A Guide to Funding the Doctorate at the University of Bonn

Scholarships represent another main source of doctoral funding alongside taking a job at a university or research institution. In a 2020 nationwide survey of doctoral students, around 15 percent said that a scholarship was funding all or most of their doctoral studies (Bundesbericht Wissenschaftlicher Nachwuchs 2021, p. 117).

Scholarships are awarded by foundations and organizations as well as companies and NGOs (more below). They are considered an external source of funding as far as the University is concerned and do not establish an employment relationship with it, meaning that recipients are not subject to the provisions of the German Law on Temporary Employment in Higher Education (Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz) either. They will need to provide evidence of their admission to doctoral studies when they accept their scholarship at the latest, as this is the only way to ensure that there will be no formal obstacles to them completing their doctorate. 

Although scholarships are tax-free, this does not mean that recipients will be able to claim the full amount every month without any deductions. Since scholarship recipients are not covered by the statutory social security system, they will need to take out their own health insurance. They are free to choose between a statutory and a private health insurance policy but will need to cover all the costs themselves. Remember that doctoral students are no longer treated as students by the statutory health insurance fund and therefore cannot claim discounted rates any more. 

ⓘ Note for international doctoral students: if you have health insurance in your home country, please first check whether and under what conditions this will continue to cover you while you are in Germany. Health insurance policies from other EU member states and from countries with which Germany has signed a social insurance treaty may be recognized in some cases. If you are a doctoral student and are neither in an employment relationship nor able to provide evidence of having had statutory health insurance in the past, you will usually need to take out a private policy.

Scholarship recipients will generally have no teaching duties. This can be both a good and a bad thing. Although it allows you to focus 100 percent on your doctoral dissertation project without the extra work that comes with planning and teaching courses, you might miss out on the chance to gain teaching experience. This could put you at a disadvantage later on, especially if you are aiming for a university career.

ⓘ Note for international doctoral students from non-EU countries: you will often need to demonstrate advanced German skills right from when you are applying for a scholarship, so you should find out in good time about what language certificates are required. Please also bear in mind that only scholarships that pay more than around €934 a month will usually be accepted as the sole form of evidence of sufficient funds in order to obtain a student visa or when applying for a residence permit for study purposes.

Germany offers a very wide range of funding sources, including numerous providers of doctoral scholarships:

• The organizations for the promotion of young talent provide financial and non-material support to the academic education of students with exceptional levels of achievement. There are 13 funding schemes in Germany that grant scholarships to doctoral students, including independent ones such as the German Academic Scholarship Foundation, those affiliated to political parties like the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung and others linked to a particular religious denomination such as the Cusanuswerk. An above-average level of achievement is just as important to put on your application form as social engagement or voluntary work. Recipients are paid €1,450 a month (data correct as of October 2023) plus a monthly lump-sum research expense allowance of €100. These scholarships are usually awarded for three years with the possibility of a further six-month extension.

• The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) is the largest provider of scholarships to international doctoral students doing a doctorate in Germany, awarding over 5,000 grants a year. Besides shorter-term research fellowships (up to six months) and annual scholarships for doctoral students looking to research and train in Germany, the DAAD also offers scholarships that cover the full cost of a doctorate (up to four years, although funding is initially only assured for a maximum of one year). During their studies, doctoral students at German universities can apply for DAAD funding for brief visits abroad lasting between one and twelve months (research fellowships for doctoral students). Funding can be spread out over time and allocated to stays in multiple countries. 

ⓘ The DAAD is also a key scholarship provider for international students looking to do a doctorate in Germany and helps around 5,000 doctoral students a year from other countries fund their time in the country.die eine Promotion in Deutschland anstreben, ist der DAAD wichtiger Stipendiengeber. Er fördert jährlich den Aufenthalt von rund 5.000 internationalen Promovierenden in Deutschland.

You can find an overview of the individual foundations here.

Although scholarships offer numerous benefits, there are also drawbacks that need to be borne in mind. You should therefore always consider your own personal circumstances and preferences when deciding to study for a doctorate on a scholarship.

Advantages

• You will have ample time for research, because your scholarship will only have been awarded for this purpose.
• You will enjoy significant freedom to structure your day-to-day work on your doctoral thesis.
• You can take part in training courses and other events organized by the foundation (non-material support).
• You may be eligible for an additional monthly allowance if you have children.
• You may be able to request allowances for printing costs and travel expenses from your foundation directly.
• Applying for and successfully obtaining a scholarship shows even at this early stage that you are capable of securing third-party funding, something that is particularly important in an academic career. 

