Hi there,

As an international student, I have a question regarding PhD programs in Europe. As far as I know, in most countries, international students are responsible for their tuition and cost of living. However, the students have the opportunity to win a scholarship or become a research or teaching assistant at the university and in this way they can afford the high expenses. However, if they are not eligible for scholarships, they have to pay the cost by their own. Countries such as England, Switzerland, etc. are among this group I think.

On the other hand, there are some countries that consider doing a PhD as a job, and they pay the students stipend. For instance, in Netherlands, the university makes a contract with the student and they pay for PhD students an amount between 3,000 to 6,000 Euro each month. Or, in Germany, PhD is free and students should be only responsible for cost of living and there is no tuitions. In this case, the student's funding is somehow guaranteed (Although you should first find vacancies and gain admission!).

I would be grateful if you could tell me what are the other European countries that can be placed in the second group (such as Netherlands). In what countries the PhD is free indeed, are there any?!

What country are you from and what are you studying? It's true that in the UK students have to pay fees if they don't get scholarships, but in the sciences, most UK students and most European students can get scholarships for fees and a stipend if they are successful in their application. Commonwealth students can often get scholarships too.

Be wary regarding Netherlands. I looked into it and thought ooh that looks like a lot of money, and then you realise that on that salary you will be taxed roughly 52% (so basically cut the stipend in half). The Nordic countries consider it a job as well, but again you appear to get a large stipend but Sweden's tax rate is about 60% (I think) and the others are high as well. When they are considered a job, look at the tax rates as you may end up getting a lot less than you think you will. I believe it is treated like a job in Switzerland as well.

Thanks for your reply. I'm from Iran and am a M.Sc. in Structural Engineering. I'm going to pursue my PhD in Structural Engineering. To be honest, I have several admissions from the U.S. (Colorado State Univ. and Univ. of Florida) but I'm not sure if the U.S. will consider my visa application, since I'm applying from Iran!! Unfortunately, students like me are currently suffering from terrible conditions in my country.

Anyways, that's the reason why I want to apply to a European country as well, but I would need to ensure that I won't encounter any financial difficulties during my education. The Netherlands, specially Delft Univ. of Tech. might be a perfect fit for me, however, it doesn't offer any vacancies at the moment for upcoming students in my major.

I was studying in the US recently and I met a couple of Iranian students there, so yes they do grant Iranian student visas! If the university has accepted your application they will be sponsoring your visa so I'm sure you will be fine. Do you have a scholarship as well? You can work as a teaching assistance to cover fees and cost of living, but it will be very hard. You will have to work at least 20 hours per week in your department and still do as much work on your PhD as everyone else, and they generally work long hours in the US with few holidays.

Thanks a lot for the information. You're right, PhD is treated like a job in Switzerland as well. About the amount of tax, however, I really won't need to save money. Even if 20% of the money will help me to afford the total cost of attendance (including tuition and cost of living) that would still be OK. A friend of mine who's doing her PhD in Holland says that this net amount of money (after paying taxes indeed) is sufficient. I'm not sure about the Switzerland anyway.

You're right ... There are many Iranian students in the U.S. However, there are so many other Iranian students who have been admitted but have never been able to travel to the U.S. due to the Visa rejection! For us, it's totally by chance and depends on several issues (your major, your research background, etc. and it's believed that among each ten Iranian students, 6 of them are rejected). Sometimes it's so difficult to understand the reason of denial! Some people say it completely depends on the officer who interviews you ... Who knows!

About the scholarship, unfortunately not yet. I'm waiting for the results of my application to other universities and hope I would win one! Two professors in the Univ. of Houston and the Univ. of Oklahoma have told me they would support my application, and I would hopefully have my tuition waived.

By the way, I'm going to apply to a European university having the same conditions with the universities in Netherlands, so as to guarantee my PhD starting at Fall 2015! However, I don't know what country has the same conditions and which one to choose.

Oh I see, I didn't realise it was as random as that with the visa applications!

I don't know much about European university processes apart from the UK.

Thank you anyway for your assistance.

In the Netherlands there's a 30 Percent Rule which is a tax exemption for foreign workers deemed to have scarce skills. The 52% top rate would only kick in on your earnings above €55,000 not every single cent you earn;. so you would pay much less income tax than the average Dutchman.