maternity pay for phd students

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• CAREER FEATURE
• 30 April 2019

Why scientist-mums in the United States need better parental-support policies

• Kendall Powell 0

Kendall Powell is a freelance writer in Lafayette, Colorado.

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

In 2011, and again in 2014, Debbie Mitchell had extremely difficult childbirths. In the aftermath, Mitchell faced a lack of support that many early-career scientist-mothers in the United States experience — a situation that a lot of new mums find intolerable.

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Nature 569 , 149-151 (2019)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-01315-2

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Parental Relief for PhD Students

The Graduate School's parental relief policy assists PhD students when they become parents by enabling them to modify their academic responsibilities in the semester during or following the birth or adoption of a child.

During your semester of parental relief:

• Your academic clock stops, effectively adding an additional term to your total time to degree.
• You will remain a registered full-time student; relief is not a leave of absence. If you are on a Yale-sponsored student visa, be sure confirm with OISS that relief will not affect your immigration status.
• You will receive a standard stipend and health award from the Graduate School. Any funding remaining in your original funding package offered at admission will be deferred until your return.
• In consultation with your DGS and adviser, you can modify your academic activity to suit your specific situation. All students are entitled to a minimum of eight weeks of full relief free from any academic obligations.

This benefit is limited to two birth or adoption events over the course of a student’s doctoral program. If both parents are PhD students at Yale, both may receive this benefit per birth or adoption event. 

Please note that a new birth or adoption may also qualify you for the Graduate School’s Family Support Subsidy for PhD students .

Students who are not eligible for parental relief may be eligible for a parental leave of absence .

Matthew S. Tanico

Assistant Dean for Academic Support & Outreach

• [email protected]

Parents & Families

If you have a spouse, partner, child/children, or other family members, we know that their happiness is important to your success. We want them to feel welcome and to become part of our community.

Explore Parent & Family Resources

• Family Support Subsidy for Parenting PhD Students
• Spouse & Partner Privileges
• Yale Health
• International Spouses and Partners at Yale (ISPY)

• Schools & departments

Sick Leave and Parental Leave Policies for University-funded PhD Scholarship holders

Information for University funded PhD students.

This is information about the newly introduced funded sick leave and parental leave policies for University funded PhD students, which come into effect from 1 st August 2022. Here you can find information about eligibility criteria, amounts of funding available and how to apply for these funds.  

**Updates June 2023**

New provision for students to take short-term time off for emergencies and compassionate leave, which can be funded (typically up to 5 days) or unfunded.  

Clarification that the period during which 13 weeks of sick pick can be provided is a 12-month rolling period. 

Clarification on the full provision of funding for parental leave, including the introduction of Keeping-in-Touch days.

There is an update to the SMP weekly rate for maternity leave and this is now £172.48/week . This rate applies to the 13 paid weeks after the initial 26 weeks of full stipend.

An expectation that parental leave funds will be returned to the University if the student does not return to study after the leave.

Stipend and Statutory Maternity Pay rates all updated to the current rate at the time of issue.  

References to UKRI Terms and Conditions updated to the current version at the time of issue.  

1. Eligibility

From 1 st August 2022, matriculated PhD students in receipt of a School, College or University-funded PhD Scholarship are eligible to receive Sick Leave, Maternity Leave, Paternity Leave, Adoption Leave or Unpaid Parental Leave. This includes the following PhD scholarships:

College Research Award

Edinburgh Doctoral College Scholarship

Principal Careers Development Scholarship

Students are also eligible where they are in receipt of a scholarship where the stipend is administered by the University, e.g. funding from an industrial partner or charity, and the funder has indicated that funded leave cannot be provided. The funder must be asked whether they can cover this in first instance; paid leave will only be provided where they have confirmed that they cannot do so.

Eligibility applies from the point of initial matriculation on the relevant programme, until the end of the approved funding period. Students must be fully matriculated at the point of submitting their request. Students who remain fully matriculated and on programme but are beyond their funded period are not eligible for paid leave. If the initial submission of the thesis is made during the funded period, the requirement to provide funded leave under this policy ends at the point of submission.

The policy comes into effect from 1 st August 2022 for all new requests and the policy does not apply to retrospective claims for leave taken before 1 st August 2022. Students who started their leave prior to 1 st August 2022 will not be entitled to funding under these policies, even if the leave extends beyond 1 st August 2022.

Part-time or part-funded students should expect to receive any payments to which they are entitled on a pro-rata basis and in the case of part-funded students, they will only be entitled to funding for the part of the studentship provided or administered by the University.

Students are only eligible to receive one type of paid leave at a time. For example, a student who is in receipt of paid maternity leave is not eligible to also receive paid sick leave during that same period.

Visa Sponsored Students

Students with a Tier 4 or Student Route visa who request leave under these policies should contact the Student Immigration Service as early as possible for guidance as to any impact that taking leave will have on their visa and to ensure that compliance can be maintained.

Students with a University of Edinburgh Staff Contract

Students who are paid a salary from the University in addition to receiving a studentship, e.g. those employed as Tutors and Demonstrators or Research Assistants, will be entitled to receive full paid leave through the relevant staff policy in addition to receiving the full provision of paid leave that they are entitled to under these policies. Leave does not need to be split between the two routes.

Students who are paid their studentship as a salary, e.g. those with a Marie Curie Fellowship, Clinical Research Fellows and ECAT Fellows, are only eligible for paid leave through the relevant staff policy. They are not eligible for paid leave under the Research Student Sick Leave or Maternity and Parental Leave Policies.

Students with a staff contract should review the relevant University HR policies below and should contact the relevant School HR contact to discuss further.

Research Student Sick Leave Policy

https://www.ed.ac.uk/human-resources/policies-guidance/leave-absence/absence

 Research Student Maternity and Parental Leave Policy

https://www.ed.ac.uk/human-resources/policies-guidance/leave-absence/family-leave

2. Sick leave, Parental leave and Emergency/Compassionate leave funding

Eligible students who are unfit to study may receive stipend payments at their current payment rate for a period of absence, of longer than 7 days and up to a maximum of 13 weeks within any 12-month rolling period and where the absence is supported by a medical certificate.

This applies both to students who fall sick and to those with a long-term condition for which an acute episode requires that they take time off their study. Multiple periods of sick leave within the 12-month rolling period are permitted up to a combined total of 13 weeks and do not need to run consecutively.

Sick leave funding is not a direct payment made to the student at the point of illness. Instead, the policy allows the normal stipend payment to continue during the absence (up to 13 weeks) and the funding is extended at the end of their funded period to account for all periods of approved sick leave taken, rounded down to the nearest whole month.

A medical certificate must be provided for sick leave to be approved. This should be from a GP or an appropriate professional relative to the medical issue, e.g. a letter from a psychologist would be appropriate for a mental health issue. Medical certification must be signed (electronic signatures are accepted), in English, and cover the entire duration of the period of sick leave (less the first week, where self-certification will be accepted). If an eligible student on a current period of sick leave requires that period of sick leave to be extended, additional medical certification covering the additional period of sickness absence is required.

Where sick leave specifically relates to a disability that is formally disclosed to the University via a Schedule of Adjustment, additional medical certification is not required to be provided. Requests for funded sick leave that relate to a disclosed disability will be considered in conjunction with any Reasonable Adjustments already in place through the Student Disability Service.

Sick leave cannot be provided where a student is not sick themselves and needs to be absent to care for a sick dependent. In this situation, you can request an interruption of studies through the usual process. Sick leave also cannot be provided where a student has suffered from a bereavement, except where the bereavement has had a detrimental impact on the student’s health, as evidenced by an appropriate medical certificate.

Maternity, Paternity, Adoption and Unpaid Parental Leave

There is no qualifying period for maternity, paternity or adoption leave but only new requests submitted from 1st August 2022 onwards can be considered under this policy. For parental leave, the expected week of childbirth must occur during the student’s funded period.

Students are advised that when taking paid parental leave, will be required to repay this in the event that they do not return to your studies.

Maternity leave - Students are entitled to 52 weeks of maternity leave if the expected week of childbirth will occur during their funded period. The earliest Maternity leave can commence is 11 weeks before the expected week of childbirth. Depending on how long a student interrupts for maternity leave, the first 26 weeks will be paid at full stipend rate, pro-rated as necessary for part time students. The following 13 weeks will be paid at a level commensurate with statutory maternity pay (£172.48 per week for full-time students and 90% of weekly stipend for part-time students) and the final 13 weeks are unfunded.

Paternity leave - students are entitled to up to two weeks paid Ordinary Paternity Leave on full stipend. Ordinary Paternity Leave cannot start before the birth and must end within 56 days of the birth.

Adoption leave – this will be granted on the same basis as maternity leave.

Unpaid parental leave - Students are entitled to take up to a maximum of 50 weeks’ unpaid parental leave and the leave must be completed within 12 months of the birth of the child. Your stipend payments will be paused during the leave and then resumed upon your return to study. Therefore, you will not receive any additional stipend payments but the length of the leave requested will extend your funding end date.

Keeping in Touch Days

Where appropriate, students on paid Parental Leave can undertake up to 10 Keeping in Touch days, which should be discussed and agreed in advance. Once agreed, the student and supervisor should notify the relevant School or College contact responsible for administering the student’s stipend. Students should be paid their daily stipend rate less any leave payments of which they are already in receipt.

Emergency and Compassionate Leave

Under the Sick Leave and Parental Leave policies, students are entitled to take short-term time off for emergencies and/or compassionate leave, which can be paid or unpaid depending on the circumstances.

Students are advised to notify the School as soon as emergency/compassionate leave payments are required.   

The leave would not normally be for more than 5 days and would therefore be dealt with in the same way as short periods of sickness absence. The normal stipend payment should continue during the absence and the funding is extended at the end of the student’s funded period to account for all periods of approved leave taken, rounded down to the nearest whole month. This leave can be added to periods of approved sick leave taken when calculating additional payments to be made at the end of the funded period.

  If the student requires a longer period of leave due to the circumstances, they can apply for an interruption of studies. In discussion with the student, the School can decide whether to stop or continue the stipend payments during the interruption but no additional stipend funding will be provided. Therefore, if the decision is taken that the stipend will continue during the absence, the student should be advised that there will be an unfunded period at the end of their studies. Paid sick leave could only be provided during an interruption of studies where the circumstances have had a detrimental impact on the student’s health, as evidenced by an appropriate medical certificate.

3. Application process

In order to request these funds, students must apply for an Authorised Interruption of Study.

Students with a Tier 4 or Student Route visa must contact the Student Immigration Service as early as possible for guidance as to any impact that taking leave will have on their visa and to ensure that compliance can be maintained.

Sick leave – Students should apply to their School for an Authorised Interruption of study and provide medical evidence as part of this application. Where sick leave claims are less than 1 month, the concession will still be considered by College. If approved, students will be notified and although no interruption will be recorded on EUCLID, local funding notes will document the extension of the award by the weeks approved as funded sick leave.

All parental leave – Students should apply to their School for an Authorised Interruption of study and supply the relevant supporting documents e.g MATB1 form / Maternity Certificate / letter from the adoption agency.

4. Notification

The University team responsible for administering your stipend payments will notify you, via email, with the outcome of your request.

5. Contact us

If you have any queries about the policy or application process, please contact us [email protected]

/images/cornell/logo35pt_cornell_white.svg" alt="maternity pay for phd students"> Cornell University --> Graduate School

Maternity and paternity options (parental accommodation).

Cornell University graduate and professional students are eligible for parental accommodation to help balance the competing demands of academic and family life. Accommodation options vary with the student’s funding and degree program.

• a six-week paid accommodation for funded graduate students appointed on assistantship, fellowship, or traineeship (or eight weeks for the birth mother for a cesarean section delivery), or
• up to one year of reduced academic load status for registered students to be taken in full-semester increments not counting toward time-to-degree limits.
• This policy serves parental needs surrounding childbirth, adoption, newborn care, foster care, and acute child health care. 

University Policies:

• Parental Accommodation Policy 1.6
• Voluntary Leave of Absence for Students Policy 7.1  

When you anticipate you may need parental accommodation, start the process early. Forms must be submitted at least 90 days prior to the accommodation period should begin.

How do I initiate the process?

• Review the  Students with Families website . 
• Disclose your situation to key people, for example your special committee chair, advisor or mentor, your DGS, and your GFA (graduate field administrator). 
• Talk to your graduate program office to initiate the process.

Who is eligible?

