All key information for international PhD candidates in one guide
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The structure of the PhD journey, funding sources, social security: these are just some of the issues that international PhD candidates encounter when embarking on a doctorate in the Netherlands. Navigating them is not always straightforward. To provide clarity, Universities of the Netherlands (UNL) today publishes an information guide with essential details for international PhD candidates who are starting, or considering, a doctorate in the Netherlands. The document was developed in collaboration with the national interest group for and by PhD candidates Promovendi Netwerk Nederland (PNN). Caspar van den Berg, President of Universities of the Netherlands: “Undertaking a PhD is always an exciting and challenging time for early-career researchers, and even more so when you pursue it abroad. With this information guide, we aim to inform international PhD candidates as thoroughly as possible about what it means to do a doctorate in the Netherlands.”
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In 2023, universities observed that international PhD candidates - such as scholarship-funded PhD candidates - were not always sufficiently aware of the structure and conditions of the PhD trajectory in the Netherlands. This concerns, for example, the different phases of the PhD journey, Dutch academic norms and values, but also practical matters such as living costs and the tax system. The information guide is intended to help candidates make a well-informed decision about pursuing a doctorate at a Dutch university, and to ensure that they encounter as few surprises as possible once their PhD trajectory begins.
Benthe van Wanrooij, President of PNN: “PhD candidates who are not yet familiar with the Dutch system often have many questions about what a PhD trajectory in the Netherlands looks like, and what they can expect. Promovendi Netwerk Nederland welcomes this initiative by the universities and UNL to strengthen information provision. It ensures that incoming candidates know in advance what is expected of them, and what they in turn can expect from the university. This is an important resource for every international PhD candidate who is about to begin, or is considering, a PhD trajectory in the Netherlands.”
The general version of the information guide is available on the UNL website. Each university will publish its own version, including references to its Doctoral Regulations and other relevant documents. Universities will also actively promote the guide among prospective international PhD candidates.
