additional support.

“I know a lot of people have worked behind the scenes to make this happen,” he said. “I hope that other funders and hosts can match this commitment for the majority of [postgraduate researchers] who aren’t funded directly by UKRI.”

Alex Kirby-Reynolds and Ellie Munro, co-leads of the University and College Union’s Postgraduate Researchers as Staff campaign, who have campaigned for a stipend increase, told Research Professional News: “We are relieved that UKRI has finally announced an initial pay rise for its funded researchers, but we know it will still leave many PGRs struggling to make ends meet.

“Disabled PGRs, those with caring responsibilities and those without independent income will continue to be hit hardest, and face tough choices about whether they can continue their research.

“Now it’s up to universities to ensure at least the same support is extended to all PGRs, regardless of funding source, and to make sure self-funded researchers and international PGRs aren’t left picking up the tab through fees.”

A spokesperson for the Russell Group of research-intensive universities said: “We’re pleased to see UKRI taking the lead in helping the research community deal with the rising cost of living by increasing the minimum student stipend, which will provide much needed financial support to the next generation of researchers and innovators.”

But they also called for more support for undergraduates.

“While this is a welcome move for postgraduate researchers, most of the measures the government has announced so far to address the cost-of-living crisis will not benefit undergraduate students,” they said.

“Universities are therefore stepping up support for their students ahead of the start of the new term, including boosting financial aid and other support programmes.”

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.

Appreciate the initiative and the mental wellbeing of the researchers.

This seems to be valuable as well as interesting research.

Does it imply that fewer people doing PhD’s in Arts subjects would be a good thing?

To be honest, if you look at the UK, having a PhD – unless you have one in the hard sciences – does not lead to higher earning potential. Experience counts the most and to give an example, my friends who did not always have degrees own houses etc. What is not factored in is the loss of 5 years earning potential at Masters to PhD level when other people are gaining experience. You have to be in a fairly decent position to get a house or have a partner earning a good salary (which you didn’t have to have in the past). Young academics are in their 30s, yet degree holders have had a decade to get promoted by the same point.

Although I left the country for a few years, my PhD was respected abroad (Social Sciences) but if you look at the data, a hell of a lot go into teaching. I find the Social PhD is so specialised, that not enough of the skills acquired are transferable. Also, the cost has to be factored in and I would say unless you are funded, it is not worth undertaking a PhD for any kind of financial gain. But I went in knowing this to some extent.

Work is being done to make PhD holders employable but depending on where you live, the jobs market may not cope with higher qualifications. I feel that unlike other countries, we do not celebrate the PhD because if it is not matched by a higher salary, your family will not respect you anymore so for having one.

Having worked with doctoral level students for some years in enterprise, they have tremendous potential but are typically located in highly academic environments where this is often not recognised. Add to this the very nature of a PhD, they often miss the opportunities to build and grow a business, or contribute to the growth of a small business. Entrepreneurial people, for example, have to make pressured decisions with incomplete evidence.

Thus joining the dots of a researcher’s competencies and aligning them to the interdisciplinary environments where team working is essential, has thus far demonstrated significant interest.

Sadly, I can count on one hand the people I know who are capable of doing this well.

I’m about to finish my PhD in STEM. As an international student and not having a good reason to stay in the UK like family, the only reason to stay here would be to find a decent research job. Is there any in the UK? Not the traditional tenure track role, but only doing research. Looking at the research job market in Germany for example, MPI or other research institutes offer so much that the UK has nothing to offer compared to them. I like staying but it look like the UK doesn’t have much to offer!