• Available to both parents.
• Students funded on assistantship or fellowship who are in good academic standing.
• Must be registered in their second semester or beyond.
• Domestic and international students are eligible for the same policy provisions.
• The student has not taken parental accommodation during the previous 12 months before the requested start date.
• Graduate students in programs without semester course credit requirements who are in good academic standing.
• Students who have had a prior parental accommodation must let at least two academic-year semesters elapse between the end of the last accommodation period and the start of the new accommodation period.
• Typically limited to U.S. citizens and permanent residents. (International students should discuss their parental leave plan with an advisor in Immigration Services to ensure that there is no adverse impact on immigration status.)

How does this count toward the time to degree?

Time away does not count toward time to degree.

Do I continue to get my financial support?

For eligible graduate students, financial support at the time of leave as assistant, fellow, or trainee continues as paid leave for six (or eight) weeks. Funding is not available for students choosing the reduced academic load option.

Does health insurance continue? 

Do i continue to have access to cornell facilities and personnel.

Students maintain access to all Cornell facilities and personnel during their accommodation periods.

Learn more about parental accommodation

Read  Parental Accommodation Policy 1.6 or contact the Senior Assistant Dean for Graduate Student Life.

Complete process for taking a parental accommodation leave:

• Talk to your graduate program office to discuss the process and initiate the necessary form(s).
• Complete the Accommodation Request form , gathering necessary signatures and documentation.
• Submit the form to the Graduate School.
• The Graduate School will review the request to determine eligibility.
• If you have a cesarean section, please notify the Graduate School within seven days to extend your leave to eight weeks. 
• Graduate and Professional Student Parental Accommodation, Policy 1.6
• Graduate Student Assistantships, Policy 1.3
• Voluntary Leave of Absence for Students, Policy 7.1
• Cornell Student Disability Services Office

Graduate Student Services Office [email protected] 607-255-5820

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The web address you followed in your web browser or e-mail that claimed to be the University of Southampton was not genuine.

The official web page of the University of Southampton is: southampton.ac.uk

If you have engaged with any persons at an address other than southampton.ac.uk or soton.ac.uk then you may have been a victim of a crime, in which case please contact the University’s Data Protection team: [email protected] .

UCL Doctoral School

UCL Policy for parental leave for doctoral researchers

On this page

• Introduction
• Definitions of terms used
• Terms and Conditions
• Maternity leave
• Paternity leave
• Adoption leave
• Unpaid parental leave
• Keeping in touch (KiT) days

1. Introduction

This policy is designed to ensure that individuals with caring responsibilities for young children are treated fairly and consistently and are not treated less favourably than other students as a result of their parental responsibilities. Following the birth or placement of a child, eligible doctoral researchers can take maternity, adoption, or paternity leave as appropriate. 

2. Definition of terms used 

Doctoral researchers  – this refers to those students on MPhil/PhD, EngD/Professional Doctorate, or 1+3 funded programmes. The term ‘student’ refers to this category of student throughout.  

Maternity leave  – a period of up to 52 weeks of leave that may be taken by research students following the birth of a child. 

Adoption leave  – a period of up to 52 weeks of leave that may be taken by research students following the placement of a child with an adoptive parent. 

Paternity leave  – ordinary paternity leave refers to a period of up to two weeks leave available to the partner of the person giving birth, the partner of the primary adopter or an intended parent (for those having a baby through a surrogacy agreement), regardless of gender. 

Shared parental leave  – this is no longer included in this policy because it is not possible under government regulations where one partner is employed and the other partner is being paid through a studentship scheme; where both partners are students on similar studentships scheme, an informal arrangement in order to share leave may be possible.  

Unpaid parental leave  – a period of up to 50 weeks of unpaid leave that may be taken by research students following the birth of a partner's child, regardless of gender.

3. Terms and Conditions 

3.1. Suspension of study 

3.1.1. Any student applying for maternity, adoption, paternity, and unpaid leave should apply for an interruption of studies via the Research Degrees Office for the relevant period. Students who are supported by a student (Tier 4) visa should seek advice from the Student Immigration Advice and Compliance Team to discuss how an interruption of study affects the Student visa.  

3.2. Payments to Students 

3.2.1. UKRI-funded students will be entitled to payment for maternity, adoption, and paternity leave as outlined in this policy. 

3.2.2. Students who are funded by University College London (central or department) will be entitled to payment for maternity, adoption, and paternity leave as outlined in this policy. 

3.2.3. For students who receive external funding administered through UCL, the department must check the funder Terms and Conditions found in the grant or the contract whether they will cover these costs. If parental leave is not mentioned, the department must write to the funder to ask whether these costs can be covered or not. If not, we strongly recommend that departments endeavour to cover these costs from departmental/faculty funds in keeping with the Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion aims of the university, although we are not under legal obligation to do so.

3.2.4. Students who are self-funded and those funded directly from an external organisation (and those entitled to tuition fee only awards), are entitled to the periods of leave detailed within this policy but will not be eligible for any financial support from the University. 

3.2.5. Payments made to university-funded students who are part-time will be subject to a pro-rata adjustment in line with the percentage of funding received.  

3.3. Students with PGTA contracts 

3.3.1. In the case of students who hold a PGTA contract, advice should be sought from HR about eligibility for Maternity Pay via their employment contract. 

3.4. Students with UKVI Student (TIER 4) Visas 

3.4.1. In the case of students sponsored by the University under UKVI Student (Tier 4) visa, suspension as a result of parental leave may require the University to withdraw sponsorship and for the student to return to their home country for the duration of the leave. In such cases, students will thereafter need to apply to the University for a new CAS number to apply for a new visa to resume their studies. 

3.4.2. All requests for parental leave must be made in good time to permit time for approval of the request and to ensure travel home can be made following the report of the suspension to the UKVI. 

3.4.3. In all cases, advice should be sought from the Student Immigration Advice and Compliance Team as early as possible (especially in the case of a pregnancy) to ensure compliance with the Student (Tier 4) visa can be maintained.

3.5. Repayment of stripend payments

3.5.1. Should a student not return to their studies after the temporary withdrawal, any stipend paid above the prevailing reduced SMP rate during that period will normally be recovered by the University.

3.5.2. Students should return to studies at the University in a full or part-time capacity, for at least 13 weeks full-time (or part-time equivalent) following maternity or adoption leave. Should a student not return to their studies after the period of suspension, any stipend paid during that period for Maternity or shared parental pay will normally be recovered by the University. This requirement could be waived in exceptional circumstances, which would be approved on a case-by-case basis. There is no minimum period of return required after paternity leave. 

4. Maternity Leave 

4.1. Stipend payments during maternity leave 

4.1.1. Students are only eligible if the expected week of birth is within their studentship period. The earliest start date allowed is 11 weeks before expected week of birth. 

4.1.2. In cases of still birth (which is defined here as a miscarriage after 24th week of pregnancy) or baby death, the student is still entitled to maternity leave as described below. For cases of miscarriage prior to 24th week of pregnancy, the sick leave policy should be used. 

4.1.3. The table below shows students' entitlements to stipend payments during maternity leave depending on the source of their financing:

4.1.4. The reduced rate refers to an equivalent payment that is available to staff who are entitled to statutory maternity pay. The lower level of statutory maternity pay is set by the government each year .

4.1.5. Students who are unsure about the source of their funding should contact their Department Postgraduate Administrator for clarification. 

4.1.6. Students who are registered at less than 100% will receive their standard pro-rata stipend payments (for the initial 26-week period as above) followed by 13 weeks the reduced SMP payment, capped to a maximum of 100% of their normal stipend rate. 

4.1.7. Students do not have to take the full 52 weeks maternity leave and can opt for a shorter period of maternity leave; however, in line with guidance for staff, students should take at least two weeks leave following the birth of the child. Less than 4 weeks leave should be discussed in detail with the supervisory team to ensure the student can safely return.

6. Paternity leave

5.1. All students are eligible for paternity leave, if they are, regardless of gender:

• the partner of the person who will give birth or
• the partner of the primary adopter or
• the intended parent (if you are having a baby through surrogacy arrangement)
• also have or expect to have responsibility for the child’s upbringing.

5.2. In the case of couples who are adopting a child or having a child through a surrogacy arrangement, adoption leave, and pay are available to only one member of the couple. The other person can take paternity leave, regardless of gender. 

5.3. Paternity leave permits the individual to take up to 2 weeks of leave on full stipend (the time is not pro-rata for part-time it should remain 2 calendar weeks). Paternity leave must be taken in a single block after the birth or placement of the child and within 56 days of this event. The funding end date should be extended to cover this period of absence. During this period the student’s normal stipend payments will continue. 

6. Adoption leave 

6.1. Students who are planning to or who have become parents as a result of adoption are entitled to the same support and advice as other students who become parents during their studies, and the  processes, leave allowances and stipend payments outlined in the table above and elsewhere in this policy apply equally. 

6.2. It is acknowledged that the timeframe for adoption arrangements may not allow as much time for planning in comparison with a pregnant student, and where this is the case, the student and the member of staff will follow the principles and processes as far as they are able. 

6.3. Where two students are jointly adopting, only one member of the couple can be considered as the primary caregiver, who will be entitled to be considered for maternity related absence. The other partner will be afforded the same entitlements as is outlined for partners entitled to paternity leave. 

6.4. All references to adoption and adoption leave include circumstances where individuals foster a child for adoption or are ‘Parental Order’ intended parents in a surrogacy arrangement.

7. Unpaid parental leave

7.1. Partners are entitled to an extended period of unpaid parental leave, up to a maximum of 50 weeks, with their studentship extended accordingly. Unpaid parental leave must be completed within 12 months of the birth of the child. This leave may be taken in up to three blocks of leave or all at once. Unpaid parental leave is available to those who meet the following eligibility criteria: 

i. They must share responsibility for the child ii. They must be taking the leave to look after the child  iii. The terms and conditions of their grant must not specifically exclude the taking of such leave

8. Keeping in touch (KiT) days

The Research Organisation must ensure a consideration of how Keeping in Touch (KiT)-like days could be provided for students. KiT days are paid if they are in final 13 weeks, and get a top-up pay if they are in the statutory pay period. Such instances should be agreed in advance by the student and their supervisor and not add up to more than 10 days across the leave period. Payment for KiT days should be made at the student’s basic daily rate (regardless of the actual hours worked) less appropriate Maternity, Adoptive/Maternity Support Pay they are receiving.  

15 December 2022

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•       Financial Aid       PhD Scholarships and Financial Aid

PAYING FOR YOUR PHD Expert Tips, Scholarships Opportunities and Resources for Financing an Advanced Degree

The average yearly tuition for a PhD program is slightly above $16,000, which means students will invest about $80,000 in tuition fees alone for a five-year program. Add in fees, cost-of-living, travel expenses and the figure can easily surpass six figures. Yet, it is possible to fund a PhD program without breaking the bank and going into debt.

Featured Online Schools

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PHD COST BREAKDOWN

The value of a college education should not be understated, but neither should its actual cost. Earning a doctoral degree can be an expensive proposition. According to the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics, the average tuition and fees for a graduate program of study was $16,435 in 2012-2013. The table below outlines the 2012-2013 graduate tuition and fees by academic institution.

• All Institutions $16,435
• Public $10,408
• Private Non-Profit $23,698
• Private For-Profit $14,418

Source: National Center for Education Statistics

A rough calculation of the number of years it takes to complete a doctoral program, multiplied by the average 2012-2013 tuition and fees from the NCES, reveals the following total cost figures by academic field of study.

A five- to six-figure education is something to take seriously as there are debt implications after leaving finishing a PhD program. Graduating doctoral students in 2013 left school with an average debt of just over $15,000, according to the National Science Foundation. By field, students in the Social Sciences, Education and Humanities graduate with the highest levels of student debt:

• Education: $26,566
• Social Sciences: $26,222
• Humanities: $21,485

Conversely, the science and technology fields graduate students with the lowest debt figures:

• Physical Sciences: $6,342
• Engineering: $7,031
• Life Sciences: $11,905
• Physical Sciences 78.2%
• Engineering 75.1%
• Life Sciences 67.2%
• Humanities 48.4%
• Social Sciences 46.5%
• Education 44.1%

Source: National Science Foundation, Survey of Earned Doctorates, 2013

While these figures may seem alarming, a deeper dive into survey data from the National Science Foundation actually paints a more positive picture. Overall, more than 62 percent of all doctoral recipients graduate from school without a single dollar of debt.

Prospective students can use the table below to get a better sense of the percentage of students who take on debt at incremental levels in each field of academic study. A majority of students graduate with $10,000 or less in debt after finishing their doctoral degree.

PhD Cost Factors

The total cost of earning a doctoral degree is variable because of the sheer number of different factors involved. Tuition is not the only cost to consider when thinking about applying to a PhD program.

Typically, students pay full tuition rates during their first three years of doctoral study and receive reduced tuition rates for the remainder of the program. However, the actual cost of tuition does vary and may be dependent on the student’s actual degree program.

