5 countries offering the highest PhD stipends

If you’ve completed your degree, pursuing your PhD may come to mind, especially if your area of interest is research-intensive.

As the highest level of education, a Doctor of Philosophy or PhD can take anywhere from four to 12 years to complete.

But while embarking on a journey towards a PhD is an intellectually rewarding pursuit, it often comes with financial challenges. And that’s where PhD stipends come in.

As a PhD student, you can expect to receive a salary when you carry out your research work. You’ll be hired by schools and universities to carry out jobs such as leading a class, running lab work, or visiting patients. There are even employee benefits like subsidised healthcare or compensation.

However, there is a difference between receiving a salary for your efforts, and a stipend.  This is just one of the many things you should know when deciding to do a PhD.

Let’s explore.

An introduction to PhD stipends

What’s a PhD stipend?

PhD stipends are financial support systems for doctoral students to cover living expenses, tuition, and research costs during their academic journey. This means that your accommodation, utilities, transport, and even food will be covered to a certain extent.

Your field of choice will usually determine the stipend you get. Education, arts, or business will grant stipends of around US$20,000 a year, while STEM-related fields like biomedical engineering would be significantly higher, possibly around US$30,000 and above.

Traditionally, universities will provide PhD stipends if you pursue a full-time doctoral programme with them.

There are three types of PhD stipends:

• Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTAs): For this, you are required to assist by delivering one or more courses over a number of years. You would also need to take on other responsibilities, such as marking student tutorials, supervising lab experiments, and providing support to undergraduates during office hours.
• Research Assistantships (RAs): In this role, you will assist a departmental professor with their research. If you are lucky, the professor will be your PhD supervisor, and their research (and the support you give) will relate to your own doctoral project.
• Stipend via Studentship: This is a non-repayable grant for doctoral students. Unlike the other two stipends, this one rarely has additional suits, but you must progress with your degree.

PhD stipends have a rich history that mirrors the evolution of higher education.

Our current understanding of a PhD originated in 19th-century Germany, but doctoral degrees were awarded long before this.

Over time, PhD stipends have evolved into a cornerstone of doctoral education, ensuring that financial constraints do not hinder the pursuit of advanced knowledge.

Fun fact: The term “stipend” itself has Latin origins, coming from “stipendium,” which refers to a soldier’s pay.

This etymology underscores the idea that stipends are a form of financial support for individuals committed to advancing knowledge, akin to soldiers committed to a cause.

But are they enough?

Things to take into consideration with PhD stipends

Regardless of which stipend applies to you, how you benefit from it ultimately also depends on where you stay.

In places like New York, it’s difficult to find a place to rent that’s US$2000 a month; for example, cheaper accommodation will free up more resources for things like food, transport, and other miscellaneous things.

In January 2023, The Guardian reported about how PhD students in Australia were barely earning enough to survive.

“Through Melbourne’s winter, I know people forced into less than suitable housing who weren’t turning on their heat,” said Tara-Lyn Camilleri, who lobbied to raise the stipend at Monash University from 30,000 AUD to A$37,000 while completing her PhD last year.

It was eventually raised to A$33,000, about A$4,500 less than the minimum wage after tax.

In this Reddit post from 2024, a commenter says, “A lot of PhD students have a hard time getting by financially. Good universities are generally in metro areas where housing demand and prices are very high, and student support and compensation have not kept up.”

On the other hand, another commenter in the same post says, “I lived in a college town, so the cost of living was cheap. We got paid minimum wage in my department, which was enough for me to live in a 2-bedroom apartment by myself. PhD students from other departments got paid half, or even a third, as much as I did. They often had to pick up a job on the side to make ends meet.”

In short, it’s great to have a high PhD stipend, but how you choose to use it also matters.

As PhDs can take years to complete, it is always easier to do one when you have money saved away instead of relying entirely on the PhD stipend, or cut costs by living in cheaper areas.

In fact, some universities around the world have increased their stipends recently to attract more talent.

• The Canadian government has pledged 825 million CAD (approximately US$603 million) to support next-generation researchers by increasing both the number and value of stipends over the next five years. This would increase annual PhD stipends from 24,000 CAD to 40,000 CAD.
• Vanderbilt University, one of the most expensive universities in the world, will increase its PhD stipends to a range of US$34,000 to US$38,000 beginning in the 2024-25 academic year.
• De La Salle University is offering full tuition and fees with monthly stipends of 35,000 PHP (approximately US$600) for full-time students in any PhD academic programme through the Saint Miguel Febres Cordero PhD Scholarship Programme.

Now, if you’re a promising PhD student hoping to secure your stipend, try checking out these countries with some of the best offers:

Top 5 countries with the highest PhD stipends

Austria

• Average PhD stipend: US$104,328
• Average cost of living: US$1,955.43

Boasting over 50 institutions of higher education, it is no surprise that Austria is a top choice for a PhD.

Its rich cultural and academic heritage offers competitive stipends, with institutions like the University of Vienna leading the way.

This is because of the country’s commitment to academic excellence and research; universities often collaborate with international partners, contributing to a vibrant research community.

Government funding and a focus on supporting doctoral research contribute to the attractiveness of stipends in Austria.

Here are some of the best universities in Austria to pursue higher education:

• University of Vienna
• Vienna University of Technology
• University of Innsbruck
• Medical University of Graz
• Salzburg University

 

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Netherlands

• Average PhD stipend: US$74,163
• Cost of living: US$782.21 to US$1543.85.

The Netherlands, known for its innovation and research-driven culture, offers competitive stipends, with institutions like Delft University of Technology providing substantial financial support.

In Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings 2025, the 12 universities in the Netherlands all feature among the top 300, with five Dutch institutions ranking among the top 100.

The Netherlands is also highly ranked internationally for the number of publications per researcher (second) and for the impact of research publication (fourth).

“The PhD salary in the Netherlands is one of the best in the world,” a former PhD student says to Dutch News.

“In the UK, the salaries are just 1,000 pounds and PhD students need to work at weekends. I was able to buy a house while being a PhD student here.”

Here are some of the top universities in the Netherlands to pursue higher education:

• University of Amsterdam
• Leiden University
• University of Groningen
• Delft University of Technology (TU Delft)
• Erasmus University Rotterdam

 

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Finland

• Average PhD stipend: US$46,537
• Cost of living: US$617.46 to US$926.18

Finland is renowned for its high-quality education system, starting from the early years up till their doctoral offerings. It’s also known as the happiest country in the world!

The country offers competitive stipends, with institutions like the University of Helsinki providing substantial financial support.

Government funding often supports stipends in Finland, reflecting the country’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of researchers.

Students are also encouraged to take ownership of the research in Finland.

Here are the top universities in Finland:

• University of Helsinki
• Aalto University
• University of Oulu
• Tampere University
• University of Turku

Denmark

• Average PhD stipend: US$53,436
• Average cost of living: US$1124.80

Denmark strongly emphasises education and research, and the country’s social welfare system ensures that stipends are sufficient to cover living expenses.

The country also offers an Industrial PhD option if you want to conduct a research project with commercial perspectives.

Denmark is also popular for the balance of robust academics and a great living standard, giving international students the best of both worlds.

Here are the best universities in Denmark:

• University of Copenhagen
• Technical University of Denmark
• Aarhus University
• University of Southern Denmark (SDU)
• Aalborg University

Sweden

• Average PhD stipend: US$42,618
• Average cost of living: US$2,264

The land of innovation and Vikings beckons ambitious scholars with competitive stipends and one institution that stands out is the renowned Karolinska Institute.

Sweden’s commitment to pioneering research and its unique blend of modernity and tradition make it an alluring destination for those pursuing a PhD.

Most universities in Sweden offer salaries instead of stipends.

Here are some of the leading institutions in Sweden:

• Blekinge Institute of Technology
• Chalmers University of Technology
• Dalarna University
• Halmstad University
• Jönköping University

Disclaimer: This article was last updated on January 10, 2025.