Information for University of Sheffield Scholarships holders

This information should be read in conjunction with the most recent Code of Practice for Research Degree Programmes, which contains a wide range of information common to all students, such as on registration and fees, time limits, the Doctoral Development Programme, supervision, and thesis preparation and submission.

By accepting a scholarship award you agree to comply by these terms and conditions and the code of practice.

Award details and finances

Award details

The amount you have been awarded will be detailed in your award letter.

University scholarships do not cover extension or resubmission fees.

Payment

Where a scholarship includes tuition fees, these will be transferred internally within the University.

Maintenance is paid by the University, quarterly in advance, into your bank account.

Payment dates for the current year and information on how to provide or change your bank details can be found on the main scholarships information page.

Undertaking paid work

The University encourages research students to undertake a certain amount of paid teaching or demonstrating work during the period of a scholarship, if the opportunity arises.

Undertaking this paid work will not affect your scholarship, provided that your supervisor agrees, and the guidelines in the code of practice, and any departmental regulations, are followed.

Other awards

You are not permitted to hold two awards concurrently for the same purpose.

If you gain an award which is intended to cover all living expenses over a period of several months, your University scholarship must be suspended. For example, if you gained a scholarship to study abroad for one year, your University scholarship would normally be suspended for that period. However, if you gain additional bursaries, grants or scholarships which are intended to supplement your existing award, this will not affect your scholarship.

You must inform the PGR Scholarships Team on pgr-scholarships@sheffield.ac.uk about any additional awards so we can advise you on how your University scholarship may be affected. 

Research Training Support Grant

If your scholarship includes a Research Training Support Grant (RTSG) this will be stated in your award letter.

This allowance is intended to be used to pay for expenses which are in direct support of your research (for example, consumables, training, conference attendance), as agreed by your supervisor/department. 

If you do not spend this allowance in full during the academic year, you may be able to carry over any unspent funds into the next academic year, as long as this is within the period of your scholarship award.  However, this is dependent on the source of the funding and is not always possible.

In exceptional circumstances, the University may consider requests from award holders to purchase a laptop or other computer equipment from this allowance. Any such request must be clearly and adequately justified based on the nature of the research being undertaken and as being essential for the successful completion of the PhD. In these instances, any equipment purchased in excess of £200 should remain the property of the University following completion of (or withdrawal from) your PhD.

Your department will have an account code which you can use to charge orders or claim expenses from your RTSG. 

Leave of absence

Scholarships are intended to be held on a continuous basis, without a break. Sometimes, however, a student may need to take a break from their programme of study. This may arise for a number of reasons, e.g. to cover a period of illness or maternity leave, or due to personal or family reasons. A leave of absence (LOA) may be requested during which the student takes an approved break from their studies. 

During the leave of absence, the student may be entitled to receive a maintenance stipend if the leave occurs within the tuition fee-paying period and the absence meets the criteria for a paid leave entitlement (see below for information regarding paid leave entitlements). In such circumstances, the studentship will be extended accordingly. 

If a paid leave entitlement does not apply to a leave of absence, the studentship will be suspended for the duration of the leave. If the stipend covering all or part of the proposed period of suspension has already been paid then the University may ask the student to repay the amount that has been overpaid.  At the end of the LOA, payment of the award will resume unless the student further requests an extension of their LOA.

For any leave of absence, the End of Fees date and final Time Limit will be extended accordingly. 

Requests for leave of absence will not be approved for the purpose of employment, temporary lectureships, exchange visits, voluntary service overseas or expeditions/sport.

You must inform us as soon as possible if you need to take a leave of absence for any reason.

To apply for a leave of absence, please refer to the Code of Practice.

Short-term leave

The minimum period of leave of absence that will normally be granted is four weeks (i.e. 28 days or over in length). Exceptions to the minimum limit will be considered under certain circumstances, such as where there is a statutory requirement (e.g. paternity leave, jury service).  Where a student needs to take a short-term absence from their degree of under four weeks (up to a maximum of 27 days), they may request an authorised absence, or use some of their holiday entitlement, depending on the reasons for the absence. Neither option will extend the student’s expected end date for their degree; therefore, students will be expected to manage their time accordingly and make up for any time lost due to short-term absences over the remainder of their degree.

Unauthorised Absence

If a student is absent from their degree without formal authorisation this must be reported to Research, Partnerships and Innovation, who will ensure that appropriate steps are taken to contact the student regarding their situation and, where appropriate, to ensure that the scholarship award is suspended.

Paid leave entitlements

Where a leave of absence takes place during the tuition fee paying period, paid leave entitlements may apply, as summarised below. Please consult the UKRI Terms and Conditions for full details on the criteria for paid leave entitlements, as these entitlements are matched for University of Sheffield-funded studentships.

The total cumulative amount of paid leave entitlement (excluding Family Leave) is 52 weeks across the whole studentship.

Leave of absence on medical grounds

Payment of a scholarship can continue for absences for medical leave covered by a medical certificate for up to 28 weeks within any 12-month period. If the illness lasts, or is expected to last, for more than 28 weeks, the scholarship will be suspended. In such circumstances, the student should seek advice from SSID about other possible sources of financial support. 