Graduate students pay a range of fees, with the most common including:

• Health Services (access to health facilities on campus)
• Health Insurance (personal health insurance)
• Student Activity (subsidizes athletics and other clubs)
• Student Recreation (access to recreational facilities on campus)

Some programs estimate students should be prepared to pay between $3,000 and $4,500 per academic year in student fees and health insurance costs.

Students with a master’s degree or coursework in a similar graduate program may be able to transfer credits into their doctoral program. That can lower the total number of credits required to graduate, which can lower the total cost of the degree. However, some institutions do limit the amount of tuition credits that can be applied for graduate work done in a related field at other institutions.

Whether or not the student has an assistantship does not affect the cost of textbooks and other academic materials. Books are a revolving charge, one a student should plan upon each semester or quarter.

Housing, utilities and food are considered indirect expenses students incur during their education. PhD students should plan on anywhere from $12,000 to $25,000 and up for living expenses each year. Again, this figure is highly variable based on the location of the university and the cost-of-living in that area.

Owning a car means additional budgeting for insurance, car payments and gas. Additionally, students may need to travel for conferences and research. Without funding from a graduate student association or grant program, the student will have to cover these costs individually.

PhD students with children may have to account for childcare costs. Purchasing a new computer and other supplies may also be required. This type of budgeting will vary from individual to individual, program to program.

Most PhD programs allow students to progress at their own pace, requiring them to complete and defend their dissertation within a certain time period (e.g. six years). However, the time it takes to complete a dissertation depends on the student, area of study, research, etc. This can impact cost of attending a doctoral program.

Example Cost of Attendance

A student’s budget should include the total cost of attendance—that is both direct (tuition and fees) and indirect costs (e.g. housing). This budget is the starting point for determining the student’s financial need, how much financial aid they require, and if they can afford to attend a doctoral program. Below is a sample five-year total cost of attendance chart based on an in-state tuition program, with a budget that assumes fixed costs for fees and indirect costs, such as housing. It also does not take into account assistantships and tuition waivers for assistants.

Based on a figure that’s slightly below the 2012-2013 average graduate tuition cost, the total cost of attendance can still produce sticker shock. An average student in a program that charges $12,000 per year in tuition could have to pay between $30,000 and $45,000 year in total costs.

PhD FINANCIAL AID OPTIONS

Prospective PhD candidates have an abundance of financial aid options to help fund their graduate studies. Typically, students are fully funded by a combination of sources, including scholarships, fellowships, research assistantships, teaching assistantships, or student loans.

It is important for students to note that most sources of aid are awarded by individual academic programs, so they should follow-up with their department for up-to-date information.

Below is a high-level overview of the common types of graduate financial aid.

Prospective PhD candidates can turn to a variety of funding sources, including scholarships, grants, and fellowships to support their education financially. As discussed, most students use a combination of one or more of these funding sources to finance their degree program and research.

PhD students can apply for a variety of scholarships that award students with funds that can be used to help cover the cost of tuition, books and other fees.

Grants are similar to scholarships and are academic-based awards that can be used to augment other sources of financial aid.

Fellowships are a different type of funding that may encompass a scholarship or grant and can be used to fund research, study and teaching in the US and internationally. Many fellowships provide full tuition and a yearly stipend to students.

A PhD should never be an end in itself but rather a means to an end. The path to a PhD is an arduous one and should never be undertaken without serious thought to what it will bring the student. That said, there is money available for graduate study in most fields, and a student in the humanities should be very careful to apply to appropriate programs which fund their grad students.

• Engineering
• Physical Sciences

The SMART program is designed to support graduate students studying in STEM disciplines and offers a range of other benefits, including supplies and health insurance allowances and employment placement services with the DoD after graduation.

The National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship is a three-year graduate fellowship that is designed to support doctoral students across fifteen engineering disciplines.

This three-year fellowship program supports the research efforts of doctoral students in STEM-related fields of study and allows them to pursue their work at any accredited graduate program in the country.

Renewable award for graduate students enrolled in a full-time APA-accredited doctoral program of study in psychology. Underrepresented, minority students are encouraged to apply.

This fellowship is open to female scholars and is designed to help offset the doctoral student’s living expenses during her final year of working on a dissertation.

This fellowship is a single-year of funding that is designed to support the doctoral research of a student working in child psychology.

The Javits Fellowship is provided on a needs- and competitive-basis to graduate students pursing graduate degrees in the humanities, social sciences, and the arts.

Two fellowships are awarded to support doctoral students who plan to study at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, Greece for a year.

The Richard M. Weaver Scholarship is open to graduate student members of the Intercollegiate Studies Institute and supports the academic work of scholars pursuing teaching careers at the college level.

The AICPA fellowship is designed for minority students pursuing or planning to pursue a doctorate in accounting.

Five scholarships are available to provide financial assistance to graduate students pursuing studies in accounting and plan on earning CPA licensure.

This fellowship provides financial support to female scholars conducting research and economic analysis into natural resource, food, or agricultural issues.

This renewable, four-year fellowship is designed to support a scholar’s work in the field of stewardship science: nuclear science, high density physics, and materials under extreme conditions and hydrodynamics.

This multi-year fellowship supports doctoral research in several fields, ranging from chemistry to geology, materials science to physics and connects fellows with NPSC employer partners.

The NWRI fellowship program is open to full-time doctoral students conducting water-based research in areas such as water quality, water treatment and technologies, water supplies and water resources.

Really think about your reasons for getting a PhD. Critically exam the support systems you have in place to get you through the journey: 50 percent of doctoral students suffer from depression. Utilize services like the counseling center on your college/university campuses to help you respond to the stressors that may occur with the transition.

ASSISTANTSHIPS, FELLOWSHIPS AND LOANS

Graduate assistantships.

Graduate assistantships are a form of academic appointment and are provided by individual departments. Competitive in nature, they are typically awarded on the basis of the student’s academic accomplishments and potential in the graduate program of study. Most programs provide appointments for one year at time and students receive a tuition credit or waiver and monthly stipend. There are three types of assistantships: Teaching Assistantships, Assistant Lecturers, and Research Assistants.

Teaching assistants perform a range of support duties for faculty members at a university, including grading papers and teaching classes.

Lecturers may serve as instructors in the academic department where they are studying.

Research assistants conduct and assist faculty members with research projects in the student’s area of interest.

Fellowships

Fellowships are short-term funding opportunities (typically 9- to 12 months) provided to students in the form of tuition credits and/or stipends. They support a student’s graduate study in their field of choice, may assist them in their research, or gain professional training in an area of interest. Fellowships are competitive and are available in two types: University-based and External.

Individual schools, colleges, and departments at a university (e.g. College of Science, Department of English) may have endowed fellowships. Students are either nominated for an award by their department or may be open to an application process.

External fellowships are funded by foundations, government agencies and other groups and provide opportunities to study both in the US and abroad. For example, the Department of Defense offers the National Defense Science & Engineering Graduate Fellowship to engineering students studying in one of sixteen engineering specialties.

Corporations

Many companies and businesses have created scholarship, fellowship, and tuition reimbursement programs for their employees. Depending on the company, there may be a possibility it supports the graduate school efforts of its employees. Speak to the Human Resources department to learn more about the potential funding avenues available.

Graduate students may borrow funds from the federal government under two loan programs: William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program and the Federal Perkins Loan Program.

Private financial institutions, including banks and credit unions, offer unsecured educational loans to graduate students. These loans must be repaid with interest. The interest rates, loan amount, and repayment terms are based on the credit worthiness of the borrower.

Federal work study provides students with demonstrated financial need part-time job opportunities that allow them to earn income while they are in graduate school. The program focuses on placing students in community service situations related to the student’s academic course of study. A majority of jobs are on-campus, but some schools may have some off-campus jobs with nonprofit agencies and other groups. It is important to note that some universities may not allow students to use their federal work study for tuition, but other related expenses (e.g. books, fees).

EXPERT SPOTLIGHT: Lawrence Burns, PhD

What should a future phd student consider when selecting a program of   study .

Speaking in the humanities, a student is best advised, I think, to select the faculty member with whom he or she wishes to study rather than simply a program. This faculty member becomes the student’s mentor, a relationship that lasts well beyond graduate school years. Because the mentor becomes the student’s primary reference, his or her standing in the field can and does have an impact on pre- and post-doctoral grants a student might win as well as on the student’s success on the academic job market.

It is a delicate balance though, because one must also look at programs that have standing in a particular field and at institutions that can afford to fund their PhD students throughout their graduate years.

Much is made about the saturation of PhD graduates and not enough   positions — both in academic and the private sector. Should that dissuade   a student from pursuing a PhD?

Yes, of course. Again, a PhD is not something that comes easily, and it should not be pursued without a reason for it. On the other hand, for students who are committed to their fields, and for whom that field is a career choice, the PhD is still the only way into the university job market. 

There is a catch-22 in the world of post-graduate education. Research universities need to turn out research, and researchers often depend on their grad students to assist them–in all fields–and departments on their PhD candidates to teach many undergraduate courses. PhD students are thus recruited regardless of the job market for the PhD holders.

The challenges in funding the PhD for me were less about how am I going to pay for this degree, but making the adjustment from being a full-time salaried employee to now, taking a significant pay cut to serve as a graduate assistant.

EARNING OUTLOOK FOR PHD STUDENTS

Potential career earnings should be a significant part of the discussion when considering whether or not to pursue a doctoral degree. Completing an advanced program of study could increase an individual’s earning potential with their current or future employers.

Research from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals a direct correlation between educational attainment and career success—both in employment opportunities and annual salaries. Doctoral degree holders are some of the highest paid professionals in the country. The table below outlines the difference in earnings by degree level in 2014.

source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Earnings and Unemployment by Educational Attainment

• Industry or Business $97,700
• Government $82,000
• Nonprofit Organizations $72,500
• Other $70,000
• Academia $60,000

Source: National Science Foundation, Survey of Earned Doctorates

In turn, prospective students should consider how their sacrifice of time and money will pay off when they embark in their careers. Some professional fields have a higher return on investment than others. A majority of PhD candidates endeavor to become tenured-track faculty members, but they should realize that academia is one of the lowest paying sectors for individuals with a doctoral degree.

A review of National Science Foundation survey information shows that the best paying professional areas for PhD graduates include Industry and Business—with an average salary of $97,700. At the bottom of the list? Academia.

MOST LUCRATIVE PHD CAREERS

So, which PhD degrees pay the best?

According to the NSF, business, economics, and engineering are consistently among the best earning academic fields regardless of industry. The following tables outline the highest paying academic fields by professional area of work after graduation.

• Business Management and Administration $110,000
• Economics $82,000
• Engineering $79,000
• Health Sciences $70,000
• Education $60,000
• Business Management and Administration $135,000
• Economics $115,000
• Mathematics and Computer Information Sciences $115,000
• Geosciences $110,000
• Engineering $98,000
• Economics $112,500
• Business Management and Administration $96,590
• Engineering $96,500
• Mathematics and Computer Information Sciences $95,300
• Health Sciences $94,000
• Business Management and Administration $105,000
• Economics $100,000
• Mathematics and Computer Information Sciences $100,000
• Health Sciences $98,000

At the occupational level, 2012 employment research from the Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed the best paying doctoral career was Physicist ($109,600), followed by Astronomers ($105,410), and Engineering Professors ($94,130).

Overall, the top 10 most lucrative PhD careers include the following:

• 1 Physicists $109,600
• 2 Astronomers $105,410
• 3 Engineering Professors $94,130
• 4 Economics Professors $90,870
• 5 Health Specialties Professors: $90,210
• 6 Agricultural Sciences Professors $86,260
• 7 Biochemists and Biophysicists $84,940
• 8 Forestry and Conservation Science Professors $84,090
• 9 Physics Professors $80,720
• 10 Medical Scientists $79,930

EXPERT SPOTLIGHT: Darren Pierre, PhD

How has earning a phd impacted you personally and professionally.

Personally, the PhD was an incredibly introspective process. I believe for many, they go into the PhD thinking one thing, and come out transformed by the experience. I learned and grew personally in how I harness my self-worth, I grew professionally in my ability to humble myself and authentically listen to the feedback given about my work.

Professionally, I move with a greater level of confidence, I have more insight into my own potential in ways I could have never imagined, and all of that propelled me to write my book, The Invitation to Love.

Through your own experience, what are the biggest mistakes   prospective PhD students make when choosing and/or funding their PhD?

The biggest mistake that perspective students make is doing the degree for the wrong reason. If you are doing the degree for any other reason that self-motivated factors, you will falter. Doing the PhD to cover areas of insecurity, or low self-worth; doing the PhD for the prestige or title sake, those reasons will have you floundering and faltering when the psychological stressors being to weigh heavy.

