Information for ESRC award holders

The maintenance stipend is intended to cover all normal living expenses.

ESRC stipends are paid in three instalments, based on the number of months in each term. 

Any maintenance payments will be paid direct to your UK bank account saved in the Finance Hub which can be accessed from the Fees, Income and Credit Control web pages. More information on Maintenance payments.

If you have been given a fees only award, you will not be eligible for a maintenance stipend from the ESRC, but you will receive an equivalent award from LSE. 

Please make sure that your Annual Progress Report form is returned to the PhD Academy to ensure that your funding renewal for the next academic year can be processed.

If your research requires you to acquire or develop a working ability with a language in order to carry out fieldwork or other parts of your research, you may be eligible for additional funds to support the language acquisition.

This funding is available for students who have upgraded to the PhD. If following the langague training you will imediately undertake overseas fieldwork, you should apply for Difficult Language Training and Overseas Fieldwork funds at the same time.

Apply at least two months before the language training is due to start. Only one application can be made during the lenght of your studentship.  DLT should be undertaken before overseas fieldwork. A maximum of twelve months can be applied on the grounds of the language required (see Annex I of the ESRC Postgraduate Funding Guide). Your supervisor will be asked to support your application. To apply, complete the Difficult Language Training Form and upload via the Financial Support Office enquiry form: https://info.lse.ac.uk/current-students/financial-support/contact. 

Further information can be found in page 17 of the ESRC Postgraduate Funding Guide. 

UK Fieldwork

Additional costs associated with undertaking UK based fieldwork should be claimed from the Research Training Support Grant (RTSG). Costs associated with UK fieldwork should be claimed once you have upgraded to PhD. You must apply two months before the fieldwork is due to begin and only one application per studentship. It is for those spending time away from campus based location to suport the costs of longer distance travel (shorter distances should be covered from your stipend), temporary accomodation whilst undertaking fieldwork , or any other costs relating to fieldwork. 

Overseas Fieldwork

This support is available for students who have upgraded to PhD. You must apply two months before fieldwork is due to begin. You can apply for Difficult language Training at the same time, if applicable. Only one application can be made for the duration of your studentship, this application can include multiple vists if applicable. You can apply for costs to support data collection, flights, temporary accommodation if you cannot vacate your campus based accommodation for the period of fieldwork. Retrospective applications cannot be made, nor can you apply for an increase to costs once you are abroad. Your supervisor will be asked to support your application. To apply, complete the DTP Overseas Fieldwork Guidance and ApplicationForm.

Further information can be found in page 14 of the ESRC Postgraduate Funding Guide. 

The Financial Support Office and the PhD Academy must be informed of any period that you are away from the School due to fieldwork or other activities. Any maintenance payments due while away on fieldwork can be paid direct to your UK bank account saved in the Finance Hub. 

If you have a health condition which affects your ability to work at a normal pace throughout your research, please contact the Financial Support Office and the LSE Mental Health and Disability Service as you may be eligible for additional funding.

The ESRC expects at least 30% of DTP students to be involved in collaboration during their programme. This can include internships, placements and longer term collaborations with public, private or third sector organisations in order to collect data or develop new skills and insights.

The ESRC is not prescriptive about the type of collaboration, but the general principles are that:

• Co-funding can be involved but is not essential
• The collaboration must be with a non-academic organisation in the public, private or civil society sector
• Collaborations must include substantive knowledge exchange and not just one way engagement (eg data collection) 

Additional funding is available from the DTP to assist periods of collaboration - please contact the Financial Support Office.

This scheme is now run by the LSE DTP. This additional funding is intended to provide applicants with the opportunity to establish research networks, to disseminate early research findings, to participate in seminars and other academic activities directly related to their research, or to undertake specialist research training that is not available in the UK. In the application, students are required to enter detailed costs of their visit, eg flights, accommodation and general living expenses, along with justification of these costs. The DTP will be looking at contributing to these expenses.