Please also refer to the Medical Leave of Absence Stipend Extension Policy: University of Sheffield- or UKRI-funded students

Family Leave

University of Sheffield-funded students are entitled to 52 weeks of maternity leave if the expected week of childbirth will occur during the period of their award. The earliest maternity leave can commence is 11 weeks before the expected week of childbirth. The first 26 weeks should be paid at full stipend rate, pro-rated as necessary for part time students.  The following 13 weeks should be paid at a level commensurate with statutory maternity pay. The final 13 weeks are not paid. 

Partners are entitled to up to two weeks paid Partner’s or Paternity Leave.

For Adoption Leave, the support available for the main adopter is commensurate to Maternity Leave. The support available for a student who is the partner of the main adopter of the child or is the coadopter is commensurate with Paternity Leave. 

A partner is eligible for leave on the same basis as the mother or main adopter if the mother or main adopter dies during or shortly before the period of maternity or adoption leave.

Students who do not return to the University to complete their studies following their maternity/adoption leave will be required to pay back any maternity/adoption stipend received.

One week of Neonatal Care Leave should be provided for each week or part-week in which the child is in neonatal care, up to a maximum of 12 weeks. This is additional to Maternity or Paternity Leave and a stipend should be drawn at the usual rate.

Due  to  the  structured nature of most  taught  research training  programmes, students on 1+3 programmes who take maternity leave during the Masters year are expected to re-join their course at the stage at which they left it in order to ensure that all elements of the training are successfully completed in advance of their doctoral study. This may require taking a full 52 weeks of maternity leave, but this would depend on the structure of the  course and the frequency in which training is provided. 

To apply for maternity, paternity or adoption leave, please refer to the Code of Practice.

Additional Leave 

University of Sheffield-funded students may be entitled to additional paid leave of absence (Additional Leave) under certain circumstances. Please find a summary of these entitlements here.

Phased Return

Students returning to study after a period of leave may take a phased return. The student and supervisor should maintain a record of the agreement and the amount of time that the student will study during a period of phased return, and review the arrangement periodically (normally, every four weeks). If the student is within their tuition fee-paying period, stipend payments during the phased return may be accounted for from the relevant available paid leave allocation, normally family or medical leave. The studentship (and tuition fee-paying date and final time limit) will be extended pro-rata accordingly. 

Where no remaining family or medical level entitlement is available, annual leave may be used. 

Changes of Candidature

Transferring between full-time and part-time study

Students may, in exceptional circumstances, apply to transfer from full-time to part-time status or vice-versa.

If a student transfers status, they will be subject to the terms and conditions relating to that new status.  Part-time scholarships are paid at 50% of the full-time rate. The length of a scholarship will be recalculated to take account of the date of change in status, and of the funding already received. You may be asked to repay any overpayment of maintenance already received.

To request a change of status, you should email the PGR Scholarships Team on pgr-scholarships@sheffield.ac.uk to check how this will affect your scholarship. You should then follow the University's procedures for requesting a Change of Candidature. If approved, we will liaise with the Payments Office to alter your payment amounts.

Downgrading from PhD to MPhil

If a student downgrades from a doctoral-level qualification, e.g. PhD/EngD, to an MPhil, either voluntarily or as a result of a failed Confirmation Review, the scholarship award will be reduced in length in line with the normal registration period for MPhil, i.e. to two years, or to the point of thesis submission, whichever is soonest. If this happens beyond the end of the normal period of MPhil registration, the studentship will be terminated at the point of the downgrade. 

University expectations

Progress

All University scholarships are subject to satisfactory progress, engagement with your supervisor and department, meeting any requirements of your research project (such as attendance at required research group meetings) and compliance with the code of practice.

If you do not meet the University's requirements for satisfactory progress, your scholarship may be suspended or terminated.

Submission dates

The University expects doctoral projects to be designed and supervised in such a way that students are able to submit their thesis within the tuition fee-paying period, as defined at the outset of the project.  If this is not possible, students must submit by their time limit at the very latest.   

Termination of awards

The University will consider termination only as a last resort, since the objective is to enable students to bring their studies to a successful completion.

However, you should be aware that the University reserves the right to terminate a scholarship where a student breaks any of the terms and conditions, if their progress is unsatisfactory, or if they are absent from their studies without authorisation.

Early submission of a doctoral thesis

Should a student complete their studies and submit a doctoral thesis before the end of the scholarship, the award will be deemed to have finished and they will not be eligible for any further maintenance payments. Where the student continues to undertake work that is directly linked to their thesis, it is permissible to continue their funding until the end of the quarter in which the thesis is first submitted. However, any stipend set up for future quarters will not be paid. Where the student submits on or after the original end date of their award, funding must cease on the original award end date. 

Withdrawal

If a student is considering withdrawing from their studies, they should discuss this matter first with their supervisor or departmental Postgraduate Lead or Head of Department. If, following careful consideration and discussion, they still wish to withdraw, they should  inform the PGR Scholarships Team on pgr-scholarships@sheffield.ac.uk and follow the University's procedures for requesting a withdrawal and submit the relevant form to Research, Partnerships and Innovation, ensuring that the effective date of the withdrawal and brief reasons for the decision are included.

Entitlement to scholarship payments ends from the date on which the award terminates. If an award is prematurely terminated for any reason, e.g. because the student withdraws, the student must repay to the University any monies including maintenance grant, fieldwork contribution, etc that has been overpaid to them.

Who to contact

Any questions in relation to the above should be directed to the PGR Scholarships Team at pgr-scholarships@sheffield.ac.uk.