In the following table you can find minimum and maximum gross salaries (before taxes) of doctoral students in different European countries. The list will grow as more countries are added. It is not easy to compare the salaries of doctoral students in Europe because they depend on many factors. We therefore present a table with the minimum and maximum salaries of doctoral students in Europe.
The average salary of a doctoral student in Europe is €2,600 per month. It is important to note that this number includes all different fields and not just science or technology. The values listed here include minimum salaries for doctoral fellowships and funded positions.
Income Tax and National Insurance Contributions
Personal Income Supplement 2022/23 is £12,570. This means you can earn up to this amount and pay no income tax. Income between £12,571 and £50,270 falls within the 20% property tax bracket.
Doctoral salary: Doctoral scholarships are tax-exempt and do not involve income tax or social security contributions. Scholarship remaining: £17,062
Types of PhD salary
There are three types of PhD salary:
- Higher Education Assistantships (HTAs). In exchange for a salary, you must help facilitate one or more courses for several years. This includes, among other things, evaluation of student tutorials, supervision of laboratory experiments and supervision of students during office hours. Also, you may have to teach a small part of the course yourself. For more information on GTAs, visit the King’s College London website.
- Research Assistants (AR). To get a salary, you support a department professor in his research. Ideally, the professor you work with is also your thesis supervisor and the research you are asked to do is related to your own thesis project.
- Scholarship under scholarship: A scholarship is a non-refundable grant awarded to doctoral students to support their studies. A scholarship covers tuition fees for undergraduate students, and a scholarship covers living expenses for postgraduate students. This includes costs such as rent, food, bills and basic travel. Unlike graduate teaching or research assistantships, fellowships rarely have responsibilities. The only expectation of a scholarship is that you make continuous progress throughout your studies.
Teach at your university
It is not uncommon for PhD students to have teaching or demo hours during their PhD to earn money and gain experience at their university home or in their research centre. Primary graduate student responsibilities include conducting undergraduate seminars, scoring assessments, and providing demonstrations or laboratory supervision. In some cases, graduate students may work as Teaching Assistants (TAs), taking on a more administrative role, being responsible for scheduling, teaching, email and grading. Our recommendation is that you ask your manager about matters, at least they know who to refer to.
Another way to increase your sales is to work as a tutor. In many cases, students, parents and individuals need support to learn and prepare for exams. This is usually a good opportunity for you, as a researcher on a particular topic, to leverage your niche and find clients that you are willing to pay to teach them. Here are some platforms that may help you: