ipend of around GBP 12,940 per year for three years (rising to £14,940 per year in London)[13], whether or not the degree continues for longer. Research Council funding is sometimes 'earmarked' for a particular department or research group, who then allocate it to a chosen student, although in doing so they are generally expected to abide by the usual minimum entry requirements (typically a first degree with upper second class honours, although successful completion of a postgraduate master's degree is usually counted as raising the class of the first degree by one division for these purposes).  However, the availability of funding in many disciplines (especially humanities, social studies, and pure science[තහවුරු කර නොමැත] subjects) means that in practice only those with the best research proposals, references and backgrounds are likely to be awarded a studentship.  The ESRC (Economic and Social Science Research Council) explicitly state that a 2.1 minimum (or 2.2 plus additional mast