By Alejandra Bonwick, Second Year, Medicine
A policy shift in funded leave for PhD students, described as ‘enhanced entitlements’ by the University of Bristol, has sparked an SU-backed campaign to ‘save part-time PGRs’ after student concerns that it could push marginalised groups out of higher education.
In October 2025, the University updated their leave policy, communicated to students in August as an enhancement, to include the new category of ‘medical leave’. However, after researching it independently, a disabled PhD student had felt that the changes had the opposite effect. They voiced their concerns before the update was implemented: instead of ‘enhancing’ their studies, it would make them inaccessible, potentially even leaving them to choose between their health and their degree. After the University went ahead with the updated policy in October, the students joined forces with the Neurodivergent Postgraduate Research Network to lobby against the change, which disproportionately affects minoritised groups.
What are the contested changes in question? Firstly, people taking leave due to certain protected characteristics under the Equality Act – pregnancy, disability and chronic illness, and gender reassignment – now have this taken out of the same pot as standard sick leave. There is also a discrepancy between the total medical leave given to students based on their mode of study: part-time PhD students (0.5 FTE) are left with half as much medical leave as their full-time (1.0 FTE) peers, despite their total hours of study across the degree being the same.
The cut to medical leave was applied retrospectively – this means any leave PhD students took before the new policy was put in place is deducted from the new total allowance. So, it’s possible that a student who took legitimate leave before October could’ve now automatically used up most, or all, of their medical leave. In this scenario, they would be left with no further leave for the rest of their studies.
The University adopted their new leave policy from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), but have given no justifications for the updated terms. They also haven’t officially endorsed the ones from the UKRI. In the review of their own leave policy, the UKRI argued that if a part-time student requires the same medical leave as someone who is full-time, ‘continuation of the studentship is unlikely to be in the student’s interest.’
It’s worth highlighting that, despite this, a student is allowed to continue their PhD if they exhaust their medical leave – any further leave would simply be unpaid. In practice, continuing studies would only be feasible for students with the financial means to self-fund necessary leave. This has led to worries that the policy, which isn’t a direct cap on the length of the degree, could affect students differently depending on how wealthy they are.
Both staff and students at the University have expressed concern that the policy is discriminatory. The students behind the campaign, alongside others, worry that it will ‘further push under-represented groups out of academia.’ Many supporters of the campaign have highlighted that the time taken off is essential leave and, while on medical leave, students can’t research. As additional medical leave is unpaid, some may have to choose between jeopardising their health and their source of income. An anonymous student even remarked that the changes ‘will make it impossible to complete a PhD safely’, a sentiment echoed by numerous others.
A PhD student supporting the petition added that ‘disabled students […] face the same reasons for leave as others, plus additional ones related to our conditions. By cutting and merging leave, the policy disproportionately harms those in complex situations who are most vulnerable.’
Staff have commented on the benefits of adequate medical leave, saying they’ve seen it ‘allow profoundly gifted students to continue in their studies despite disadvantage.’ Another member of the University pointed out that it isn’t just the PhD students who stand to lose from this: ‘it is in the University's interest for the greater good of their output research to maintain the perspectives of a diverse cohort of students, and this [policy] goes against that.’
‘Save Part-Time PGRs’ – the SU-backed campaign advocating for affected students – are currently focused on lobbying the University to reverse cuts to medical leave for part-time PhD students. While being part-time in itself is not a protected characteristic, the students behind the campaign pointed out that ‘many students are part-time precisely because of a protected characteristic, such as disability.’ They started a petition which has gained over 180 signatures, and a motion was passed at the Bristol SU Annual Members Meeting earlier this year.
Another aim of the campaign is to raise awareness of the issue, as they have found that ‘most people who are part-time are not aware that their leave has effectively been cut.’ Part-time students weren’t directly informed that their leave allowance would be reduced in communications before the policy’s enforcement. The ‘enhanced entitlements’ refer to PhD students being able to take up to 28 weeks of medical leave at once, which was capped at 13 weeks before. In response to this, the campaign leaders urged the University to reconsider who the change benefits:
‘The only people it's enhanced for are people that are not going to need the majority of their medical leave, but have something more acute, like a singular operation.’
Part-time study has widened access to education for many who it might not have otherwise been feasible for, whether that be due to health, caring or financial responsibilities. It’s an important step towards the academic landscape reflecting the world around us, especially in a setting which has historically been for the rich and powerful. Implementing a policy that shuts out the same students part-time study was designed to open the door for raises pertinent questions: who is part-time study for, and how can we ensure our university remains accessible to them?
Professor Harry Mellor, Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor for Postgraduate Research at the University of Bristol, said: ‘These concerns relate to the subset of our PhD students whose studies are directly funded by the University. Our policy is to match terms and conditions for paid leave set by the UKRI, who have the best paid leave policy of any funder. Last summer, UKRI made updates to that policy.
‘The major change was to allow PGRs to take much longer continuous periods of paid medical leave in order to support PGRs with chronic illness. Paid maternity leave continues to be treated separately to medical leave, and the new policy increases the types of paid leave that can be taken by PGR parents.
‘Part-time PGRs have the same access to paid medical leave as full-time PGRs, however they may reach the total limit on study time for their PhD. Importantly, both UKRI and UoB allow for the consideration of individual cases where these limits may be exceeded.
‘Every PGR's case is unique and we aim to find the best support that we can, based on your needs. If you think you might be affected by these changes, or are unsure of what paid leave you are entitled to, we would really like to hear from you. You can contact me directly at apvc-pgr@bristol.ac.uk.’
Featured image: Epigram / Ellen Reynolds
If you’re interested in joining or supporting the ‘Save Part-Time PGRs’ campaign, you can get in touch via their Instagram @save_pt_pgrs or email save-pt-pgrs-campaign@bristol.ac.uk for more information or any questions.
How do you feel about the new policy? Let us know - email on editor.epigram@gmail.com, or dm us on Instagram (@epigrampaper_)