I’m from a working-class background born in the North West of England. I joined the British Army aged 16 without any school qualifications. During my active service career in the Parachute Regiment [serving two intense tours of Northern Ireland], I started taking photographs and began working as a unit photographer. After six years of military service, I left the British army to further my education and enrolled at the University of Brighton getting a 2:1 in editorial photography. Since graduating in the mid-1990s, I worked continually as a freelance photographer, working for national newspapers and magazines, at home and abroad In 2015, I took on a Ph.D. scholarship to better my life and yes, I did expect to get work or at least get on the ladder within an academic institution. I’ve applied for many posts since obtaining my Doctorate and have not got a single interview. The more rejections I get, the more it impacts my mental health and wellbeing. Only recently I applied for an associate lecturers position, at a London university where I have exhibited my photographs, even given lectures on my “professional practice” as a photographer in the past, and know many of the staff working at this university [of which I have contributed my photographs for there book publications]. What is most peculiar, is that I was given a job back in 2018 [when I was finishing my Ph.D. with minor corrections] as an associate lecturer at this very London university. They informed me months later that I was to be placed in the “talent pool”. Although after what seemed like treading water in this imaginary London university “talent pool” for months on end, I was not even called in for a lecture to students. But having a mostly stoic attitude to life, I, therefore, applied again for the same job as an “associate lecture” position at the very same London university. The most recent time I have been rejected, which was less than a few weeks ago [3 November 2021] weeks ago, the person whom I know at the photography department at this very London university kindly emailed me back [as I was slightly disgruntled from not even being asked in for an interview (yet again), but also given any feedback as to why I was not even given an interview despite having my all-singing Doctorate. This was their response: “We had almost 100 applications, all of which go to each of the six Course Leaders to shortlist, and that shortlist is dependent upon applicant’s skills but also have to marry to the Course needs for that year. I am not involved at that stage as it is at Course Level. When they have selected their shortlist according to their needs I do a quick check to make sure there are no conflict of interest or any anomalies – there were not – and then the interview processes begin. As you can see, it isn’t wholly on best qualified in general, rather who on that list is appropriately qualified and who directly fits the Course need. We only feedback in detail to those that were shortlisted – I know that is tricky for all other applicants – but that is the norm and with nigh on 100 applicants, you can see why. In terms of your own trajectory, the Ph.D. when shortlisting for established, rather than hourly-paid staff, is the gold standard. So it is worthwhile and I am sure worthwhile beyond the wholly instrumental. But I get the pragmatics and the frustrations. I do think being hourly-paid brings its own frustrations too… there are no hours guarantee and that can also lead to people understandably feeling undervalued. Some of our hourly paid will do only 15-20 hours across an entire year – that can be tough.”

In all honesty, I have to ask myself tirelessly, was six years of my life working on a Ph.D. to better my life, really worth it? Obviously, it’s marvelous that you can use “Dr” before your name, although many ignorant people [and there are many in the world] who unless you are a clinical Doctor, being a Doctor of Philosophy means nada. Which is a great shame and is a reflection of British society [I work for a veterans charity in the UK, who are clearly confused by all Doctors of Philosophy, and indeed philosophy in general terms, dare I even put it before my name, is a general feeling here].

Therefore I conclude: was doing a Ph.D. really worth it? Fineanchly no. My “scholarship” was 15 K a year. I don’t know why I put my own family through such heartache and pain. I even had to leave my home in England and move to Northern Ireland for the first year, which really impacted my young family. And to think that after all this heartache and struggling, I am struggling even more. I have to be both mindful & truthful here: the Jury is still out…

As a former Merchant Navy Officer and 12 years as a Bomber Command Navigator. I then worked as a Professional Navigator for Irish, and South African Airways. I finally Matriculated as a mature student at Oxford University in September 1979 and obtained a PHD in Astrophysics from Oxford in 1984. I then worked at the University of London Observatory at Mill Hill where I wrote the software for the Tycho project carried on the Hipparchos satellite of the European Space Agency. I also spent some time in industry as Principal Engineer in the advanced system study group at Racal Avionics, returning to lecture in aeronautics at London Guildhall University. As a Professional Navigator both at sea and in the air I am now a Member of The Royal Institute of Navigation. Publications: D Phil Thesis. (Including various astronomical papers.)

‘Some Aspects of Extra-Galactic Astrophysics’ Oxford University. 1983. Brasenose College.

The Numinous Legacy. Modern Cosmology and Religion. 2002. (see Amazon Books.)

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Studentships and doctoral training

Get a studentship to fund your doctorate.

UKRI studentships offer funding for doctoral research. They also offer you access to training, networking and development opportunities to help you build a research and innovation career.

Our expectations for research organisations, supervisors and students are set out in the statement of expectations for doctoral training .

You could get:

• a minimum stipend of £19,237 per year for your living costs, which is paid to you in regular instalments
• support for your tuition fees (minimum £4,786 per year)

The stipend is usually non-taxable and does not need to be paid back. Some research organisations may offer more if you study in London, or they or one of their collaborators might decide to top up the payment. This will be outlined in the studentship advert from the research organisation.

We normally pay the support for tuition fees directly to your research organisation.

The levels given here are for the academic year 2024 to 2025. UKRI’s approach to doctoral stipend and fee levels will be reviewed through the  new deal for postgraduate research .

Additional support for your doctoral studies

As a UKRI-funded doctoral student, you may be able to access additional funding to cover the cost of other related training and development opportunities.

This could include:

• conference attendance
• language training
• overseas research visits
• internships or placements with a non-academic partner

The availability of support will depend on the research organisation and the training grants they have on offer. You should contact the research organisation you are interested in applying to, to find out what you could get.

