Claims and expenses

Bursary payments

If you are on a funded studentship which includes a monthly stipend, to receive your bursary, you will need to complete and return the Bank Details form to the Doctoral Academy. Bursary payments are paid on the first Wednesday of each month. The only exception is the January payment which will be paid mid to late December due to the University’s Christmas closure period. 

Project costs

As part of your funded Studentship, you may have the option of accessing University funds to spend during your PhD’s funding period. The amount of funding that you can access should have been included in your terms and conditions. The funding is expected to be used for purchases relevant to your studies and can include conference fees, travel, accommodation or consumables.

To keep track of your spend, you will be given a unique cost code. If you do not know what your cost code is, please email the Doctoral Academy at doctoralacademy@uwe.ac.uk and we will forward that on to you.

You will be required to monitor your own spend. Please complete the PGR Annual Spend spreadsheet (XLS) for each requested purchase. Each cost code has a budget holder that is responsible for any spending against that code, so you will need to request budget holder approval before making any purchases.

Student expenses

The University would always prefer to make any purchases in advance on your behalf, so you are not left out of pocket. However, it is recognised that this isn’t always possible or practical. If you need to reclaim any expenses, please see the student expenses form (XLS). You will need to include your cost code and include the details of each purchase/journey on page two. Please ensure to attach each receipt as your claim may not be successful without them.

Please email your completed application forms, any receipts and a copy of your Budget vs Expenditure spreadsheet (XLS) to the Doctoral Academy at doctoralacademy@uwe.ac.uk.

Student expenses repayments are made on a weekly basis via our Accounts Payable team once your expenses have been approved.

Travel and accommodation

Please note this process is currently being updated to work with Diversity, UWE Bristol’s travel management company, so this process is subject to change.

If you plan to attend a conference or event, you can complete the application for travel and booking form (XLS). You will need to submit a copy of your annual spend spreadsheet to indicate to the budget holder that you have sufficient remaining funds in your budget to cover this expenditure.

International travel

The University does support international travel. However, before submitting your application form as above, you will need to complete the student application for international travel online form.

To complete the form, you will require:

• a detailed country risk report – visit Crisis24 Horizon
• to check the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) travel advice for the destination
• an estimate of travel costs if the University is paying for part or all of the travel
• an estimate of the carbon emissions for the flights.

If you have any questions about completing the application form, please email internationaltravel@uwe.ac.uk.

Once this application has been approved, you will be able to apply for the bookings to be made using the application for travel and booking form as above. Again, you will need to submit a copy of your Annual Spend spreadsheet to indicate to the budget holder that you have remaining funds in your budget to cover this expenditure. Once you have received approval, please forward to the Doctoral Academy. We will forward to the appropriate Finance Operations team and they will facilitate the bookings with the Diversity Offline Team.

UK travel

Similarly, if you plan to attend a conference or event in the UK, you will need to complete the Application for Travel and Booking form. You will need to submit a copy of your Annual Spend spreadsheet to indicate to the budget holder that you have sufficient remaining funds in your budget to cover this expenditure. When the budget holder has approved your spend, please forward this to the Doctoral Academy. As above this will be forwarded to the Finance Ops team and they will liaise with the Diversity offline team to compete your bookings.

Goods and services

Please complete the goods and services pre-requisite form (XLS) for any goods or services that wish to purchase. If you are purchasing anything online, please include the relevant links on the form. Send this form and your annual spend spreadsheet to your budget holder for approval. Once you have received approval, please forward all documents to the Doctoral Academy at doctoralacademy@uwe.ac.uk to arrange payment.