Did you create a roadmap--financially or academically--to stay on track to   completing your PhD?

Absolutely, you have to have a plan and work that plan. Each Sunday, I would develop the week's action plan, I would carve out everything from when I was doing assignments/research to when I would work out, everything was on a schedule so that even when the fog of the process set in, I had headlights (my schedule) that allowed me to drive consistently when the road ahead was hard to see.

PHD: BY THE NUMBERS

Doctoral education in the U.S. is a varied and broad system, one that has been growing in popularity. In the 2013-2014 academic year, more than 178,000 doctoral degrees were conferred to students nationally, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics.

• Doctoral Education Continues to Grow
• Engineering and Physical Sciences Dominate
• STEM Fields are the Most Popular
• Only Half of Students Earn a PhD in the Same Academic Field as their Master’s Degree
• Doctoral Degrees are an Investment in Time
• Primary Source of Funding Varies by Program

In its survey of earned doctorates, the National Science Foundation learned the number of doctoral recipients increased by nearly 30 percent between 2003 and 2013.

The most popular academic areas of study were Engineering and the Physical Sciences.

• Engineering 69.80%
• Physical Sciences 59.30%
• Health Sciences 53.60%
• Life Sciences 44.60%
• Other 38.90%
• Social Sciences 19.90%
• Humanities 9.10%
• Education -25.70%

Within the engineering and physical sciences disciplines, multiple sub-fields have been experiencing explosive interest and enrollments, with some programs (e.g. physics, materials science engineering) growing by more than 70 percent between 2003 and 2013.

• Other engineering 127.5%
• Materials science engineering 86.5%
• Aerospace, aeronautical, and astronautical engineering 74.5%
• Mechanical engineering 70.5%
• Electrical, electronics, and communication engineering 53.6%
• Chemical engineering 46.0%
• Computer and information sciences 119.1%
• Mathematics 83.0%
• Physics and astronomy 76.7%
• Geosciences 28.8%
• Chemistry 22.0%

According to NSF, the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields are the most popular doctoral areas of study.

• Life Sciences 23.3%
• Physical Sciences 17.6%
• Engineering 17.0%
• Social Sciences 15.9%
• Humanities 10.7%
• Education 9.4%

Interestingly, slightly more than 56 percent of graduate students continue into a doctoral program in the same field as their master’s degree. Rates are highest in the humanities, engineering, and social sciences fields.

• Humanities 67.6%
• Engineering 65.7%
• Social Sciences 65.6%
• Education 61.5%
• All Fields 56.1%
• Physical Sciences 53.4%
• Life Sciences 35.5%

It requires approximately 7.5 years of study for the average graduate student to complete a doctoral degree after enrolling in graduate school. Education takes the longest — more than 11 years, while the physical sciences and engineering fields only require 6.5 to 6.6 years of study to complete.

• Education 11.7
• Humanities 9.2
• Social Sciences 7.7
• All Fields 7.5
• Life Sciences 6.9
• Engineering 6.6
• Physical Sciences 6.5

According to the NSF, the most common source of funding for doctoral students are teaching and research assistantships. The table below details the primary source of funding for students by academic area of study.

• Life Sciences Fellowships/ Grants
• Physical Sciences Research Assistantships
• Social Sciences Teaching Assistantships
• Engineering Research Assistantships
• Education Own Resources
• Humanities Teaching Assistantships
• All Fields Research Assistantships

The following table includes a breakout of the primary funding source by major field of study, according the National Science Foundation.

Source: http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/sed/2013/data-tables.cfm

ADDITIONAL FINANCIAL AID RESOURCES

The ultimate financial goal of any PhD student should be to complete their program successfully and move into a professional career with as little debt as possible. The resources below are available to help students locate scholarships and other funding sources that can help make that goal a reality.

Unigo offers a selection of financial assistance resources for graduate students, including a scholarship directory, a scholarship match tool, educational information on student loans and funding options, and more.

Scholarships.com is a website that provides a selection of financial aid information, including a searchable scholarship directory, insights into funding trends, financial aid calculators, and information about grants and fellowships.

Peterson’s is an educational resource site that includes a searchable scholarship database, articles and advice columns, and a catalog of graduate school profiles.

FinAid.org is an educational resource site that focuses on financial aid and offers information about student loans, federal financial aid, financing a doctoral education, and includes a scholarship search option.

An office of the U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid is the country’s largest provider of financial aid. Graduate students can learn about and pally for loans, grants, and work-study funds to pay for their doctoral education.

FastWeb is a financial aid-focused website that offers a searchable scholarship directory that allows students to focus their search to their major area of study, work experience, and personal and professional activities.

Chegg is an online educational portal that not only offers used textbooks, but a scholarship database as well.

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• Fees and funding
• Imperial students
• General support

Students with children

Student maternity and childcare responsibilities, students and maternity, policy on maternity, adoptive and paternity leave provision for students.

Undergraduate students

Depending on the expected timing of the birth, the principal option is to interrupt studies for one year and resume the course at the same point one year later.

Postgraduate taught students

Depending on the expected timing of birth, the principal option is to interrupt studies for one year and resume the course at the same point one year later; an alternative possibility for resuming studies is to transfer to the part-time version of the course, where there is a part-time offering of the same course available.

Postgraduate research students

An application should be made for a period of interruption of studies to cover the period of maternity leave, up to one year. The maximum period of paternity leave normally allowed is 2 weeks, unless it is for shared parental leave.

For Home/EU research students in receipt of a stipend, contracts should include provision for up to 39 weeks paid maternity or adoptive leave (unless the funder stipulates a longer period); if the costs of maternity leave are not met by the funder, Departments/Divisions are asked if they can cover an appropriate leave payment.

An expanded College central fund managed by the Student Financial Support team is available to enable our research students to engage in a paid parental leave in one of five scenarios: (Statutory Maternity Pay [SMP] is £172.48 per week in 2023) 1) If their funder will not pay, then the Parental Leave Fund will cover up to the equivalent of their funded stipend (capped at the President's PhD rate of £24,420 per annum in 23-24) for the first 16 weeks and, either 90% of their funded stipend, or the SMP equivalent, whichever is less, for 21 weeks thereafter. 2) If their funder will pay, but only for a limited time less than 39 weeks, then the College Fund will fund the difference in weeks at the model suggested above. 3) If the student is self-funded, then the College Fund will pay the SMP equivalent for 39 weeks. 4) If the student has been studying towards their PhD for less than one year, then the College Fund will pay 90% of their funded stipend, or the SMP equivalent, whichever is less, for 39 weeks. 5) If the leave is taken as part of Shared Parental Leave, then the College Fund will pay as per the above on a pro-rated basis for up to 37 weeks. For scenarios relating to shared parental leave, we will refer to guidance at Direct.Gov , noting that student regulations and College payment processes also need to be adhered to. Please contact the PhD Scholarships Administrator for further advice: [email protected]

Eligibility Criteria:

• Home and EU fee status students (limited to EU, EEA and Swiss students commencing prior to 1 August 2021). Funding is only available where residency rights in the UK allow.
• PhD study level, full time & part-time students (payments pro-rata)
• Scholarship provider or sponsor does not provide funds for parental (including maternity) paid leave, or the parental paid leave is for less than 39 weeks or the paid leave is less than SMP.
• You have completed 26 weeks of continuous study with the College by the 15th week before the expected week of childbirth
• Payments will only be made whilst a student’s status is on Interruption of Studies
• the birth parent;
• the primary adopter;
• the spouse, civil partner or partner of the birth parent / primary adopter;

An application for an interruption of studies for maternity, adoptive or parental leave must be made to Registry via the student's academic department in advance of any application for funding.

To apply for funding please complete the online  Parental Leave Fund application form . Required documentation, as listed in the form includes an uploaded copy of your MATB1 form, letter of scholarship/sponsorship (if applicable), external documentation of funding for partner (for shared parental leave) and correspondence from the academic department confirming that funding isn't available. We will also contact the personal tutor for confirmation of progression.

This is an expanded College central fund managed by the Student Financial Support team to enable our research students to engage in a full and equal paid parental leave. This fund is intended to support students in line with  UKRI terms and conditions , and not necessarily full employee benefits. 

International students

If you are an international student holding a tier 4 visa and planning to take maternity leave this may have an impact on your visa status. Depending on the circumstances, you may be required to leave the UK during this period of absence. If you are in this situation we would urge you to contact the  International Student Support Team  as soon as possible to discuss your options. International students holding a scholarship should also inform their funder of their pregnancy or planned interruption and comply with any requirements made by that body.

Help with childcare costs

Government funding for undergraduate students.

Full time undergraduate students may be eligible to a Childcare Grant which provides help paying for childcare. Further infomation is available on the  government student finance webpage .

College funding for undergraduate students

The Student Support Fund replaces the The College's Early Years Education Centre Subvention Fund and the Access to Learning Fund and can be used to help students pay childcare costs.

Applying for the Student Support Fund

Please read the guidelines carefully and then use the online application available on our Student Support Fund  page.

Please contact [email protected]  if you have any further queries.

The UK's national charity for working parents and carers

Pregnancy and maternity for students: a guide to benefits.

Our mission is to remove the barriers that people with caring responsibilities face in the workplace. We provide advice on employment rights and in-work benefits. We are not experts on benefits that can be claimed by students so this article is for information only. If you need further advice we suggest contacting an organisation such as Citizens Advice , or you can search for a local adviser on the Advice Local website.

You should also contact student support services at your university. Student Finance may be able to advise further.

If you are a single parent (not living with a partner) and you live in England or Wales, you can contact  Gingerbread  for advice. In Scotland, you can contact  One Parent Families Scotland  and in Northern Ireland,  Gingerbread NI .

If you are a disabled student you can contact Disability Rights .

Employment benefits

Statutory maternity pay.

If you are a student and are also working you may be entitled to Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP).

To be eligible for SMP you need to have worked for your employer for at least 26 weeks by the end of the 15th week before the week your baby is due (this means you started working for your employer before you became pregnant), and you are still employed by your employer in the 15th week before your baby is due. You also need to have earned at least £123 a week on average in the eight weeks in a row (if you are weekly paid) or two months in a row (if you are monthly paid) up to and including the week which is 15 weeks before the week your baby is due.

There is a calculator to help you on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/pay-leave-for-parents

SMP lasts 39 weeks. For the first six weeks, SMP is paid at 90% of your average earnings in the calculation period. For the next 33 weeks, it is paid at the same 90% or at the flat rate of £184.03 a week, whichever is lower.

To find out more about SMP read our article . You can claim SMP and continue with your course – it is not affected by student status.

Maternity Allowance

Maternity Allowance (MA) is a benefit that is available if you are pregnant or you have just had a child. To qualify you must have a recent history of working. If eligible, you can receive up to £184.03 per week for 39 weeks. 

To be eligible for MA you need to have worked for 26 weeks in the 66 weeks before your baby is due. If you are employed or a worker you need to have earned at least £30 per week for 13 of those weeks. If you are self-employed you need to have either paid, or be treated as having paid Class 2 NICs for those weeks. The 26 weeks work do not have to be continuous and they do not have to be for the same employer. If you have just found out that you are pregnant you may be able to seek work and work for long enough to qualify for MA. To find out more about MA read our article. You can claim MA and continue with your course – it is not affected by student status.

Other benefits and financial support you may be able to claim

New-style employment and support allowance.

If you do not qualify for Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) or Maternity Allowance (MA), you may be able to claim  New-Style Employment and Support Allowance  (NSESA) for a short period before and after birth. NSESA is a benefit based on National Insurance contributions for those who have a disability or health condition that affects how much they can work. You can apply if you’re employed, self-employed or unemployed – it is not affected by student status.

If you are pregnant and within six weeks of your expected week of childbirth, you can be automatically treated as having limited capability for work in order to qualify for NSESA. Your MATB1 certificate will be accepted as evidence of incapacity to work. You can continue to receive NSESA for 14 days after the baby is born.

You must meet the  National Insurance contribution conditions for NSESA . You must have made enough National Insurance contributions in the last three tax years (not including the current tax year).

The rate of NSESA varies according to your circumstances. You can claim NSESA at the same time as Universal Credit, however, it will be deducted in full from any Universal Credit you get so you will not be financially better off claiming both together. 

For more information about NSESA and how to claim it, see the  Government page on ESA .

Universal Credit

Universal Credit  is the main benefit for people on a low income who are not already on other benefits or Tax Credits. If you are on other benefits or Tax Credits you should get further advice as you could end up worse off if you claim Universal Credit.

You cannot usually claim Universal Credit if you are a full-time student (including if you have deferred your studies) unless you are responsible for a child or qualifying young person (there are some other exceptions for certain disabled students and some young people estranged from their family and in non-advanced education). This means that most students cannot claim Universal Credit until after their child is born. If you live with a partner who is working you may be able to claim Universal Credit while you are pregnant, but this will depend on your circumstances.

