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How to finance a PhD

 

To enrol as a PhD student you need to have the necessary funds for study fees, salary and project expenses. You can finance your PhD programme the following ways:

  • With a fully financed faculty fellowship: equivalent to three years' salary
  • Through external financing: all costs are covered by an external part

Below you to find more information about how to finance your PhD.

Fully financed PhD fellowship

The Graduate School of Health offers a number of fully financed PhD fellowships in the two application rounds.

A fully financed fellowship covers salary costs, and the Graduate School of Health transfers 3 x DKK 550,000 (incl. study fee) to the department at AU. 

As a rule, it is required that you will be employed at Aarhus University if you receive a fully financed PhD fellowship. However, this can depend on your needs for financing. Following an application round the relevant department will therefore contact you concerning funding.

Fully external financing

A PhD programme can be externally financed by private foundations, in part by the department and/or by employment at a hospital.

If you are applying for external financing of your PhD project, you need to be aware of project-related costs in addition to the salary (including a salary supplement, if applicable) and study fee.

Project-related costs include purchase of special equipment, running costs, external courses, office fee (if applicable) as well as travelling for conferences and research stays etc.

Funding of an integrated PhD

Integrated PhD studies can be financed by means of a faculty fellowship and/or external financing, such as a grant from a research council or private foundation, or by employment at a hospital. 

Part A

Part A is generally financed by means of an SU PhD scholarship of up to 48 SU PhD grant units, maximum 2 per month. An SU PhD scholarship can be externally financed, but can only be paid out through Aarhus University. 

SU PhD grant units can only be granted while being a Master’s degree student and it is not possible to receive SU PhD grant units after having finished the Master’s degree programme, and thereby completed part A. It is not possible to convert any leftover SU PhD grant units into salary for part B.

Read more about the rules regarding SU PhD grant units in the executive order on SU (only available in Danish)

Part B

Part B, which requires that the integrated PhD student has completed a Master’s degree and submitted documentation (diploma or transcript of records) for successful completion of the examinations to the graduate school, is financed by external means or a faculty fellowship.

Study fee

All enrolled PhD students must pay study fee. From 1 January 2020 the study fee is 40,000 DKK per year. Meaning all who is enrolled after this date, will have to pay 40,000 DKK per year in study fee.

It covers the cost of the assessment of the PhD dissertation and participation in the Graduate School’s PhD courses.

The study fee is paid in three instalments, unless otherwise agreed:

  • The first instalment at the time of enrolment
  • The second instalment during the first quarter of the following year
  • The third instalment during the first quarter of the subsequent year

Already paid study fee instalments cannot be refunded.

Financial statement and employment

You need to document that the financing is in place before you can get enrolled.

Therefore a financial statement for the entire programme is a condition for enrolment and needs to be submitted when you accept an offer of enrolment. Find "Financial statement" in the right sidebar.

If you are employed at AU during your PhD, you also need to submit a “Recommendation for employment” or “Recommendation for SU PhD grants for integrated PhD students” together with the financial statement (to be found in the right sidebar).

For all fully financed fellowships it is required that you are employed at Aarhus University.

Find out more about employment as a PhD fellow.