Disadvatages

• You will have little connection with your university, which can hinder dialogue with your supervisor and other doctoral students.
• You will need to sort out your own health insurance, will not grow your pension pot during the term of your scholarship and may not be entitled to unemployment benefit when your funding comes to an end.
• For international students from non-EU countries: please note that, if you hold a residence permit for study purposes and are being funded by a scholarship, you might experience delays in obtaining a settlement permit further down the line or even not be granted one at all. You might also be ineligible for welfare benefits such as the family allowance.

Getting a job at a university is a common way to fund a doctorate. Doctoral students who are employed as research associates will be paid either out of their university’s budget (known as an established post) or from third-party funding (for research projects). Most established posts will be based directly in the relevant department. Project-based posts (i.e., those financed by third-party funds) are tied to specific research projects and funded by public (e.g., German Research Foundation (DFG), EU) or private (e.g., Volkswagen Foundation) institutions.

The remuneration paid to civil servants is governed by a collective agreement, which at the University of Bonn is the Collective Bargaining Agreement for the Public Service of the States (TV-L). Most doctoral students and postdocs will be in pay band 13, although their actual salary will depend on their relevant professional experience. Most research associate contracts have a fixed term, which will generally be at least three years if the reason given for the fixed-term appointment is in order to study for a doctorate.

Doctoral students are rarely employed full-time, with most contracted to work between 50 and 75 percent full-time equivalent (FTE). How much of your work time you can devote to your own doctoral dissertation project will depend on your individual situation and should be agreed in advance with your university or research institution.

ⓘ Note for international doctoral students: If your formal admission to doctoral studies by your faculty is not in place at the time of signing a contract, you might need to get the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB) to verify the equivalence of your qualifications gained abroad. This can take several weeks and is subject to a fee. You should ask your HR department about all the criteria and any additional requirements, e.g. under residency law, in good time. If you are on an over-50 percent FTE contract with a university, you may also be eligible for a researcher’s visa or residence permit for research purposes, which will enable you to obtain a settlement permit or Blue Card later on.

A list of current vacancies for research associates at the University of Bonn is available here. 

• Academics
• PhDGermany, the DAAD’s database for doctoral studies
• Fraunhofer Society
• Max Planck Society
• Leibniz Association
• Helmholtz
• European Liaison Office of the German Research Organisations

ⓘ Tip:

Talk to your supervisor about funding options for your doctoral dissertation project. Professors with supervision duties fairly often secure third-party funding for research projects in order to support their students’ doctoral studies.

Advantages

• As a university employee, you will be more involved in the scientific community, putting you in closer contact and dialogue with other researchers and fellow doctoral students.
• You will be paid a monthly salary under your collective agreement.You will be covered for social security through your employment relationship (which will be subject to social security contributions) and will pay into a pension pot.
• You will have either teaching or administrative duties depending on the nature of your position, earning you practical and/or general professional experience.
• International doctoral students from non-EU countries who hold a residence permit in accordance with §18d of the Residence Act will be entitled to child benefit and the family allowance (if they have a work contract) and will be eligible for a settlement permit or Blue Card.

Disadvantages

• Your academic supervisor will often be your line manager, making you doubly dependent on them.
• Part-time contracts (50–75 percent FTE) with a fixed term are common, with only a few departments offering full-time positions.
• Your daily research routine will be shaped not only by your work on your doctoral thesis but also by other duties that your line manager will give you in your capacity as an employee.
• Depending on the workload generated by your position, you may find it hard to structure your day-to-day life as a doctoral student as you would like and have only limited flexibility.
• You will find it hard to see what is going on outside your university—a potential disadvantage if you are planning a career outside academia.

One benefit of having a substantive job is that other potential costs such as health insurance will already be covered. However, your actual financial circumstances may vary considerably depending on whether yours is a full- or part-time position and how it is paid.

Essentially, if you are fitting your doctorate around work commitments, you should be highly motivated and good at time management—two skills that will be essential to completing it successfully given your double workload (job and work on doctoral thesis).