Universal Credit is usually a monthly payment to cover your living costs. How much you get will depend on your circumstances. It takes into account your whole household income and savings. If you live with a partner you must claim as a couple and their income and savings will also be taken into account. You can’t get Universal Credit if you and/or a partner you live with have more than £16,000 in savings or other assets.

Student loans for maintenance count as income for Universal Credit purposes (apart from £110 per month which should be ignored from your total student income).  You will be treated as having the maximum loan you could get even if you could get a loan but choose not to apply for one. Student income may reduce or stop your Universal Credit award, but shouldn’t be taken into account for most of the long holiday, if your course has one.

Your Universal Credit payment is made up of a ‘basic allowance’ but you may get more money if you have children, pay for childcare, rent your home, have a disability or health condition, or if you are a carer or care for a disabled child. You will not usually get extra Universal Credit for a  third or subsequent child  born on or after 6 April 2017, unless you qualify for an  exception to the two-child limit . Unfortunately, you won’t be entitled to any additional ‘maternity’ amount of Universal Credit other than the normal standard allowance and any other elements you are entitled to and you will not get a child element for your new baby until they are born.

For more information please see the following government guidance on Universal Credit for students .

Income Support

You cannot make a new claim for  Income Support  as it has been replaced by  Universal Credit . If you try to make a new claim for Income Support you will be told to claim Universal Credit instead.

If you are single, have a child under the age of 5 and have an existing claim for Income Support when you become a full time student, then an exception applies in these circumstances and you are able to continue with your claim for Income Support.  Otherwise, full-time students are excluded from claiming Income Support (including during deferred years and holidays). Some of your student loan and grants count as income and this can reduce or stop your award. 

Housing Benefit

You cannot make a new claim for  Housing Benefit  unless you are over  State Pension age  or live in certain types of supported or temporary accommodation. If you try to make a new claim for Housing Benefit you will be told to claim Universal Credit instead.

The housing element of Universal Credit

If you are not already on  Housing Benefit  and need help with rent and/or have service charges, you may be able to claim help with housing costs through the  housing element  of Universal Credit. The amount of help you can get with rent depends on your circumstances and may be different depending on whether you are renting from a council or housing association or from a private landlord. Please see above for advice on Universal Credit for students.

Help with mortgage costs

If you pay a mortgage you may be entitled to  Support for Mortgage Interest  which is a DWP loan that has to be repaid. Support for Mortgage Interest is only available after being on certain benefits for a specified period of time. It is not part of your benefits and has to be  applied for  separately. If you are of State Pension age and on Pension Credit, different rules apply and you can get the loan payments straight away, if you choose to take the loan. You should get independent financial advice if you are thinking about applying to this scheme.

Tax Credits

It is no longer possible to make a new claim for  Tax Credits  as they have been replaced with  Universal Credit . If you try to make a new claim for Tax Credits you will be told to claim Universal Credit.

If you have an existing Tax Credits claim your eligibility is not affected by student status. Unlike Universal Credit, student income (grants and loans) are not taken into account for Tax Credits. If you already get any Tax Credits (Child Tax Credit or Working Tax Credit), you can stay on these and make changes to them, such as starting to get Child Tax Credit if you already get Working Tax Credit, or adding a child to a Tax Credit claim, but you won’t usually be able to claim for a  third or subsequent child  born on or after 6 April 2017.

Child Benefit

Once your baby is born you may be able to claim Child Benefit for them. Child Benefit is is not affected by being a student or receiving student finance and it does not affect any other benefits you might be claiming. 

Sure Start Maternity Grant

The Sure Start Maternity Grant is a one-off payment of £500 for parents who are receiving a low income benefit. Eligibility is not affected by your student status or student finance, but both of these are likely to affect your eligibility to low income benefits, meaning you may not qualify for the grant. 

Healthy Start Scheme

The Healthy Start scheme is a pre-paid card that can be used to buy fruit, vegetables, pulses and milk. It is available to expectant mothers and parents of young children. There are no special rules for students but to be eligible you must be receiving a low income benefit.

Free Prescriptions and NHS Dental Treatment

You are entitled to free NHS dental treatment and free prescriptions while you are pregnant and for one year after the baby is born. To apply fill out the Maternity Exemption form , available from your doctor or midwife.

Council Tax Reduction

Full-time students are exempt from paying council tax. If you are a part-time student with a low income you may be eligible for Council Tax Reduction to help you pay your council tax bill. Contact your local authority to find out how to apply for Council Tax Reduction. 

Extra student finance for parents

Most universities have student support services and are able to offer advice about your options for deferring studies or making special arrangements in relation to deadlines and examinations. Student Finance England may offer a tuition fee loan for the length of your course, and it is possible they will offer one additional year if needed due to pregnancy, but this is decided on an individual basis. You may be able to use this if you need to take time out of university part-way through the academic year and then return to complete your course. 

Once you are a parent, you may find that you are eligible for additional student finance. You can ask student support services about this. There’s more information on the different types of help available from UCAS.

Remember that your university or college may also offer bursaries, scholarships or other kinds of financial help. It is always worth checking with them too. 

Part-time students

If you are a part-time student then your benefits are usually not affected by your studying . The normal rules on benefits apply, although there may be extra conditions for Jobseeker’s Allowance .  Otherwise, look at our information on benefits for parents .

For further advice on benefits you can claim as a pregnant student please contact student support services at your university or student finance. Citizens Advice may also be able to give more advice.

This advice applies in England, Wales and Scotland. If you live in another part of the UK, the law may differ. Please call our helpline for more details. If you are in Northern Ireland you can visit the Labour Relations Agency or call their helpline Workplace Information Service on 03300 555 300 .

If you have further questions and would like to contact our advice team please use our advice contact form below or  call us .

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Maternity Leave for Students

• Career advice
• Employee rights
• Maternity leave

All information correct from February 2023.

So you're having a baby, congratulations! Now you need to know all about maternity leave and your maternity rights. All employed pregnant women are entitled to one year of maternity leave, no matter how long they have worked for their employer. This is made up of 26 weeks of ordinary maternity leave and 26 weeks additional maternity leave. Despite having a whole year off, you're only entitled to 39 weeks of maternity pay. Scroll down to find out about all your rights and entitlements when you're pregnant or when you are becoming a father.

What Are Maternity Rights?

All pregnant woman who works is entitled to maternity leave unless you're self-employed, are on a zero hour contract or work for an agency. If you're not allowed maternity leave, don't worry - because by law, every pregnant woman has the right to take two weeks off after having a baby. You're entitled to take four weeks off after having a baby if you work in a factory.

If you get pregnant again during your leave, you can go on another year-long maternity leave. You do not have to go back to work in between having babies.

You have to tell your employer at least 15 weeks before the baby is due that you're pregnant and that you want to have maternity leave. You will also have to tell your employer the due date of your baby. It is best to do this in writing; that way, you have a record of this exchange. It is also wise to make sure your date is the same when you're due to come back to work with your employer. This will avoid any miscommunication. Your employer may ask to see your MATB1 form too - you will get this after your 20-week scan.

As soon as you're pregnant, you're entitled to maternity rights at work. These include paid time off work to appointments with your doctor, parenting classes, and other medical reasons. Your employer cannot ask you to work extra hours to make up for your missed time at work. (Your partner too may be able to take time off work for some of your appointments.) However, you should let your employer know that you're attending these appointments.

Depending on your job, you may have to take a risk assessment at work for health and safety reasons. A risk assessment may include things like heavy lifting and loading, exposure to toxic substances, and standing for long sessions without a break. If your work environment isn't safe for you and the baby, your employer should make the necessary changes to make your workplace safer.

You can take a holiday before or after your maternity leave - this is helpful if you want to take a long time off to be with your new baby. However, you're still classified at being back at work; you're just on holiday.

You're also entitled to Sick Pay if you become unwell when you're pregnant. However, this could affect your maternity pay.

What Is Maternity Pay?

There are three types of maternity pay; Statutory, Contractual and Maternity Allowance. You're only entitled to have maternity pay for 39 weeks out of your 52 weeks maternity leave. These types of payment can be a little confusing, but we will break it down for you.

Be aware; if you decide not to return to work after 52 weeks, you may have to pay back any extra allowances.

What Is Paternity Leave?

Fathers are not forgotten! If you're an employee, you're entitled to take one or two weeks paid leave to be with your partner and the new baby. However, you're not entitled to paternity leave if you're Self-Employed or an agency worker.

To be eligible for paternity leave, you need to be the biological father of the baby, the adoptive father or the intended parent if having a baby through surrogacy. To qualify for paternity pay, you must earn at least £120 a week before tax. Paternity pay is £151.20 or 90% average of your weekly earnings - this is also taxable.

Some employers will allow new fathers to leave on full pay for two weeks. This, of course, depends on your contract.

Your employment rights are also protected when you're on paternity leave. This includes pay rises, to accrue holiday and your right to return to work to the same job. You're also allowed two days paid time off to accompany your partner to doctor appointments during the pregnancy.

• Going Back To Work After Maternity Leave

Going back to work after having a baby isn't easy. Hopefully, your employer is understanding and will be flexible and empathetic towards you and this new chapter in your life. If you can, start back at work after maternity leave on a Thursday. That way, if it's a little overwhelming, you have the weekend to recover. If possible, see if you can start back at work gradually - or even work from home for a few days a week.

Don't be afraid to ask other working parents on how they coped going back to work after maternity or paternity leave. They may give you some invaluable advice and support.

Maybe you find that you need a change or a new job? Perhaps having a part-time job for now suits your needs a little better. Why not read our contract type break down and see what the best options for you are.

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• Maternity Rights
• Maternity Pay
• Paternity Leave

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Studentships and doctoral training

Get a studentship to fund your doctorate.

UKRI studentships offer funding for doctoral research. They also offer you access to training, networking and development opportunities to help you build a research and innovation career.

Our expectations for research organisations, supervisors and students are set out in the statement of expectations for doctoral training .

You could get:

• a minimum stipend of £19,237 per year for your living costs, which is paid to you in regular instalments
• support for your tuition fees (minimum £4,786 per year)

The stipend is usually non-taxable and does not need to be paid back. Some research organisations may offer more if you study in London, or they or one of their collaborators might decide to top up the payment. This will be outlined in the studentship advert from the research organisation.

We normally pay the support for tuition fees directly to your research organisation.

The levels given here are for the academic year 2024 to 2025. UKRI’s approach to doctoral stipend and fee levels will be reviewed through the  new deal for postgraduate research .

Additional support for your doctoral studies

As a UKRI-funded doctoral student, you may be able to access additional funding to cover the cost of other related training and development opportunities.

This could include:

• conference attendance
• language training
• overseas research visits
• internships or placements with a non-academic partner

The availability of support will depend on the research organisation and the training grants they have on offer. You should contact the research organisation you are interested in applying to, to find out what you could get.

Extra support if you have a disability

If you have a disability, you may be entitled to a Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) on top of your studentship.

You should speak to your research organisation’s disability advisor to assess your needs. They can help put the right support in place, including a DSA application if necessary. You cannot claim DSA directly from UKRI.

DSA helps to cover the cost of any additional support that a person studying for a doctorate might need as a result of a disability, mental health problem or specific learning difficulty.

The allowance covers:

• non-medical personal assistance
• specialist equipment
• extra travel costs
• general expenses

Find out more about DSA in our framework .

If you are a research organisation you can download claim forms and guidance for DSA .

Who can apply

Any prospective doctoral student wishing to study at a UK research organisation, including prospective international students, can apply for a UKRI studentship.

All UKRI-funded doctoral students will be eligible for the full award, both the stipend to support living costs, and home-level fees at the UK research organisation rate.

How to find opportunities

Many UK research organisations offer some form of studentship funding from UKRI. These opportunities will depend on the subject you want to study and will normally be advertised by the research organisations.

Research organisations may have additional opportunities that do not involve UKRI. UKRI supports around 20% of all UK-based postgraduate researchers. You should speak to the research organisation you are interested in to find out what studentships are available.

You could also consider using a specialist website like   FindaPhD  to look for opportunities.

When to apply

Research organisations set their own deadlines for applications.

Many open for applications early in the academic year and close in January or February. This is not a hard and fast rule. It is important that you check the deadlines for the research organisation where you want to study.

How to apply

You cannot apply to UKRI for a studentship. You must contact the research organisation you are interested in studying with and use their application process.

For doctoral students who are already studying with a studentship, there are opportunities to get additional funding to support placements that are separate from your doctorate.  Find training and development opportunities .

Last updated: 14 February 2024

This is the website for UKRI: our seven research councils, Research England and Innovate UK. Let us know if you have feedback or would like to help improve our online products and services .

