In The Netherlands, aside from a brief spell between 2016 and 2022 (the "PhD Scholarship Experiment"), universities are only allowed to fully fund PhD candidates from their own resources if they contract candidates on an employment basis. This however does not mean that the university does not enroll PhD students: many foreign PhD students enroll at the Graduate School of Medical Sciences with a scholarship from external agencies. The University of Groningen (UG) and the University Medical Center Groningen ensure that these type of PhD candidates can fully focus on their PhD research by providing a top-up of their external scholarship (conditions apply). This FAQ section serves to resolve common doubts regarding this policy.
Q: Aren't all PhD candidates considered students?
A: Not in The Netherlands, where the dominant system has for a long time been one of "employee PhDs". This means that prospective PhD candidates had to apply to a PhD vacancy that called for people to apply to a pre-defined research project. The selected applicant subsequently was hired by the university and received a monthly salary for the duration of the project (in most cases, four years). The Netherlands internationally pertains to a minority of countries where employee PhDs are the norm.
Q: Aren't all PhD candidates considered employees?
A: No. The Netherlands has always known a "dual" system in which PhD candidates were either employed by the University if they had successfully applied to a PhD vacancy, or PhD candidates were considered students if they had obtained an external grant from, for example, non-Dutch national governments. The salary received by employee PhDs is standardized in so-called "collective labor agreements" for universities (CAO by its Dutch acronym). The scholarship received by PhD students however differs in accordance with the terms & conditions set by the international scholarship provider, and it is up to the student to accept these conditions.
Q: What was the Dutch "PhD Scholarship Experiment"?
A: In 2016, the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science for the first time allowed the University of Groningen to enroll PhD students with university funding via a so-called "PhD Scholarship Experiment". A total of 850 students enrolled in the period 2016-2018. In February 2020, the Ministry extended the experiment, allowing UG to enroll another 650 students who should finish their UG-funded PhD trajectory by September 2024. The Ministry cancelled the experiment in 2022: no new candidates may enroll under this scheme from 1 January 2023 onwards, and all UG-funded PhD Scholarship students should have finished by 1 September 2024.
The cancellation of the Experiment means that UG/UMCG can no longer fund PhD candidates who rely entirely on UG/UMCG funding as PhD students. As of 1 September 2024, any such candidate will need to be employed.
Q: What does cancellation of the Experiment mean for Top-Up students enrolling prior to 1 September 2024?
A: The category of PhD students who enrolled before this date, obtained an external scholarship, and receive a UG/UMCG-funded Top-Up is not affected by this cancellation; they will continue to receive the same benefits.
Q: What does cancellation of the Experiment mean for Top-Up students enrolling after 1 September 2024?
A: The Boards of UG and UMCG have agreed on a new Top-Up policy, effective 1 September 2024. This policy allows selected PhD students to receive an additional monthly allowance for the nominal duration of their PhD trajectory. It applies to PhD students with external scholarships who meet the admission requirements and begin their research at UG/UMCG after 1 September 2024, provided they are among those specifically selected for this program. Selected students will receive a combined allowance that exceeds the minimum immigration requirements established by the Dutch immigration authorities. This measure not only facilitates the immigration process for PhD students coming to the Netherlands but also ensures they can fully focus on their research.
Q: What is my monthly allowance as a PhD Scholarship student with a Top-Up?
A: As a PhD student selected to receive the Top-Up, you receive a standard net combined amount well above the requirements for immigration of individual researchers. For new candidates enrolling as of 1 September 2024, this amount is set at EUR 1.875 per month.
The following conditions apply:
- You must have acquired an external grant to carry out a PhD project at UG through a selective process and be admitted to the UG PhD program.
- The external grant must be from a UG-approved scheme qualifying for the Top-Up.* Less familiar external grants may be subject to further review by the Graduate School and the UG PhD Scholarship Desk.
- Your scholarship must be below the standard combined allowance of EUR 1,875 per month.
- You must have gone through the selection process to receive the Top-Up.
- The award is subject to the availability of resources.
*Approved schemes that may qualify for the Top-Up include ANID, CAPES, Colfuturo, CONACYT, CSC, FAPESP, LPDP, Minciencias, and scholarships from similar organizations in other countries.
If you are selected:
- You are entitled to receive the Top-Up only during the period of your PhD research at Groningen while you hold your external scholarship.
- You may receive the Top-Up for the nominal duration of your PhD program, which is a maximum of 48 months for a full PhD and 24 months for a Sandwich PhD.