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Managing Your Studentship

Essential information for current Soc-B students.

The ESRC Postgraduate Funding Guide and the UKRI Training Grant Terms and Conditions and Guidance Document contain important information about managing your studentship. Below, you can find information relating to common queries, including:

Funding end and expected submission dates

  • Funding End Date: Your funding end date refers to the end of your funded period of study.
  • Expected Submission Date: All students should aim to submit by the end of their funded period. Depending on your institutional regulations, your expected thesis submission date may be later than your funding end date. 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. If you are unsure of your institutional policy, please contact your local administration team.
  • Early Submission: if a student submits their thesis before their funding end date, their submission date becomes their funding end date. If you intend to submit early (i.e. before your funding end date), please email us at socbcdt@ucl.ac.uk. For more information, see UKRI Training Grant Terms and Conditions, TGC 6.1.

Interruptions

  • Studentships are intended to be held on a continuous basis. Sometimes, however, a student may need to interrupt their studies, for example due to their own health problems or those of dependants, or to take up the opportunity of a temporary, short-term post which can be justified as being highly relevant to their thesis or research training.
  • Important: retrospective interruption requests will not be approved.
  • If you are considering interrupting your studies, please contact your local Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) contact as soon as possible.
  • For more information, please see ESRC Postgraduate Funding Guide, page 23-24.

Medical Leave

  • Soc-B students are eligible for sick leave payments equivalent to their full stipend for absences covered by a medical certificate for up to thirteen weeks within a rolling 12-month period.
  • For more information, please see UKRI Training Grant Terms and Conditions and Guidance Document, TGC 8.2.

Transfer between modes of study (full-time/part-time)

A student may apply to transfer from full-time to part-time studentship award or vice versa. The ESRC recommends that, where possible, changes of mode of study should take effect from the beginning of a quarter (i.e. 1 October, 1 January, 1 April, or 1 July) as this makes the calculation, payment, and reconciliation of students’ funding more straightforward.

For more information, see ESRC Postgraduate Funding Guide, page 19.

Non-academic placements

All Soc-B students spend up to three months with a non-academic partner during their studentship, either on a full- or part-time basis. Placements allow students to learn new skills, expand professional networks and experience the use of research in policy or programme settings.

Important: Unless an opportunity is paid, the ‘clock does not stop’ on your studentship during a placement. This means that your studentship continues, you will continue to receive your stipend, and your funding end date will not be extended. This is important to bear in mind when thinking about the length and intensity of the internship. Whilst internships can last for up to three months on a full- or part-time basis, some non-academic organisations may have a minimum requirement regarding the amount of time you spend with them.

The Soc-B CDT Internship with a list of partner organisations is circulated in annually. Please contact socbcdt@ucl.ac.uk if you have any questions about the placement scheme.

Employment

Subject to certain conditions, ESRC studentship award holders are encouraged to undertake a certain amount of paid teaching or other research work during their studentship.

Students may undertake a small amount of other paid work. However, the ESRC does not encourage such work especially during the times when students are expected to be fully engaged in research training and thesis preparation. 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 more information, see ESRC Postgraduate Funding Guide, page 27.