If your organisation has been awarded a training grant from UKRI, you’ll need to be aware of certain requirements, expectations and flexibilities.
This guidance is not exhaustive. There may also be legal and council-specific requirements not covered here.
Terms, conditions and expectations
You will need to read and agree to our:
The terms and conditions include details of:
- your legal and other responsibilities in relation to the training grant
- what the grant can be used for
- eligibility for studentships
- extensions to studentships (and early submissions or termination)
- monitoring and reporting requirements
- absence and leave
The statement of expectations outlines the key outcomes doctoral training should aim for. It sets out what’s expected of funders, research organisations and students to achieve desired outcomes for:
- support and student experience
- research skills and methods
- professional and career development
Good practice principles for recruitment and training
All UKRI-funded organisations that recruit and train postgraduate research students should:
- provide clear information on course structure, fees and student entitlements
- have a transparent recruitment process with clear assessment criteria
- make sure recruitment panels are appropriate by being reflective of the career stage and demonstrating diversity
- have scoring criteria which enable fair comparison between academic achievements and non-academic achievements (for example industry experience)
- make sure supervisors are supported
- have effective communication channels for students and staff
- pay at least the minimum stipend set by UKRI
See UKRI good practice principles in recruitment and training at a doctoral level.
Flexibilities with using training grant funds
Training grants offer some flexibility with how they are used.
Some grants let you vary:
- the number of studentships to offer
- their duration
- the qualification a student is registered for (for example, an Engineering Doctorate (EngD) instead of the traditional PhD)
Funds can often also be used to:
- cover appropriate professional skills development opportunities
- partner with industry to offer students collaborative placements and other training
- cover expenses directly related to a student’s research, such as conference fees, fieldwork, survey costs and specialist equipment (expenses vary by council and you must keep a record for monitoring purposes)
For further information, read the guidance on flexibilities with training grants and check your specific grant award.
Eligibility for studentships
Specific eligibility details can be found for each training grant in the funding opportunity, as well as in the terms and conditions.
There is a limit on what percentage of studentships can be awarded to international students in each cohort. This varies between councils.
Stipends and fees
Stipends and fees must be at least the minimum set by UKRI. You should check the details of your award letter for any additional information around enhanced stipends.
| Academic year | Minimum stipend £ | Fee level £ |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 to 2027 | 21,805 | 5,238 |
| 2025 to 2026 | 20,780 | 5,006 |
| 2024 to 2025 | 19,237 | 4,786 |
| 2023 to 2024 | 18,622 | 4,712 |
| 2022 to 2023 | 17,668 | 4,596 |
| 2021 to 2022 | 15,609 | 4,500 |
| 2020 to 2021 | 15,285 | 4,407 |
| 2019 to 2020 | 15,009 | 4,327 |
| 2018 to 2019 | 14,777 | 4,260 |
| 2017 to 2018 | 14,553 | 4,195 |
Students training for a veterinary degree
Students training for a recognised veterinary degree qualification and receiving a Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) training grant benefit from a higher minimum stipend. The rate for 2026 to 2027 is £30,488. If you are unable to meet those costs within the overall training grant, contact gfmt@bbsrc.ukri.org
Reporting requirements
All training grant holders are expected to collect certain data on funded students, such as project details and diversity profile. You should make students and supervisors aware that some information may be shared with UKRI and publicly, for example through Gateway to Research.
You will need to make sure that the Studentship Data System is kept up to date. New records must be created within a month of the student commencing their study.
We use this data for reporting and to understand how training grants are being used.
Last updated: 7 May 2026