Money is about to become very tight for people on low incomes, and this includes UKRI-funded PhD students. This blog sketches out the looming financial pressures and collects a few of the key sources of financial support which Oxford Chemistry PhD students can approach for support.

My hope is to grow this list over time. If you have more resources I can add, please get in touch.

UKRI Stipend Level

The biggest funder of PhD studentships is UKRI. They set a standardised stipend level which increases a little every year. Stipends are an unusual form of income, and are invisible for the purposes of tax. A good run-down of the stipend format can be found here.

Note: Everyone understands that UKRI funding is not infinite, and I have used their stipend level below to give some indication of what students will experience rather than to criticise the funding body.

Inflation and RPI adjustment

The annual increases seem to be slightly below inflation. The projected increases will substantially lag behind inflation next year, meaning that student incomes are set to shrink in real terms.

This is particularly worrying in light of increases in heating bills and the relentlessly above-inflation rise in rents. PhD students already have less money than they did 20 years ago; the next few years seem likely to be very rough for them.

The difference in the cost of living by place is likely to be an important part of the picture here. Oxford is an unusually expensive city, and the stipend amount does not recognise this.

Conclusion

The broad point I’m trying to make is that even financially-sensible PhD students may find themselves in financial difficulty in the near future. Money is a very emotional issue, and struggling financially can (inaccurately) feel like some kind of moral failing.

But there is support, and there are sympathetic people administering it; if you’re struggling, you should exploit everything available to you.

Sources of Support

I’ve tried to pull together the obvious sources of support for Oxford Chemistry PhD students in one place, and am very keen to update this section if anyone wants to tell me about other sources.

I’ve split support into two categories: non-Hardship and Hardship. I don’t want to give the impression that you can bootstrap your way out of financial misery, but there are contexts where a few hundred pounds can make the difference between a happy year and a sad one.

Sources of non-Hardship Support

There is some scope to earn money through activities such as teaching and outreach. Demonstrating in the undergraduate teaching labs is good for personal development, but it is also relatively well-paid. Email invitations to sign up are circulated regularly, particularly before the October start of the academic year.

Note that payment for teaching within the University is often done after the end of term, and the rate of pay is normally not something which can be negotiated.

There is government support for disabled students, which UKRI encourages students to apply for. The scheme will not cover costs which any student would incur, but will cover substantial expenses relating to disability.

Martin Lewis’ Money Saving Expert website is very good for general money management, and the University has some soft guidance on managing your personal finances. It is not clear to me that managing narrow margins will make the difference in the context of the national economy, but there are little tricks that can be useful. I encourage all PhD students to attend any and all events with free food - it’s good to be social and it’s good to be fed. 

Non-financial welfare support resources are curated here. Money problems can be enormously stressful, and you may need to talk with a professional about your experiences.

Sources of Hardship Support

Oxford’s financial hardship pages can be found here.

The advice to approach your college is very good; there will be someone - this page might provide a useful starting point - with a strong grasp of the processes. They might also be aware of poorly-advertised funds, or creative ways of accessing funds which don’t immediately seem relevant. This might possibly include access to subsidised college accommodation or food, depending on the situation in the college at the time. Your MCR committee will likely be useful, too.

The Royal Society of Chemistry has some support services for those experiencing financial hardship. While there is some financial support, they also have consultation services; it may be useful to talk over your circumstances with someone who isn’t directly involved in your education or personal life.

Non-financial welfare support resources are curated here. Acute money problems can be enormously stressful, and if you feel acute distress then you should seriously consider engaging with some of the urgent support here.