Extra support if you have a disability

If you have a disability, you may be entitled to a Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) on top of your studentship.

You should speak to your research organisation’s disability advisor to assess your needs. They can help put the right support in place, including a DSA application if necessary. You cannot claim DSA directly from UKRI.

DSA helps to cover the cost of any additional support that a person studying for a doctorate might need as a result of a disability, mental health problem or specific learning difficulty.

The allowance covers:

• non-medical personal assistance
• specialist equipment
• extra travel costs
• general expenses

Find out more about DSA in our framework .

If you are a research organisation you can download claim forms and guidance for DSA .

Who can apply

Any prospective doctoral student wishing to study at a UK research organisation, including prospective international students, can apply for a UKRI studentship.

All UKRI-funded doctoral students will be eligible for the full award, both the stipend to support living costs, and home-level fees at the UK research organisation rate.

How to find opportunities

Many UK research organisations offer some form of studentship funding from UKRI. These opportunities will depend on the subject you want to study and will normally be advertised by the research organisations.

Research organisations may have additional opportunities that do not involve UKRI. UKRI supports around 20% of all UK-based postgraduate researchers. You should speak to the research organisation you are interested in to find out what studentships are available.

You could also consider using a specialist website like   FindaPhD  to look for opportunities.

When to apply

Research organisations set their own deadlines for applications.

Many open for applications early in the academic year and close in January or February. This is not a hard and fast rule. It is important that you check the deadlines for the research organisation where you want to study.

How to apply

You cannot apply to UKRI for a studentship. You must contact the research organisation you are interested in studying with and use their application process.

For doctoral students who are already studying with a studentship, there are opportunities to get additional funding to support placements that are separate from your doctorate.  Find training and development opportunities .

Last updated: 14 February 2024

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 .

The Savvy Scientist

Experiences of a London PhD student and beyond

How to Find PhD Funding in the UK

So you’ve decided to pursue a PhD, found a potential supervisor and perhaps even been offered a place. Now you’re likely tasked with what can be the most elusive stage: securing PhD funding. Thankfully there are several routes available for PhD funding in the UK and I’ll walk you through the considerations for each.

Note – This post focusses on fully funding a PhD for the duration of your time at university – living expenses and all. If you’re looking to self-fund a PhD be sure to check out some flexible ways of making money I’ve found whilst pursuing a PhD.

Simply looking for an idea of how much you could get paid as a PhD student? Skip straight down to the bottom of this post .

A High Level View of PhD Funding in the UK

In the UK PhD funding falls into several main categories:

Once you’ve found a project, the best starting point is to discuss funding with your potential supervisor. They’ll be able to advise you of the best funding opportunities specific to your situation. It might be that they even have funding already arranged!

It is worth being aware that there are often differing funding opportunities for home, EU and non-EU students. Additionally, be sure to check that any funding includes your tuition fees.

As of 2022/23, home students fees are often around £4600 per year and rise to about £20,000 for overseas students! The project advert should state what the funding covers and includes any restrictions.

Project Specific PhD Funding

The simplest route, and the one that many prospective students may assume to be the norm, is for your supervisor to have funding in place for a specific project. Funding of this sort almost always has been sourced by successful grant applications to external organisations. Find a project you like the look of and get on well with your potential supervisor? You could be on track for a very simple application!

How to Find Fully Funded PhD Programs in the UK

How do you find fully funded PhD projects? They’re advertised in places such as findaphd.com  and on your potential host department’s website.

PhD Funding From Research Councils & Charities

There are seven Research Councils in the UK, annually funding over £3bn of research .  If you’re in discussions with an academic, there will be a research council that covers your field. The UKRI Research Council’s UK website lists all seven councils and their areas of research :

• Arts & Humanities
• Biotechnology and Biological Sciences (BBSRC)
• Economic and Social (ESRC)
• Engineering and Physical Sciences (EPSRC)
• Medical (MRC)
• Natural Environment (NERC)
• Science and Technology Facilities (STFC)

Each council puts out calls for the work they are most eager to fund, here is the EPSRC’s current call .

Charities also provide an additional potential funding avenue. Many well known charities provide PhD funding such as Marie Curie  and Cancer Research UK . Plus ones you won’t find on the high-street like the  Wellcome Trust  and  Leverhulme Trust .

Most of the PhD funding via both routes comes in the form of large research grants, regularly upwards of £1 million. These are managed by senior academics who will act as the “PI” (principal investigator) ensuring that the money is spent appropriately. It is not usually appropriate for potential PhD candidates to apply directly to these funding sources, though this is possible: speak to your supervisor to check.