No recourse to public funds: maternity rights and benefits

Immigration status, maternity and parental rights at work, social security benefits, other useful information sheets, where to go for more help, more maternity action information sheets.

This information sheet covers maternity rights and benefits for women with limited leave to enter or remain, which is subject to a condition of ‘no recourse to public funds’.

This information sheet is for you if your leave is subject to a condition that you do not have recourse to public funds and either you have a current visa or your leave has been extended because you made a valid application for a further period of leave before your previous leave expired.

If your leave has expired or if you have never had immigration leave see the information sheet: Undocumented migrants: maternity rights and benefits .

Other information sheets cover rights and benefits for asylum seekers, refused asylum seekers, refugees, trafficked women, EEA nationals and Indefinite leave and British citizens see this .

If you have been granted entry clearance, leave to enter or leave to remain in the UK for a temporary period, you will have a “biometric residence permit” (BRP).

The BRP sets out the conditions of your leave, including whether you can work and whether you have recourse to public funds.

You can have time limited leave with a ‘no recourse to public funds condition’ if you have been allowed to be in the UK as a visitor, student, worker, fiancée, partner, spouse, as a dependent of a student or a worker, or on the basis of your private and family life.

This information sheet is for you if you have a current visa or if your leave has been extended following a valid application to extend or vary your leave, which you made before that leave expired, and which is extended until a decision is made by UK Visas and Immigration or any appeal rights are exhausted. The same conditions of leave, including no recourse to public funds, which applied to the original leave will continue to apply during the extension.

Decisions and appeals can take a long time and your passport or biometric residence card may be retained, making it difficult to show that your leave has been extended. You can ask UK Visas and Immigration to provide a letter confirming that you have ongoing leave.

If you are experiencing domestic violence

If you have leave in the UK as a spouse, civil partner, unmarried or same sex partner who is a British Citizen or has indefinite leave to remain and your relationship has broken down due to domestic violence you may be able to apply for Domestic Violence Concession leave while you prepare an application for Indefinite Leave on the basis of the domestic violence.  The Domestic Violence Concession leave is granted for 3 month and replaces the leave you had previously and as it has no restriction on claiming public funds, once granted you will not be excluded from claiming benefits (see below).

You can contact Rights of Women for further advice including immigration advice or get immigration advice from another OICS registered immigration provider.

Applications are made to UK Visas and Immigration, see www.gov.uk/government/publications/application-for-benefits-for-visa-holder-domestic-violence .

Women needing help should contact a refuge or call the free National Domestic Violence Helpline on 0808 2000 247.

If you have been granted leave to remain as a partner of a British Citizen or settled person (including spouses, civil partners and unmarried partners) are entitled to work but women on a fiancé visa are not entitled to work until leave to remain as a partner has been granted. For rights to work if you have been granted leave to remain such as a student visa, visitor’s visa or family leave, you should check your visa and get advice if necessary.

Employers are required to carry out checks to determine an employee’s right to work see www.gov.uk/check-job-applicant-right-to-work .

If you are employed in the UK you have the following rights during pregnancy and childbirth.

Rights during pregnancy

Pregnant employees have the right to reasonable paid time off for antenatal care, protection from health and safety risks and the right to 52 weeks maternity leave from day one of your employment. For more information, see: Pregnant at work .

Agency workers have the right to reasonable paid time off for antenatal care after 12 weeks in the same placement, health and safety protection and the right not to be treated unfairly because of pregnancy or childbirth. You will also have the right to maternity pay if you meet the normal qualifying conditions, see below. For more information, see: Maternity and parental rights for agency workers .

If you work on a zero hours contract, see: Zero hours contracts – maternity and parental rights .

Dismissal or unfair treatment

It is against the law for your employer to treat you unfairly, dismiss you or select you for redundancy for any reason connected with pregnancy, childbirth or maternity leave, see: Pregnancy discrimination . You can claim pregnancy/maternity discrimination and automatic unfair dismissal on the grounds of pregnancy and maternity leave from day one of your employment. If you are dismissed while you are pregnant or during your maternity leave, your employer must state the reason for your dismissal in writing.

You can also claim loss of wages, redundancy pay and compensation for discrimination in an employment tribunal. You must start a claim within three months, less one day, so you should get advice as soon as possible. You must contact ACAS Early Conciliation on 0300 123 11 00 before making a tribunal claim. For more information, see: Dealing with problems at work .

Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) is paid by your employer or ex-employer if you are working or have worked until recently. 

You are entitled to SMP if you meet the qualifying conditions below and your employer pays you through a payroll (PAYE) with any tax and National Insurance deducted at source. Your employment status and immigration/residence status will not affect your eligibility for SMP. SMP is not public funds.

SMP is paid at two rates: for the first six weeks you get 90% of your average pay. After that you are paid £ 172.48 per week (April 2023 – April 2024), or 90% of your average earnings if that is lower, for 33 weeks.

Your employer must pay you SMP if:

• you are employed by the same employer for the first 26 weeks of your pregnancy and 
• you are still employed by that employer in all or part of the 15 th week before your baby is due (you are still employed during weeks of holiday and sick leave) and 
• your average earnings are at least £123 per week in approximately weeks 18 – 26 of your pregnancy. 

You can still get SMP if you are employed in all or part of the 15 th week before your baby is due but your job ends after that week, your visa expires after that week or you leave the UK after that week.

If you work for an agency, the agency must pay you SMP if you meet the qualifying conditions above.

You must give your employer/agency notice of the date you want to start your maternity leave and pay by the 15 th week before your baby is due. 

You must also give your employer/agency a copy of your MATB1 maternity certificate which you can get from your GP/midwife when you are 20 weeks pregnant and ask your employer to work out whether you qualify for SMP.

You are still entitled to receive SMP for the full 39 weeks once you have reached the 15 th week before your baby is due and met the qualifying conditions, even if you are subsequently dismissed, made redundant or your job comes to an end. If your employer refuses to pay SMP or does not pay the correct amount, you can claim it from the HMRC Statutory Payments Disputes Team on 0300 322 9422.

If you do not qualify for SMP, you can claim Maternity Allowance, see below.

Can I still get SMP if I go abroad during my SMP period?

Yes, you can still get SMP as long as you meet the normal qualifying conditions for SMP above. Once you have qualified for SMP you are entitled to receive it for 39 weeks (unless you start working for a new employer within your SMP period) regardless of whether you are going abroad either temporarily or permanently. You are still entitled to receive your full SMP once you have met the qualifying conditions. If your employer refuses to pay your SMP, you can contact the HMRC Statutory Payments Disputes Team on 0300 322 9422.

Can I still get SMP if my visa expires after the 15 th week before my baby is due?

Yes, you can still get SMP as long as you meet the normal qualifying conditions for SMP as above. Once you have qualified for SMP you are entitled to receive it for 39 weeks (unless you start working for a new employer within your SMP period). If your visa expires after you have qualified for SMP you are still entitled to receive your full SMP as you have met the qualifying conditions. If your employer stops paying your SMP, you can contact the HMRC Statutory Payments Disputes Team on 0300 322 9422.

Maternity Allowance (MA) is paid by the DWP (Department of Work and Pensions) to women who do not qualify for SMP.

Maternity Allowance is paid at £ 172.48 per week (April 2023 – April 2024), or 90% of your average pay if that is lower, for 39 weeks.

You can claim MA if:

• you have been employed or self-employed for at least 26 of the 66 weeks before the expected week of childbirth (you can use any weeks within that period), and
• you can find 13 weeks (not necessarily in a row) in which you earned over £30 per week on average.

You should choose the weeks in which you earned the most. You can add together earnings from more than one job. Both employed and self-employed work counts for Maternity Allowance. You continue to be ‘employed’ by your employer during sick leave, annual leave and maternity leave so you can count those weeks as well.

You can claim Maternity Allowance on form MA1 which you can get from your local Jobcentre Plus, or by phoning the JobCentre Plus claim line on 0800 055 6688 or you can print from https://maternityaction.org.uk/advice/asylum-seekers-maternity-rights-and-benefits .

For more information, see: https://maternityaction.org.uk/advice/maternity-pay-questions/

Can I still get MA if I go abroad during my MA period?

You can continue to receive your MA for the full 39 week period if you go abroad temporarily e.g. to give birth or for a short stay. You should notify the MA claims section.

Can I still get MA if I go abroad during my maternity period?

You can continue to receive your MA if you go abroad temporarily to have your baby, you go on holiday or to visit friends and family abroad. You should notify the MA claims department at the Department for Work and Pensions if you go abroad on 0800 169 0283.

If you are moving abroad permanently the UK may cease to be the state responsible to pay your maternity benefits, for example, if you start work for an employer overseas. You should contact the International Pension Centre on 0191 206 9390 if you are in the UK or +44 191 206 9390 to see if your MA can be paid to you overseas if you are going abroad permanently: https://www.gov.uk/international-pension-centre

There are reciprocal agreements with some non-EEA countries that mean you can continue to receive your MA if you go to that country. For more information on claiming maternity pay and benefits if you live, more or travel abroad, see: www.gov.uk/claim-benefits-abroad/maternity-and-childcare-benefits

Paternity and shared parental pay

Fathers and partners may be entitled to paternity leave and pay, see: https://maternityaction.org.uk/advice/time-off-for-working-parents/ .

Shared Parental Leave and pay can be taken by either partner if the mother returns to work early or reduces her maternity leave or pay. It must be taken within the first year of birth. It allows one or both parents to take leave more flexibly. For more information, see: Shared parental leave and pay .

Note: Work-related benefits such as Statutory Maternity Pay, Maternity Allowance, Statutory Paternity Pay and Statutory Sick Pay are not affected by your immigration status and are not classed as public funds. Once you have met the qualifying conditions for Statutory Maternity Pay or Maternity Allowance, you are still entitled to receive it for the full 39 week period even if you do not have leave or it has expired.

If your leave to enter or remain in the UK is subject to a ‘no recourse to public funds’ condition you are defined as a ‘person subject to immigration control’ (see below) and in most cases excluded from entitlement to the benefits that are defined as public funds.

A ‘person subject to immigration control’ is defined as a non-EEA national who

• Requires leave to enter or remain in the UK and does not have it; or
• Have leave to enter or remain in the UK which is subject to a ‘no recourse to public funds’ condition; or
• Has leave to enter or remain in the UK given as a result of a maintenance undertaking

Note if you are defined as a family member of an EEA national who has a right to reside in the UK (for example as an EEA ‘worker’) you are not a ‘person subject to immigration control’ and therefore not excluded from the main benefits – see this information sheet .

The general rules on entitlement to individual benefits are covered in this information sheet.

The information on benefits in this information sheet covers the rules that are specific to your immigration status.

Public funds

Public funds include Universal Credit, Housing Benefit, Income Support, Income-based Jobseekers Allowance (JSA), income-related employment and support allowance (ESA), Pension Credit, Council Tax Reduction, Child Benefit, Child Tax Credit, Working Tax Credit,  Personal Independence Payment, Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance, Carer’s Allowance, Social Fund payments, including the Sure Start Maternity Grant, Local welfare assistance (except the Discretionary Assistance Scheme for Wales), and housing allocated by a local authority or provided under homelessness legislation counts and homelessness assistance (as well as some benefits for which you can no longer make a new claim).  The full list of public funds is set out in the Immigration Rules para 6:  www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-introduction

If your leave is subject to a ‘no recourse to public funds condition’ that means you are defined as a ‘person subject to immigration control’ and therefore unless you are covered by one of the exceptions below you are excluded from all the benefits listed as public funds.  If you are entitled to benefit because you are covered by one of the exceptions listed below the immigration rules do not regard you as having recourse to public funds.

Warning:  If your leave is subject to a ‘no recourse to public funds condition’ and an increased amount of benefit is paid to someone else because you are included in their claim (for example an increased amount of housing benefit) this breaches your ‘No recourse to public funds’ condition and could result in your current leave being curtailed or future applications being refused and you could be prosecuted.  You should get immigration advice before the benefit claim is made.

Unless listed as public funds in the Immigration Rules other payments or services are not public funds.  For example the following are not public funds: Statutory Maternity Pay, Maternity Allowance, contributory JSA/ESA, legal aid and NHS healthcare are not public funds.

It may be possible to apply for a no recourse to public funds condition to be lifted.  This will depend on the basis on which you were granted leave and whether compelling or exceptional circumstances apply. You should get advice from an OISC registered immigration adviser before applying for a change to your leave. You may be able to get free advice from your local law centre: www.lawcentres.org.uk/   See Where to go for more help, below, for other organisations that can provide immigration advice.

