In January and February this year, we collaborated with students' unions across the UK to carry out research on students' experience with the cost of living. With almost 9,000 responses, our research is the largest study of student's cost of living to date. The feedback is extremely valuable and will help us ensure that your voices are heard on a national level.
We know that Postgraduate Research Students face a particularly difficult set of challenges and we have been looking into the experiences of PHDs with the cost of living crisis. The results make clear that additional Government assistance is urgently needed.
“Though the UKRI did increase the PhD stipend is simply not enough to live in London… no one I know is able to live on the PhD stipend alone.”
Our key findings from PHDs are deeply concerning. Nationally we found that:
- 96% are concerned about the current cost of living crisis
- 78% and 60% had seen their mental health and academic performance suffer, compared to 72% and 54% of all students
- 21% had considered deferring their studies and 19% had considered dropping out because they could not afford to continue
- The mean hours worked weekly was 24 compared to 15 for all students
- 45% work over 30 hours per week
- 57% had to borrow money, compared to 53% of all students
“The living cost crisis totally distracts my focus to achieve my PhD work.”
We also asked questions specific to the PHD experience, looking into how PHD students fund themselves, whether they feel the level of financial support they receive is sufficient, and how their financial situation has impacted them. Our key findings nationally were that:
- 53% disagreed that their stipend covers their basic cost of living without any extra financial support
- 64% supplement their income through additional employment
- Just 2% had accessed University hardship funds, compared to 5% of all students
- 87% said that with their current stipend they would not have enough to cover the cost of an emergency
- 74% reported that worrying about their financial situation affected their productivity during their PhD
The results also make clear that disabled PhD students have been particularly hardly hit by the Cost of Living crisis. Disabled PhD students were more likely, compared to all PhD students, to:
- Disagree their stipend covers their basic cost of living without any extra financial support: 67% vs 53%
- Worry about their financial situation affecting their productivity during their PhD: 87% vs 74%
- Supplement their income through additional employment: 74% vs 64%
“It has become impossible to get more than 6 hours of sleep… PhD work is hard and stressful. It is especially difficult when one worries about being able to afford to finish.”
Over the next few months we will take a closer look at PhD students experiences with the Cost of Living crisis and continue to support work being done to push for greater financial support.