Academics often include PhD studentships in their grant applications so funding through these routes is common. In these instances the money has to be spent by a certain date so supervisors are motivated to fill spaces for the right candidate!

There is also EU-wide funding, such as the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network (ITN) . As well as nice training and exchange opportunities it pays a staggering stipend of £35,000 – £40,000. I personally wish I’d known about it earlier!

PhD Funding Through Industry Collaboration

Academics regularly collaborate with industry and they may provide PhD project funding. Something to bear in mind is that a company will often be keen to focus the research around a particular product they wish to develop.

As such this may limit opportunities to alter the course of your project if you find other parts of your research more interesting. The upside is that collaboration with industry looks great on your CV. It could also offer job opportunities after you’ve completed the project.

You may now be wondering what happens if you find a supervisor you are keen to work with but they have no funded-projects available. Or if you are not interested in the ones that they have secured funding for. In this instance institution funding will be your best bet.

Student Specific PhD Funding

Universities often offer PhD funding to ambitious students giving you freedom to tailor a project to your own interests. Though of course you do still need a supervisor! Funding can be found at a variety of levels: university-wide scholarships generously donated by alumni, departmental provisions and, for universities running a collegiate system, colleges.

Most universities have a search tool where you can find all of the funding sources available. For example here is The University of Bristol’s .

Departmental Studentships

Many departments offer a small number of fully-funded studentships each year. These are usually widely advertised on their website. Your supervisor will be able to advise you on any internal PhD funding routes they know of and may be responsible for submitting any additionally required documents.

Though applying for a studentship may require some extra legwork, a noteworthy benefit is that these offer the most research freedom.

Often these are again funded by a research council but are not linked to a specific research grant. This is because they are often awarded based on academic merit rather than being tied to any one specific project proposal. This allows you to develop your own ideas with scope to explore whichever topics you and your supervisor agree to pursue.

PhD Scholarships

Scholarships are very similar to departmental studentships but are often university-wide and with this comes more money, prestige and competition. This is my funding source and you can read more about my PhD application experience here .

Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs)

CDTs are all funded by one of the UK research councils and often are hosted by more than one university. For example there is this Fusion Energy CDT , involving five partnering universities:

Funding is attached to all offers of admission but as ever check the funding criteria.  There can sometimes be restrictions, especially for overseas students:

Unlike other PhD routes, CDTs are more similar to undergraduate or taught-postgraduate courses in their structure. CDTs begin as a cohort with a year of taught modules and short research projects. It is during this year that that you discuss potential projects with supervisors. Following this are three years of research working towards a PhD.

Read more about CDTs here .

CDTs are great for developing knowledge if you’re carrying out a PhD in an area slightly different to your undergraduate degree. If you’re already pretty set on a certain research topic then some consider the foundation year unnecessary.

Additionally, I have met CDT students stating that sometimes many students in the cohort are aiming for the same project. Since supervisors can only take on a limited number of new students per year (often only one!) you certainly have to be prepared to carry out a PhD on an alternative topic.

Each research council lists the different CDTs available within their remit, for example NERCs are here .

So How Much Will I Get Paid as a PhD Student in the UK?

Ah the crucial question! The bulk of studentships are funded by research councils (including CDTs), charities and departmental funds. UKRI sets out minimum doctoral stipends and it is usually this amount that they award. Most projects are funded for three years and for 2022/23 the UKRI stipend is set at:

Outside London:  £17,668 Inside London: £19,668

PhD funding by industry will often also be at the UKRI levels shown above. Scholarships can pay upwards of £20,000 but this may need to cover your tuition fees.

Before you get put off by the idea of a PhD because the pay is so low, check out my comparison of PhD stipends and grad salaries after accounting for taxes . The difference is much smaller than you might think!

A Word on PhD Stipends

As a funded-PhD candidate your monthly income is called a stipend: which is tax-free. Being a PhD student, you retain your student status. This means that you are exempt from certain  real-world responsibilities such as council tax and student loan repayments. Hence the gap between PhD stipends and grad salaries isn’t quite as large as it first seems.

If you’re interested in learning more about the costs of being a student, you may like to check out my post on affording to live in London as a PhD student . I’ve also written about my favourite ways of making money as a student and how I actually managed to build some savings during my PhD!

Keen to learn how to maximise your chances of securing PhD funding in the UK? You may wish to check out my related posts here:

• How to Write a CV for a PhD Application (with free template!)
• Choosing a PhD Project & Supervisor
• What to expect from a PhD interview

Best of luck with your application!

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.

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• 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.

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