We are developing a new studentship data system to replace the Studentship Details Functionality (SDF) on the Joint Electronic Submission (Je-S) system.
The target date for the new system to be operational is the start of the 2025 to 2026 academic year.
Plan of work
Design phase
The discovery phase of the project was completed in January 2025. In February 2025 we began designing the new service based on our research.
Two out of three phases are complete and we have started building the system. User research sessions have provided a wealth of feedback, and we continue to make prioritised iterations.
We have liaised with a number of external stakeholders, these include:
- doctoral investment managers
- admissions managers
- users of the Je-S system
We will continue to involve stakeholders throughout the design process.
Data migration
All active studentships will be migrated to the new system. Any studentships linked to active training grants will also be migrated as part of the project.
Once the data migration plan has been finalised we will directly contact training grant holders about:
- actions we require from them
- potential system freezes
Deadlines for adding and updating records
Do not create any new studentship records for students starting in the 2025 to 2026 academic year in Je-S. The priority is that all new student records are created on the same system. This may mean a delay in migrating records for existing students.
Existing records can be updated until 31 July 2025. After this date, we cannot guarantee that any changes made to the records on Je-S will be pulled through to the new system.
The UKRI training grant terms and conditions state that new studentship records must be created within a month of the studentship start date. This will be extended to allow research organisations time to familiarise themselves with the new system.
Any changes to existing records, from 1 August 2025 until the launch date, will also be subject to an extended timeframe.
Research organisation lead accounts
We will be creating new lead accounts for the studentship data system.
Research organisations can provide an updated list of the relevant departments.
The project team will contact research organisations to validate who the lead account holder needs to be so the accounts can be set up ahead of the launch date.
Improvements to data capture
The standard data currently being collected will be captured in the new system.
We are reviewing all data fields and full details on the requirements will be confirmed as soon as possible.
The annual submission rate survey
This will no longer be a separate exercise.
The data request will form part of the main studentship record once it has been created. This gives the research organisation flexibility to update the records at any point in the year.
Research councils can take a snapshot of the data and use this to review the submission rates.
Based on user feedback on the timings of certain requests from UKRI, we have looked at ways to spread out the workload for research organisations.
UKRI studentships funded through research grants
All UKRI-funded studentships will be captured on the new system so research organisations can link studentships to relevant research grants as well as training grants.
Full details on the studentships that should be included will be provided on the system.
Keep up to date
This page will be updated regularly as the work progresses and we will be in direct communication with training grant holders.
Ask a question about the studentship data project
Email: studentshipdataproject@ukri.org
Last updated: 11 July 2025