PhD Funding Models in Europe: Salaried Employee vs Stipend Explained

Two ways Europe funds a PhD

European countries fund doctoral study through one of two structures. The first treats you as a university employee on a fixed-term work contract, with a salary, pension contributions, and paid leave. The second pays you a monthly scholarship that is not an employment relationship, so it usually skips pension credit and unemployment cover. Germany, Sweden, and Switzerland use the employee model as standard. Italy relies on the scholarship model, and France sits between the two.

The salaried employee model: Germany, Sweden, Switzerland

In Germany, most PhD positions run through the collective wage agreement for public employees, TV-L. The German Research Foundation recommends doctoral contracts of at least 65 percent of a full TV-L 13 post as the funding floor for most disciplines, according to salary guidance for German academic staff . Full TV-L 13 gross pay ranges from about 4,760 to 6,765 euros a month depending on experience step, so a 65 percent contract lands around 3,100 to 4,400 euros gross, or roughly 1,700 to 2,200 euros net after tax and social contributions. You accrue state pension credit, get paid sick leave, and receive parental leave rights like any other employee.

Sweden runs doctoral students on a similar employment basis, with each university setting its own salary ladder through collective bargaining. At Uppsala University, the starting monthly salary for a doctoral student from October 2025 is 33,000 SEK gross, rising over the following years, according to the university's doctoral salary ladder . Other universities set their own floors, for example around 32,000 SEK a month at KTH and 27,900 to 31,200 SEK at Karolinska Institutet. As an employee, you pay Swedish income tax and build pension entitlement the same way any salaried worker does.

Switzerland also treats doctoral candidates as university staff. Institutions such as ETH Zurich publish fixed-rate salary scales for doctoral employees that increase automatically over the first three years of the contract, alongside standard Swiss social security and pension contributions.

The stipend model: Italy

Italy funds most PhD candidates through a borsa di dottorato, a scholarship rather than an employment contract. The statutory minimum set by D.M. MUR 247/2022 is 16,243 euros a year before deductions, about 1,196 euros net a month, but many universities pay well above that floor. The University of Pavia's standard doctoral scholarship, for example, is 21,660.53 euros a year, about 1,595 euros net a month, for AY2026/27, rising to 23,284.83 euros a year for national-interest doctorates, according to figures published by the University of Pavia's doctoral office . The scholarship rises by up to 50 percent for continuous research stays abroad longer than sixty days. Because it is a scholarship, not a wage, it does not build the same pension credit as an employee contract, though universities withhold a portion for a separate pension scheme for scholarship holders.

Several other European doctoral systems use a comparable scholarship structure rather than full employee status. Amounts and rules vary by university and funding source, so check the specific doctoral school's terms rather than relying on a national average.

Where France fits

France sits between the two models. A standard contrat doctoral through a doctoral school is a fixed-term employment contract, but it pays less than the German or Swedish equivalents, at around 1,400 to 1,500 euros net a month, according to Campus France's doctoral funding guide . A CIFRE contract, which links your PhD to a company research project, pays a legal minimum of about 1,800 euros net a month and carries full employee status with the host company.

What the model changes for you day to day

An employment contract usually brings pension credit, sick pay, and parental leave rights that a scholarship does not. It also affects your residence status in some countries, since a work contract sometimes routes you through a different visa or permit category than a scholarship holder.

Why the model matters beyond the monthly number

The salaried model usually gives you sturdier legal footing. As an employee, you gain protections built into national labor law, such as notice periods, formal grievance processes, and the right to unemployment benefits if your contract ends early. A scholarship holder does not automatically get these rights, since the relationship with the university is not an employment contract, even when the university treats you well in practice.

Tax treatment also differs. Salaried PhD income is taxed like any other employment income, with deductions visible on a payslip. Some scholarship-model countries tax stipends lightly or not at all, which sometimes narrows the real gap between a lower gross stipend and a higher gross salary once you compare take-home amounts, though the exact tax treatment depends on your specific country and residency status.

Questions to ask before you accept a PhD offer

• Is this position a work contract or a scholarship, and does the answer change your residence permit or visa route?

• Does the funding include pension contributions, sick pay, and parental leave, or are these excluded?

• Is the amount fixed for the full contract, or does it rise on a yearly step like the German and Swiss scales?

• Does the funding cover the full expected duration of the PhD, commonly three to four years, or only an initial period?

• If you plan a research stay abroad, does your funding increase to cover it, as Italy's scholarship does?