If you have leave which is subject to a ‘No recourse to public funds’ condition you will generally be excluded from claiming all the benefits which are listed as public funds (see list above) unless you come within one of the groups listed below.  These exceptions are specific to the benefits listed.

Nationals of Turkey or Macedonia who are lawfully present

If you are a national of Turkey or Macedonia, for the duration of your leave you are deemed ‘lawfully present’ and you are not excluded by your immigration status from Universal Credit, Housing Benefit, Income Support, Income-based Jobseekers Allowance (JSA), income-related employment and support allowance (ESA), Pension Credit, Working Tax Credit, or Social Fund payments, including the Sure Start Maternity Grant.  If you satisfy the other conditions of entitlement you can therefore receive these benefits without it breaching your ‘No recourse to public funds’ condition. Once your leave expires you cease to be entitled as you cease to be ‘lawfully present’.  Note if you make an application for further leave before your previous leave expires, your leave is then extended pending a decision on that application, and your entitlement to these benefits can therefore also continue during the period your leave is extended.

Nationals of Algeria, Morocco, San Marino, Tunisia and Turkey who are lawfully working in the UK

If you are a national of one of these 5 countries and you are lawfully working in the UK (ie working in accordance with the conditions of your leave) you are not excluded by your immigration status from Child Benefit, Child Tax Credit, Personal Independence Payment, Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance, Carers Allowance, Social Fund payments, including the Sure Start Maternity Grant,

You are also not excluded from these benefits if you are a national of one of these countries and have been lawfully working in the UK and you cease work due to a reason such as pregnancy, childcare, illness or accident.

You are also not excluded from these benefits (other than child tax credit) if you are living with a family member who is a national of one of these countries and lawfully working in the UK

Family members of EEA or Swiss nationals

If you are a family member of an EEA or Swiss national you are not excluded by your immigration status from Child Benefit, Personal Independence Payment, Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance, Carers Allowance or Social Fund payments, including the Sure Start Maternity Grant.

For child benefit it can be helpful to refer to the guidance that confirms this:

www.gov.uk/hmrc-internal-manuals/child-benefit-technical-manual/cbtm10140#IDAMXTQH

NOTE If you are defined as the family member of an EEA national who is in the UK exercising their EU Treaty rights (eg: as a ‘worker’) you are not a ‘person subject to immigration control’ and you are therefore not excluded from benefits – see the information sheet: https://maternityaction.org.uk/advice/eea-and-familymembers-maternityrightsandbenefits .

Covered by a reciprocal agreement

If you are covered by a reciprocal agreement you are not excluded by your immigration status from child benefit.  You will need to check the detail of the agreement to see who it covers.  The countries with these agreements are Barbados, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, the Channel Islands, Croatia, Israel, Kosovo, Macedonia, Mauritius, Montenegro, Serbia and New Zealand.

Note:  If you are covered by one of the groups above for the benefit you have claimed, but that claim is refused get specialist benefits advice as these rules are complex.

If you have Domestic Violence Concession Leave

If you have been granted Domestic Violence Concession Leave this replaces the leave you previously had and as it has no restriction on claiming public funds, from the date it is granted, you cease to be excluded from claiming public funds benefits for the duration of that leave.  If you make an application for further leave to remain before your previous leave expires, your leave is then extended pending a decision on that application, and your entitlement to these benefits can therefore also continue during the period your leave is extended.  If you do not apply for further leave to remain within three months your leave will end and you will become a person subject to immigration control again (as a non-EEA national who requires leave and does not have it) and therefore be excluded from all the public funds benefits.

Family members who are not subject to immigration control

If you have leave subject to a ‘No Recourse to Public Funds’ condition and you live with a partner, or a parent or carer, who is not defined as a ‘person subject to immigration control’ the benefit rules allow them to claim any benefits they are entitled to, including if this results in benefit being paid for you.  However, if an increased amount of benefit is paid to someone else because you are included in their claim (for example an increased amount of housing benefit) this breaches your ‘No recourse to public funds’ condition and could result in your current leave being curtailed or future applications being refused and you could be prosecuted. You should get immigration advice before the benefit claim is made.

If your partner is entitled to universal credit, unless you are Turkish or Macedonian and covered by the exemption above, then your partner makes a single claim and is paid as a single person (but your income and savings are taken into account).

If your partner is entitled to, income based jobseekers allowance (JSA), income support or  income-related employment and support allowance (ESA), unless you are Turkish or Macedonian and covered by the exemption above, your partner is paid a single personal allowance (but your income and savings are taken into account). However, if they are entitled to any premiums these are paid at the couple rate and this increased payment of benefit breaches your ‘No recourse to Public Funds’ condition and could jeopardise your right to remain in the UK. If your partner would be entitled to the couple rate of a premium you should get immigration advice before they claim the benefit.

If your partner is entitled to housing benefit you will be included in the claim. If this results in them being paid an increased amount of housing benefit this breaches your ‘No recourse to Public Funds’ condition and could jeopardise your right to remain in the UK. You should get immigration advice before they claim housing benefit.

If your partner is entitled to pension credit they make a single claim and are paid as a single person.

If you or your partner is working you may be entitled to make a joint claim for working tax credit and/or child tax credit. If you make a joint claim for, and are paid, child tax credit and/or working tax credit with a partner who is not defined as a ‘person subject to immigration control’ (or who is in one of the exempt groups above) this does not breach the ‘No Recourse to Public Funds’ condition attached to your leave.

If your partner is getting one of the benefits above (except housing benefit) they may be entitled to a Sure Start Maternity Grant or Best Start Grant in Scotland.

For more information on the Sure Start Maternity Grant see:  https://www.gov.uk/sure-start-maternity-grant

For more information on the Best Start Grant Scotland see: https://www.mygov.scot/best-start-grant-best-start-foods/

In general both partners in a couple need to have a national insurance (NI) number to claim benefits.  However if you do not have an NI number you do not need one if you are a non-EEA national seeking asylum and you are included in your partner’s claim or you are making a joint tax credits claim.

If you are a child with leave that is subject to a ‘No recourse to public funds’ condition the benefit rules allow for you to be included in someone else’s claim for child benefit, universal credit, housing benefit and child tax credit if that person is entitled to that benefit and is treated as responsible for you.  However in most cases this increase in their benefit will breach the ‘No recourse to public funds’ condition attached to your leave and could jeopardise your right to remain in the UK. You should get immigration advice before they claim a benefit that includes an amount for you.

Note: Universal Credit is replacing income support, income-based JSA, income related ESA, housing benefit, child tax credit and working tax credit.  For more information about this and more information on the entitlement conditions for all benefits see: Money for parents and babies .

For more information on financial support and housing for women with no recourse to public funds see: No recourse to public funds  – financial support and housing

This information sheet was written in April 2023. It is very important to get up-to-date advice as law and guidance changes. This guide is for information purposes only and should not be treated as legal advice. You are strongly advised to get personal legal advice about your individual circumstances.

• EU nationals and family members – maternity rights and benefits

Undocumented migrants – maternity rights and benefits

Refugees – maternity rights and benefits

Indefinite leave to remain, right of abode and UK citizenship – maternity rights and benefits

• Asylum seekers – maternity rights and benefits

Refused asylum seekers – maternity rights and benefits

• Women from abroad, financial support and housing

Charging for NHS maternity care

Maternity Action www.maternityaction.org.uk Migrant Women’s Rights Service : Second tier advice service for midwives and advisers on financial support and housing options for migrant women and access to NHS maternity care. – 020 7251 6189 Monday and Thursday 2-4pm.

Email enquiries: [email protected]

https://maternityaction.org.uk/migrant-womens-rights-service/

Maternity Care Access Advice Service : for advice on NHS charges and access to NHS maternity care – 0808 800 0041 Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 10 – 12.  https://maternityaction.org.uk/maternity-care-access-advice-service/

Maternity Rights Advice Line : for advice on maternity and parental rights at work – 0808 802 0029 (National except London), 0808 802 0057 (London). https://maternityaction.org.uk/advice-line/

AIRE Centre

Advice on Individual Rights in Europe.

Free legal advice on European law

020 7831 4276 Mon. – Fri. 10 – 6pm

www.airecentre.org

Asylum Support Appeals Project www.asaproject.org.uk Advice on asylum support appeals – 020 3716 0283 Mon/Weds/Fri 2 -4pm.

Child Poverty Action Group www.cpag.org.uk Advice on benefits

For advisors only – 020 7812 5231, Mon-Fri 10–12 and 2-4pm

Citizens Advice

For information about your rights see: www.citizensadvice.org.uk

You can telephone the national Citizens Advice phone service on 03444 111 444

You can get help with Universal Credit claims through the free national Help to Claim service: England:  0800 144 8444 , Wales:  0800 024 1220 , Scotland:  0800 023 2581

For more information on how to find your local Citizens Advice Bureau, see:

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/about-us/contact-us/contact-us/contact-us/

Civil Legal Advice

If you are eligible for legal aid you can get free legal advice on 0345 345 4 345 (offers translation service). To check your eligibility see www.gov.uk/civil-legal-advice

To search for specialist legal advisers or solicitors in your area see: find-legal-advice.justice.gov.uk

Doctors of the World

www.doctorsoftheworld.org.uk

Advice line:  0808 1647 686  (freephone)  open 10am to 12 midday, Monday to Friday.

Email:  [email protected]

Free and confidential help to access healthcare

Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC)

For information and advice about discrimination law

www.equalityhumanrights.com

Freedom from Torture

Care and treatment for victims of torture

London Centre Tel: 020 7697 7777

West Midlands Centre Tel: 0121 314 6825

North East Centre Tel: 0191 261 5825

North West Centre Tel: 0161 236 5744

Scottish Centre Tel :  0141 420 3161

The government’s online information service

Home Office

www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-visas-and-immigration

UK Visas and Immigration contact centre – 0300 123 2241

HM Revenue & Customs

Tax Credit Helpline: 0345 300 3900 Mon – Fri 8am-8pm, Sat 8am-4pm, Sun 9am -5pm

Child Benefit: 0300 200 3100 Mon – Fri 8am-8pm, Sat 8am-4pm

For queries about Statutory Maternity Pay, Adoption Pay, Paternity Pay and Shared Parental Pay:

Employees helpline 0300 200 3500

Employers helpline 0300 200 3200

For detailed guidance for employers on SMP, SAP, SPP and Statutory Sick Pay see www.gov.uk/government/collections/statutory-pay

HMRC Statutory Payments Disputes Team

For payments of Statutory Maternity Pay/Adoption Pay/Paternity Pay/Shared Parental Pay or Statutory Sick Pay when your employer is insolvent or refusing to pay: 0300 322 9422

Jobcentre Plus

To make new telephone benefit claims or request claim forms, including Maternity Allowance and Sure Start Maternity Grant: 0800 055 6688 Mon – Fri 8am – 6pm

For Universal Credit you are expected to make your claim on-line see www.gov.uk/apply-universal-credit

Universal Credit helpline: if you cannot make an online claim or do not have an online account call: 0800 328 9344 Mon – Fri 8am – 6pm

Universal Credit helpline – for new claims and existing on-line claims: 0800 328 5644

For ESA/JSA/Income Support claims: 0800 169 0310 Mon – Fri 8am – 6pm

For Maternity Allowance claims: 0800 169 0283 Mon – Fri 8am – 6pm

For Sure Start Maternity Grant claims: 0800 169 0140 Mon – Fri 8am – 6pm

Kalayaan Support for migrant domestic workers

020 7243 2942. www.kalayaan.org.uk

No Recourse to Public Funds Network Information on local authority support for people subject to immigration control. Contact:  Islington, 222 Upper Street, London N1 1XR.

Tel: 020 7527 7121

www.nrpfnetwork.org.uk

For guidance on local authority support for destitute adults see: www.nrpfnetwork.org.uk/Documents/Practice-Guidance-Adults-England.pdf

Migrant Help

www.migranthelpuk.org/pages/category/asylum

Provides assistance to asylum seekers to complete applications for asylum support.  Advice available in several languages.

Freephone: 0808 801 0503

www.project17.org.uk

Advice line: 07963 509 044

Email: [email protected]

Advice for families experiencing exceptional poverty who need advice and assistance to improve their access to local authority support.

Refugee Council www.refugeecouncil.org.uk Information and assistance for refugees and asylum seekers. Head Office – 020 7346 6700

Children’s Office – for children under 18 – 020 7346 1134 ’

Rights of Women

www.rightsofwomen.org.uk Free legal advice on domestic violence, immigration and asylum issues. Helpline 020 7490 7689.

Salvation Army

If you think you are a victim of trafficking and would like advice and support you can call the Salvation Army 24 hour confidential Referral Helpline

www.salvationarmy.org.uk/modern-slavery?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI5LSz65Os6gIVhe7tCh2LMwtxEAAYASAAEgKU6fD_BwE

Telephone 0800 808 3733 – open 24 hours, seven days a week

Online benefits calculator and grant search

www.turn2us.org.uk

Immigration advice

You can search for registered immigration advisers in your area at: www.gov.uk/find-an-immigration-adviser

Destitution projects

Trussell Trust

www.trusselltrust.org/

Help with finding a food bank in your area

www.redcross.org.uk/What-we-do/Refugee-support/Where-to-find-us

Red Cross branches across the UK that provide clothing and food parcels.

Refugee Council

www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/resource-category/guides-for-refugees/

Directory of services providing destitution support.

Maternity rights and benefits

EU, EEA and Swiss nationals (including A8 and A2) – maternity rights and benefits

No recourse to public funds – maternity rights and benefits

Victims of trafficking or modern slavery – maternity rights and benefits

Asylum seekers – maternity rights and benefits

Financial support and housing

Asylum seekers – financial support and housing

Refused asylum seekers – financial support and housing

No recourse to public funds – financial support and housing

No recourse to public funds- free prescriptions and NHS healthcare services for pregnant women

Refugees- financial support and housing

NHS care for women from abroad (England)

NHS care for women from abroad (Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland)

Asylum-seekers and Article 3 claimants – entitlement to NHS maternity care

Refused asylum-seekers and Article 3 claimants – entitlement to NHS maternity care

Refugees, Humanitarian Protection, Article 3 or temporary protection – entitlement to NHS maternity care

Victims of trafficking or modern slavery – entitlement to NHS maternity care

EEA and Swiss Citizens and their family members – entitlement to NHS maternity care

Non-EEA national family members of EEA and Swiss citizens – entitlement to NHS maternity care

No recourse to public funds or limited leave – entitlement to NHS maternity care

Undocumented migrants – entitlement to NHS maternity care

Indefinite leave to remain, right of abode and UK citizens – entitlement to NHS maternity care

Information-sharing between the Home Office and the NHS

Dealing with debts owed to the NHS for maternity care

Emory Research Administration News

• Uniform Guidance
• NIH Boosts Pay for Postdocs and Graduate Students

Author: Katie Langin, Associate Editor, Science Careers

Source: Science Journal (AAAS)

The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced pay increases today for early-career scientists who are recipients of its Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards (NRSAs), after an  NIH advisory group recommended raises in December 2023 . Postdocs will now be paid at least $61,008, an increase of $4500 over their current minimum salary level—though still below the advisory group’s recommendation of $70,000. Graduate students will receive a $1000 raise, bringing their minimum to $28,224. NIH also announced a $500 increase in child care subsidies for early-career researchers who are parents.

Read full article: https://www.science.org/content/article/nih-boosts-pay-postdocs-and-graduate-students

Recent Articles for Emory’s Research Administrator

• $1.5B in Medical Research Funding Available via Congressionally Directed Programs
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• Opportunity to Present at the ARPA-H Customer Experience (CX) Hub
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• NSF 24-1 Proposal and Award Policy and Procedure Guide (PAPPG) Updates
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• Emory’s Award Closeout Plan and Roadmap
• Emory’s Research Administration Leaders Selected as Mentors for the University of Kentucky’s Research Analytics Mentorship Program (RAMP)

New from NIH

• NIH All About Grants Podcast – Milestone-Driven Awards – A Go/No Go Proposition May 28, 2024 Milestone-driven awards allow NIH to support riskier biomedical research projects. These awards have interim check-points (also referred to as “phases”) where progress towards achieving the objectives of the award are assessed. Dr. Craig Hopp, Deputy Director of the Division of Extramural Research within the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, joins us for this […] NIH Staff

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Some college graduates only need to make a $50,000 salary for a decade for their degrees to be worth it

• College degrees are under fire given the pain of student debt and political and economic troubles.
• Some public university graduates only need to earn over $50,000 for a decade to make a return.
• Graduates pay more to live in popular states but they can win due to better job markets there.

Crushing debt , political furor , and a brutal economic backdrop of historic inflation and higher borrowing costs have fueled fresh skepticism about the value of a college degree.

Yet, stumping up the cash for one may still be worth it financially if it results in significantly higher earnings. That's especially true for public universities that charge in-state tuition: their average alumnus only has to make $50,000 a year during the decade after graduation to make a positive return on their investment, The Wall Street Journal reported , citing new research from Strada Education Foundation.

Alternatively, graduates who can amass $500,000 before taxes over 10 years typically come out ahead and can repay their student loans. The finding holds for state-school graduates across sectors, The Journal said.

Related stories

"As long as you're above that $50,000, even in the most expensive states, you'll still have that positive return on investment," Nichole Torpey-Saboe, Strada's vice president of research, told the newspaper.

It costs more to live in states like New York and California, but recent graduates can still outearn their peers because of the superior job markets in those states, which often provide better access to internships and entry-level roles.

Strada found that around 80% of state-school graduates in those states scored a return on their college investment, compared to 60% in West Virginia and just over 50% in Idaho, The Journal said.

The nonprofit also revealed that community college doesn't provide as big an earnings bump, and private nonprofit universities tend to be more expensive at $8,000 a year and another $11,000 for room and board.

Taking out a student loan and getting a four-year degree can be daunting for many people, as student loans can haunt borrowers for decades, and college campuses have become a hotspot for protests and political clashes. The prices of food, fuel, and housing have all soared, and monthly payments on credit cards, cars, and mortgages have jumped.

But an affordable degree that bolsters someone's earnings potential and career prospects without breaking the bank can still pay off nicely.

Watch: Student loans are canceled for former students of Corinthian Colleges

• Main content

The Daily Northwestern

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Open Letter: Northwestern, pay your advanced graduate workers!

Dear President Schill, Provost Hagerty, Dean Mayo and Dean Randolph,

“Northwestern deeply values the contributions that graduate students make to its research and teaching missions” — this is your purported stance toward graduate workers that you have reiterated time and again.

Yet, upper-year graduate workers are currently being denied the ability to work and do research. Some of us have been abruptly denied further funding beyond Summer Quarter. Others are anxiously waiting to hear back whether they will be funded next academic year.

The large community of international workers among us are especially in a precarious position. Your website proudly states that “international students … enrich the academic experience of all students by contributing to the cultural diversity of our campus,” but right now, without funding or clear communication, dozens of us are scared of being forced to leave the U.S.

We, as graduate workers at this university, urge you to uphold your commitment to supporting junior scholars and honor your responsibilities toward us as your employees. We demand that your administration provides timely, consistent and transparent information about advanced funding as soon as possible.

Workers in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences enter the graduate school with five years of guaranteed funding. In the past, we have secured additional years of funding through the Advanced Student Quartersfrom Weinberg as needed to complete our dissertation.

This year, however, Weinberg has not only dramatically slashed the funding pool for ASQs but also forced workers to teach more quarters than they have had to in the past. The notifications for these changes are an unpleasant shock and arrived unreasonably late in May, leaving us with very few alternative resources since the deadlines for most fellowship and teaching position applications have long passed.

We are primarily rising sixth- and seventh-year graduate workers and were in the early years of our graduate careers when COVID-19 began. We already experienced the difficulties of pivoting to online learning and teaching, navigating already challenging graduate programs alongside a global pandemic and not being able to conduct research in labs or travel for our fieldwork.

If you do not move to support us, our stipends and healthcare will run out soon. Many of us will be forced to move elsewhere to save living costs or to continue our dissertation research while working another full-time job.

Even those who are fortunate enough to have landed temporary teaching positions at NU and other institutions in the area will be struggling to finish writing a dissertation while teaching multiple courses every quarter. Moreover, we will still be left to pay thousands of dollars for healthcare coverage out of pocket.

Those of us who are international workers are disproportionately affected, especially F-1 and J-1 visa holders — the two main visa categories for graduate work in the United States. To maintain visa status and legally stay in the U.S., international workers are required to show proof of funding, which includes living expenses, healthcare coverage and tuition costs. Unless we show tens of thousands of dollars on our bank statement and purchase NU-SHIP out-of-pocket, we risk deportation.

We feel extremely burdened in showing that level of savings while being on a stipend that had been reducing because of inflation. Not only would finding an on-campus or off-campus job be extremely difficult for us — employment for international workers is subject to very restrictive rules — but a promise of future employment does not qualify as proof of funding and cannot be used to renew our visa status.

If left unaddressed today, new cohorts of graduate workers will likely face the same situation every year. It is extremely unjust for NU to profit off of our research labor and not pay us for it.

As some graduate workers have testified:

“They have informed us of these changes so late that application deadlines for other sources of support have passed. As an international student, my visa is tied to my funding and I am worried that without ASQs I will not have time to finish my dissertation, let alone find another job that will sponsor me to stay in the U.S.”

“Yes, (a) visa is dependent upon funding. For the unfunded quarters, I won’t be able to maintain visa status if I can’t prove that I can fund myself, and being out of visa status means I need to leave the U.S.”

On top of this, the communication from central administration, Weinberg and individual departments has been delayed, inconsistent and contradictory. Graduate workers are forced to shuffle between their home department, Weinberg and the Office of International Student and Scholar Services, without a clear and definitive answer.

If you do not make immediate changes, we will face the untenable reality of working another full-time job, completing our dissertation research and going on the academic job market all at the same time. This will surely lead to a dramatic decrease in degree completion rate and a sharp decline in NU’s placement record.

We note, in addition, that denying workers the opportunity to bank more than four quarters discourages us from seeking out external fellowships and other funding sources, which will negatively impact NU’s academic reputation. To offer more substantial advanced funding is in the interests of both our graduate worker body and NU as a top-tier research institution.

University President Michael Schill, Provost Kathleen Hagerty, Dean Kelly Mayo and Dean Adrian Randolph, we call on you to fulfill the following reasonable and necessary demands as soon as possible: Provide adequate advanced funding for the affected cohorts, including allowing graduate workers to accrue more than four banked quarters; widen access to internal fellowships and teaching assistantships; guarantee healthcare coverage for all graduate workers with active enrollment; and provide international workers with sufficient financial and legal support.

Two weeks ago, a letter was sent to Dean Randolph with signatures from thirty-two current and former directors of graduate studies, chairs and associate chairs in fifteen departments across the College, testifying to the legitimate and urgent need for their graduate advisees to receive continued support to continue their work as researchers and instructors and complete their dissertation work. You still have not moved.

As you, the University administration, sit unmoved while our livelihoods become more precarious by the day, it is time for us to organize and fight for adequate support so we can continue our research and teaching activities for your university.

On Thursday, May 30, graduate workers, along with supporting faculty and staff members, will gather at the Rock at 11 a.m. and march to University admin offices and demand the opportunity to work that we deserve.

Signed, Adam J. Goldsmith Adithya Upadhya Adrien Deberghes Amanda Fu Andrew Montequin Cataldo Lamarca Charlotte Mencke Citlayi Guerrero Villaseñor Divjyot Singh Drew Weidner Elisabeth Latawiec Emma McGorray Gracie Siffer Isabel Griffith-Gorgati Jack Hamill Jakob M. Reinke Jorin T. Graham Kavitha Chintam Kristen Beckett Lauren Johnson Maddie Brucker Mariam Hirsi Marie Lamarque Muhammad Ridha Nicholas Pogharian Pietro Zanin Rivaan Kakkaramadam Samuel Aftel Thomas Ie Thomas McKenzie-Smith Vineet Gupta And many more members of Northwestern University Graduate Workers – UE Local 1122

Editor’s Note: This letter may not represent the views of every individual member of Northwestern University Graduate Workers.

Northwestern University Graduate Workers – UE Local 1122 can be contacted at [email protected] . If you would like to respond publicly to this op-ed, send a Letter to the Editor to [email protected] . The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of all staff members of The Daily Northwestern.

• Adam J. Goldsmith
• Adithya Upadhya
• Adrian Randolph
• Adrien Deberghes
• Andrew Montequin
• Cataldo Lamarca
• Charlotte Mencke
• Citlayi Guerrero Villaseñor
• Divjyot Singh
• Drew Weidner
• Elisabeth Latawiec
• Emma McGorray
• Gracie Siffer
• Isabel Griffith-Gorgati
• Jack Hamill
• Jakob M. Reinke
• Jorin T. Graham
• Kathleen Hagerty
• Kavitha Chintam
• Kristen Beckett
• Lauren Johnson
• Maddie Brucker
• Mariam Hirsi
• Marie Lamarque
• Micheal Schill
• Muhammad Ridha
• Nicholas Pogharian
• Northwestern University Graduate Workers
• Pietro Zanin
• Rivaan Kakkaramadam
• Samuel Aftel
• The Graduate School
• Thomas McKenzie-Smith
• Vineet Gupta
• Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences

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