Please apply for this funding at least two months before the proposed date of your visit. It is a condition that all successful applicants must submit an end-of-award report to the Financial Suport Office within two weeks of the end of the visit.

To apply, please print out the Overseas Institutional/University Visits form, the guidance notes and application advice. It is important that your supervisor reads the notes before authorising the visit.

Once the form has been completed and you have the agreement of your supervisor, please submit the form to the Financial Support Office.

This scheme is designed to help you to make the most of the global opportunities offered by LSE, to enrich your research opportunities and to deepen and develop the important relationships between LSE and these institutions.

During the +3 element of your award, you will be eligible for a combined Research Training Support Grant (RTSG) and UK Fieldwork Allowance. This also applies to part-time and fees only award holders.

If you want to apply for the RTSG, you should contact the Department Manager of your academic department.

If you intend to change your supervisor, you should notify the PhD Academy in writing.

If you wish to take up a public body/government placement you will need to request prior approval from the ESRC. Please can you contact the PhD Academy and inform them of your intentions.

Studentships are intended to be held on a continuous basis. Sometimes you may need to interrupt studies, for example as a result of persistent health problems for yourself or a dependant; or to take up a temporary, short term job opportunity which can be justified if it is highly relevant to your thesis or research training.

Interruption requests on the grounds of financial hardship will not be considered.

Suspensions can be approved provided that:

(i) the period of suspension does not exceed one calendar year in any one instance. Total periods of suspension must not exceed one calendar year during the lifetime of the award;

(ii) your supervisor has given their permission for you to suspend your studies. For CASE awards the collaborative partner must also indicate their approval of any requested suspension period;

(iii) your supervisor certifies that the suspension of studies will not delay the submission of the final thesis by more than the length of the suspension;

(iv) the request is made in advance: retrospective requests cannot be accepted.

What happens if you interrupt retrospectively?

Periods of suspension are usually added to the standard calculation of the thesis submission date and thus taken into account when the ESRC thesis submission rates are calculated. 

If an award is suspended for any reason, you must repay any monies overpaid to you, including maintenance grant, fieldwork contribution, etc., back to LSE. All debts that arise as a result of overpayments, for whatever reason, must be actively pursued by LSE.

Furthermore, you must refund any amount paid, which is more than the amount due for whatever reason, and to which they are no longer entitled by virtue of a change in status of your studentship.  This includes any payment for a period after a suspension whether by your own decision or that of LSE.

Requests for a suspension to your ESRC award should be made in writing and should also include a supporting letter from your supervisor. These requests should be sent to the Financial Support Office and the PhD Academy.

Information about parental leave can be found in the UKRI Training Grant Guidance. 

You should contact the PhD Academy regarding any changes to your mode of attendance such as interruptions to your study, changing between part time and full time study, and taking Leave of Absence.

If you wish to transfer your research to a different institution you will need to request prior approval from LSE via the Financial Support Office.

Students holding 1+3 awards should submit within five years of commencing the '1' (or four years from the commencement of the +3).  Students holding +3 awards must submit within four years of the commencement of their award.

Part-time students holding +3 awards must submit within seven years. Students holding part-time 1+3 studentships will be required to submit within nine years.

As such, students who have a fixed period at full-time - whatever the length - retain their seven or nine year submission date, depending on the status of the award.

All students should however aim to submit by the end of their funded period. 

You are expected to submit your thesis by the submission deadline set out at the start of your award (usually one year after your funding period has ended). If you have not completed your thesis within the funded period of your studentship, you can apply to LSE's Final Year PhD Fund for additional support. Your supervisor will need to confirm your planned timetable through to submission - the Financial Support Office will contact them to ask for this information. Awards are made throughout the academic session. 

If you wish to extend your submission deadline you will need to request prior approval from LSE via the PhD Academy and the ESRC via the Financial Support Office (the ESRC do not accept direct requests), two to three months before the submission deadline date.