A PhD student without a doctoral degree receives a doctoral scholarship.
Pursuant to the Regulation of the Minister of Education of February 15, 2024, the amount of the minimum monthly basic salary for a professor at a public university has increased, and therefore the amount of the doctoral scholarship has also increased. The regulation entered into force on February 22, 2024, with effect from January 1, 2024.
The amount of the monthly doctoral scholarship is currently equal to at least:
- 37% of the professor’s salary – up to the month in which the mid-term evaluation was conducted- 3 466,90 zł gross (approx. 3 076,53 zł net);
- 57% of the professor’s salary – after the month in which the mid-term evaluation was conducted- 5 340,90 zł gross (approx. 4 739,51 zł net).
The minimum basic salary for a professor at a public university specified in the regulation is 9 370,00 zł (Rozporządzenie Nauki z dnia 15 lutego 2024 r. zmieniające rozporządzenie w sprawie wysokości minimalnego miesięcznego wynagrodzenia zasadniczego dla profesora w uczelni publicznej, Dz.U. 2024 poz. 23)
A PhD student with a disability certificate or equivalent, receives a doctoral scholarship in the amount increased by 30% of the amount indicated in Art. 209 section 4 point 1 Act of July 20, 2018 – Law on Higher Education and Science, i.e. currently by PLN 1,040.07 gross, both before and after the mid-term evaluation.
The total scholarship payment period at the PhD School may not exceed 4 years. The period of 4 years does not include the period of suspension training. A PhD student who has submitted a doctoral dissertation before the date of completion of doctoral training specified in the training program shall receive a doctoral scholarship until this date, but not longer than for 6 months.
Important:
Pursuant to Art. 209 paragraph. 1a of the Act on Higher Education and Science, a doctoral scholarship is not available to a doctoral student whose education at a doctoral school is associated with the obligation to be employed in an entity running a doctoral school:
- based on an employment contract;
- with remuneration that exceeds the professor’s remuneration. an unemployed person is not entitled to remuneration
Doctoral scholarships are exempt from tax.
Contributions to ZUS
The doctoral scholarship is subject to social security contributions: pension contribution, disability pension contribution and accident contribution. Sickness insurance is voluntary.
Entries to ZUS and settlement of contributions are made by the entity running the doctoral school called the payer.
Financing of contributions
- the pension contribution – is financed in equal parts by a PhD student and the payer (9.76% each).
- the disability pension contribution- the part in the amount of 1.5% is financed by the a PhD student, and part in the amount of 6.5% of the base is financed by the payer.
- the accident contribution is paid in full by the payer
- the voluntary sickness contribution (2.45%) is paid in full by a PhD student.
Social Insurance Institution’s guide (in Polish)
Voluntary insurance for PhD students from outside EU / EFTA
A PhD student from outside EU/EFTA may be covered by health insurance by signing an agreement with the Polish National Health Fund (NFZ) and paying the health insurance contributions.
The agreement shall be signed in the Polish National Health Fund (NFZ) branch in Kraków (more details).