We asked each Russell Group university how many PhD students they had recruited in Arts and Humanities between 2015-2018 and how many full time, permanent staff they had recruited in the same period. Here are the results.
University of Manchester: 1,234 doctoral candidates began a PhD in the Faculty of Humanities between January 2015 and December 2018. The Faculty hired 163 permanent full time staff in the same period. There is an 87% difference here.
QMUL: 561 doctoral candidates began a PhD in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences between January 2015 and December 2018. The Faculty hired 229 permanent full time staff in the same period (including those already employed at the university). There is a 60% difference.
UCL: 225 doctoral candidates began a PhD in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities between January 2015 and December 2018. The Faculty hired 45 permanent full time staff in the same period. There is an 80% difference here.
University of Glasgow: 151 doctoral candidates began a PhD in the College of Humanities between January 2014 and December 2019. The Faculty hired 27 permanent full time staff in the same period. There is an 82% difference here.
University of Liverpool: 408 doctoral candidates began a PhD in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences between January 2015 and December 2018. The Faculty hired 206 permanent full time staff in the same period. There is a 50% difference.
University of Birmingham: 617 doctoral candidates began a PhD in the College of Arts and Law between January 2015 and December 2018. The Faculty hired 179 permanent full time staff (146 new appointment) in the same period. There is a 71% difference.
Queen's University Belfast: 465 doctoral candidates began a PhD in the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences between January 2015 and December 2018. The Faculty hired 109 permanent full time staff in the same period. There is a 77% difference.
University of Durham: 389 doctoral candidates began a PhD in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities between January 2015 and December 2018. The Faculty hired 63 permanent full time staff in the same period. There is an 84% difference.
University of Edinburgh: 1,161 doctoral candidates began a PhD in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences between January 2015 and December 2018. The College hired 258 permanent full time staff in the same period. There is a 78% difference.
KCL: 673 doctoral candidates began a PhD in the Faculty of Arts & Humanities between January 2015 and December 2018. The Faculty hired 81 permanent full time staff in the same period. There is an 88% difference.
Cardiff University: 498 doctoral candidates began a PhD in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences between January 2015 and December 2018. The College hired 161 permanent full time staff in the same period. There is an 68% difference.
University of Nottingham: 126 doctoral candidates began a PhD in the School of Humanities between January 2015 and December 2018. The School hired 44 permanent full time staff in the same period. There is a 63% difference.
University of York made it incredibly difficult to work out how many PhD students they took on (apologies), so we don't have that data. They hired 233 members of staff in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities.
We are awaiting results from Bristol, Cambridge, Exeter, Leeds, Newcastle, Oxford, Sheffield and Southampton (we didn't ask Imperial and LSE due to a lack of Arts and Humanities students)
For now, I have just done the Russell Group to take a snapshot of the market. I chose the RG because they generally have more money and access. I am a PhD finishing up my doctorate while working full time, so apologies I do not have time for a longer study at the moment.
Warwick: 297 doctoral candidates began a PhD in the Faculty of Arts between January 2015 and December 2018. The Faculty hired 56 permanent full time staff (including internal transfers) in the same period. There is an 82% difference here.