ⓘ Note for international doctoral students from non-EU countries: if you hold a residence permit for the purposes of self-employment or full-time employment, you will usually be allowed to study for a doctorate on the side without requiring permission from the immigration office. Please contact the German Embassy in your home country before you apply for a visa or the immigration office in Germany if you have any other queries about your own situation.

Many medium-to-large industrial companies offer doctoral positions, and some even have whole doctoral programs linked to their own networks of doctoral students. These will mainly be research- or application-oriented firms under significant pressure to innovate. The automotive, electrical engineering, energy and communication industries are among the sectors in which doctoral positions are frequently advertised. 

Since only higher-education institutions and their faculties are permitted to award doctoral degrees, doctoral students are supervised by a professor at the relevant institution but employed by the company where their doctoral position is based. The firm will often assign a mentor to its doctoral students.

A partnership between the company and the university where the supervisor works must be contractually agreed as a basic principle. This poses a challenge for you as a doctoral student, namely having to find a supervisor willing to work together with the company. Once you have found one, the Central Unit and Research Contracts will draw up a suitable cooperation agreement on your behalf. Some larger companies will already have framework cooperation agreements with universities in place if several people working there are studying for a doctorate at one of these universities.

Doctoral students are usually employed on a part-time, fixed-term contract (three years is common) at their company. Their salary is higher than for a research associate at a university in most cases and is generally in line with what a master’s graduate is paid. They will have a good chance of being taken on by the company on a (permanent) employment contract once they have successfully completed their doctorate. Most vacancies are advertised on the standard careers portals and the companies’ websites.

Advantages

• You are likely to be paid more during your doctorate than if you held a doctoral position at a university.
• You may be doing some highly applied research that will be extremely relevant to the company.
• You will gain experience of working in industry and/or a non-university setting.
• Depending on your company, you may have access to a specialist research infrastructure that is ideal for working on your research project.

Disadvantages

• Being based at a company, you will have less of a connection with the scientific community at the university.
• The university and your supervisor will need to liaise fairly closely and frequently with the company.
• Specific terms of your contract such as confidentiality clauses might make it harder in an individual case to exploit or publish findings.

If you study for a doctorate while working outside academia, you will only be able to work on your doctoral dissertation project in your free time. In other words, your doctorate will fall outside the scope of your duties at work and will generally have no direct thematic link to what you do there. Needless to say, you may sometimes be able to harness synergy effects if you work as an administrative coordinator in a graduate school or research institution studying topics that you also cover in your doctoral thesis. Jobs like these are often part-time, too, making them a suitable option for combining with a doctorate.

Advantages

• Your living expenses will be covered (depending on how many hours a week you work).
• You will have health and unemployment insurance and pay into a pension pot by virtue of being in employment.
• You will become entitled to unemployment benefit (and potentially also Citizens’ Basic Income).
• You will have a foothold in the non-academic job market and will thus already be gaining work experience that might be relevant to your future career outside academia.

Disadvantages

• You should expect your doctorate to take longer (upward of four years) because you will not be able to devote all your time to working on your doctoral thesis.
• Prepare to bear a double physical and mental burden as you tackle work and a doctorate at the same time (plus any family obligations).
• You will have little connection with your university (unless you work in university administration), which can make it hard to network and exchange ideas with other doctoral students.
• You will generally not be eligible for a scholarship on top, even if you only work a handful of hours a week.

Working for yourself can also provide a suitable framework for successfully pursuing a doctorate while remaining financially secure. Because self-employment can take countless different forms, we can only provide some general insights in this section. Before you embark on a doctorate, you should always consider whether it is compatible with your existing commitments. Think about the double burden that it would impose and the requirements that it would place on your self-organization and time management. The University of Bonn classes self-employed individuals as external doctoral students. 

If you are a master’s student at or alumnus/alumna of the University of Bonn and are thinking about becoming self-employed prior to or during your doctorate (e.g. by starting a business), the enaCom Transfer Center will be happy to support you.
 

Advantages

• You have complete flexibility and can divide up your time as you see fit, because you can generally decide for yourself how many hours a week to work.
• Depending on your chosen research topic, your research findings may be able to advance innovations that you can use in your own company or work.

Disadvantages

• Just like other self-employed people, you will need to sort out health insurance and pay social security contributions yourself.
• Your income may fluctuate significantly with your order levels. 
• As you will spend less time at your university, you will have less of a connection with other doctoral students and the scientific community.