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Reply 1
You usually get a stipend of around 15K to 21K. Look on findaphd.com :smile:


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Original post by Jazminee
You usually get a stipend of around 15K to 21K. Look on findaphd.com :smile:


If you get funding you will usually get a stipend of that much.

Funding is scarce and fiercely competitive and in many disciplines is not "usual". In some disciplines much smaller amounts of funding are available, and students are expected to teach - without additional pay - as part of the bargain.
15-21k may be standard for funded PhDs in London (some are even more), but not elsewhere. The standard 'minimum' stipend for UK Research councils is still <14k, and this includes sources like the MRC. Sometimes programmes give more (eg Wellcome Trust), but these are extremely competetive.
basically your Masters or work experience needs to impress to get the funding
Reply 5
The consensus is that it is not a good idea to accept a non-funded PhD. It is not a good sign not being able to attract funding this early in your career, which might hurt you in the future.
Original post by Zefiros
The consensus is that it is not a good idea to accept a non-funded PhD. It is not a good sign not being able to attract funding this early in your career, which might hurt you in the future.


This depends - if there is no funding in your subject, it can be preferable to have completed a self-funded PhD than to have no PhD at all
Reply 7
Original post by Jantaculum
This depends - if there is no funding in your subject, it can be preferable to have completed a self-funded PhD than to have no PhD at all


^This. There's been a single funded PhD at which I had a shot, in three years of looking for one. As I was my undergrad third year and didn't have a Masters, I wasn't permitted to apply.

My Masters uni had a pool of Research Council funding, for which any PhD student could apply in theory. In practice, the only PhD projects which got the funding, were those attached to existing staff projects. Usually when the "open" funding application round opened, they already knew which PhD applicants were going to get it.

I've had to self-fund because there's no other way of doing it in my specialism for most people. You still need a PhD to get any further on the academic side (although granted that's always a long shot).
Original post by Guy Secretan
If you do a phd am I right that you kind of get paid a salary to do it? Are medical type phd's more likely to get paid a higher amount?


You apply for funding from funding bodies. Most include a wage so you can, like, eat.

Funding is far more available in medicine than in any other field whatsoever. It is far more available in science than in arts.

If you are a doctor before you do a medical PhD you get paid far more.
Original post by Guy Secretan
If you do a phd am I right that you kind of get paid a salary to do it? Are medical type phd's more likely to get paid a higher amount?


As a general rule most science PhD's are paid and most art PhD's aren't.

The amount of funding you get depends on
A) The field of study
And
B) How popular the specific topic you study is

In my field for example a PhD in cancer research is going to pay more than a PhD in laser research
Original post by Jazminee
You usually get a stipend of around 15K to 21K. Look on findaphd.com :smile:


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Lies!

The standard going rate is 13,863 rising to 15,800 in London.

You'll be lucky to get between 15 and 21K unless you are paid for by industry rather than a research council.
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by Klix88
^This. There's been a single funded PhD at which I had a shot, in three years of looking for one. As I was my undergrad third year and didn't have a Masters, I wasn't permitted to apply.

My Masters uni had a pool of Research Council funding, for which any PhD student could apply in theory. In practice, the only PhD projects which got the funding, were those attached to existing staff projects. Usually when the "open" funding application round opened, they already knew which PhD applicants were going to get it.

I've had to self-fund because there's no other way of doing it in my specialism for most people. You still need a PhD to get any further on the academic side (although granted that's always a long shot).


I think it depends on whether you are doing an arts or sciences PhD. You'll struggle to get a post-doc in my field with a self-funded PhD, or so all lecturers have always told me.

On the other hand, you can start a PhD and find funding later in many cases, someone I know was half funded and ended up getting the extra money of Usain Bolt, so that's always something to consider (starting part funded, not squeezing Usain Bolt for monay!)
Original post by redferry
someone I know was half funded and ended up getting the extra money of Usain Bolt


Say what? Usain Bolt funds PhDs? Or she knows Usain personally?
Original post by chazwomaq
Say what? Usain Bolt funds PhDs? Or she knows Usain personally?


Apparently he set up some fund for research on cheetahs (They're fast...he's fast? All a bit bizarre) and she won the funding.
Reply 14
Original post by nonswimmer
If you get funding you will usually get a stipend of that much.

Funding is scarce and fiercely competitive and in many disciplines is not "usual". In some disciplines much smaller amounts of funding are available, and students are expected to teach - without additional pay - as part of the bargain.

Son gets an STFC stipend but he also is paid £15 an hour for tutoring
Original post by Jazminee
You usually get a stipend of around 15K to 21K. Look on findaphd.com :smile:


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That is definitely an overestimate! I get London allowance and get £15,700 ish a year from NERC. I was CASE sponsored in my first year too, so got an extra £1k for that.

Remember it is not a salary, so you don't have to pay tax or national insurance. My funding also includes a pot of money that mostly covers conference costs, other PhD related travel and other related fees. I think it also paid for my lab computer. I have claimed for things like software I needed and my external hard drive for back ups (nothing worse than losing all your work!). I have managed to get funding from other sources to attend big conferences because my pot of money wouldn't cover it all. I got to go to Japan this summer for a conference :biggrin:
So the funding is separate from them paying your fees etc so it is kind of like living on a low salary. 13k seems quite generous when you consider some people don't even earn that much.
Original post by fluffyowl
That is definitely an overestimate! I get London allowance and get £15,700 ish a year from NERC. I was CASE sponsored in my first year too, so got an extra £1k for that.

Remember it is not a salary, so you don't have to pay tax or national insurance. My funding also includes a pot of money that mostly covers conference costs, other PhD related travel and other related fees. I think it also paid for my lab computer. I have claimed for things like software I needed and my external hard drive for back ups (nothing worse than losing all your work!). I have managed to get funding from other sources to attend big conferences because my pot of money wouldn't cover it all. I got to go to Japan this summer for a conference :biggrin:



so actually you are doing pretty well do you find that you end up with a surplus of money. Also do you have to document your expenses or can you just spend it on whatever you like?
Reply 18
In terms of medical PhDs it all depends on the funding body. If you are funded by a research council like MRC, BBSRC, NERC etc. you'll get the minimum which this year is £13863 per year (more in London) but if you're funded by a charity then stipend will be much more. Charities such as the BHF, Wellcome Trust, Diabetes UK, Beatson Cancer Research etc will offer far higher stipends starting at £18k or £19k and often increasing per year as you get further into the PhD.

Significantly less arts PhDs get funding.
It's not worth doing a self-funded PhD, in most cases you'll end up with a lot of debt, a depressing 3-4 years and no post-doc at the end. Because if there's no PhD funding there'll certainly be no post-doc funding as post-docs are significantly more competitive.


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Reply 19
Original post by redferry
Lies!

The standard going rate is 13,863 rising to 15,800 in London.

You'll be lucky to get between 15 and 21K unless you are paid for by industry rather than a research council.


£15,863 to be exact.

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