All countries offer financial support to PhD students in their ways, but Germany takes doctoral research particularly seriously. German PhD funding takes numerous forms, reflecting the diverse ways you can complete a PhD in Germany. The PhD programs in the country are well structured and have a practice-oriented curriculum, giving students a chance to learn the subject from the grassroots level.
The popular PhD programs in Germany are mathematics, computer science, physics, economics and engineering. International students have the flexibility to complete their PhD thesis in English and join their field of work without hassle. Also, Doctoral students are often supported by traditional academic scholarships and fellowships, but German universities and research institutes offer salaried assistantships for their PhD researchers. Based on a full-time position, doctoral students accept between 46,000 and 56,000 EUR gross per year ((INR 36,61,472 to INR 44,57,444), depending on how much experience the doctoral student already has.
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PhD Stipend in Germany For International Students
International students can apply for internships during and after the degree. While pursuing a degree course, you can apply for internships at the university itself as an assistant to the professor or research assistant at the lab. Here we have presented some of the important points regarding PhD student stipend in Germany:
- International students pursuing a PhD in German universities receive a monthly stipend. The average stipend for PhD students in Germany is 24,500 EUR/year (INR 19,53,189/year approximately).
- Besides being a PhD student, one can intern at public and private organisations with an average stipend of 500 EUR/month (INR 39,848/month approximately).
- Doctoral students starting at entry experience level should validate that their bond runs for at least 12 months, as employment agreements of less than 1 year are not measured as relevant professional experience.
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Job & Salary After PhD in Germany
After completion of the PhD, the salary of a student is determined by several factors. These important factors are industry, years of experience, candidate’s skills and the job position. We have listed down some of the job positions offered to PhD graduate students in Germany with their average annual salaries -
Job Titles |
Average Annual Salaries |
Assistant/Associate Professor |
67,000 EUR (INR 53 Lacs/year) |
Junior Professor |
62,000 EUR (INR 49 Lacs/year) |
Guest Lecturer |
60,000 EUR (INR 47 Lacs/year) |
Actuary |
68,000 EUR (INR 54 Lacs/year) |
Laboratory Researcher |
63,000 EUR (INR 50 Lacs/year) |
High Paying Jobs In Germany
There are various high paying jobs in Germany that are offered to international students after completing their Phd course from top universities.
Job Titles |
Annual Average Salaries |
Analyst (Data/Business/Operations) |
72,000 EUR (INR 57 Lacs/year) |
Senior Professor |
78,000 EUR (INR 62 Lacs/year) |
Senior Lecturer |
75,000 EUR (INR 60 Lacs/year) |
Research Scientist |
80,000 EUR (INR 63 Lacs/year) |
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Top Recruiters & Salary After PhD in Germany
Depending on a student's level of knowledge and years of experience, a plethora of job opportunities will come for a PhD graduate. Some of the important industries in Germany that offer placements to PhD students are as follows:
Company Names |
Average Salary Package |
Volkswagen |
55,000 EUR/year (INR 43 Lacs/year) |
Mercedes-Benz |
58,000 EUR/year (INR 46 Lacs/year) |
Uniper |
72,000 EUR/year (INR 57 Lacs/year) |
Allianz |
56,000 EUR/year (INR 44 Lacs/year) |
BMW Group |
70,000 EUR/year (INR 55 Lacs/year) |
Deutsche Group |
75,000 EUR/year (INR 59 Lacs/year) |
Bosch Group |
78,000 EUR/year (INR 62 Lacs/year) |
Siemens |
80,000 EUR/year (INR 63 Lacs/year) |
Bayer |
86,000 EUR/year (INR 68 Lacs/year) |
Suggested: Studying In Germany!
How to Find a Job After PhD in Germany?
The top cities in Germany attract a lot of PhD graduate students for their lucrative job market. Let’s look at the top cities in the country for international students.
- Berlin, the capital of Germany is known to offer jobs in the marketing sector.
- Frankfurt is a hub for the financial sector
- Munich is known for its automobile industry
Since Germany has a skilled labour shortage of more than 400,000 people, PhD graduates can conveniently get a job in Germany. Here is how international students can find jobs in Germany post degree completion -
1. Public German Job Sites
The Federal Employment Agency is one of the largest recruiting service providers in Germany. It has more than 700 offices in the country and has a platform named “International Placement Service” through which international students can find work. Make a profile on their website and mention your qualifications to get matched with a job position.
2. Private German Job Sites
There are several websites through which PhD graduate students can search for specialised jobs.
- Academics is a website where students can look for research-related work
- Jobware for vacancies in the field of management
- Staufenbiel and Stepstone for internships and graduate jobs
- Students can also check Jobooh for working in startups.
3. German Recruitment Agencies
International students who have completed their PhH course from German universities can also look for a job position in "German Yellow Pages" which has an employment section named ‘Arbeitsvermittlung’ dedicated to recruiting agencies. If the recruiting agencies are a member of the Federal Employer’s Association of Personnel Service Providers, then they can be trusted for international students.
4. German Newspapers
For academic and governmental jobs, look through the job sections in the Sunday editorials of the following newspapers -
- Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
It has the widest newspaper circulation in Germany and 148 more countries. It is a centre-right, liberal conservative newspaper.
- Süddeutsche Zeitung
It is one of the largest daily newspapers in Germany and is published in Munich. It is a centre-left, progressive-liberal newspaper.
- Die Welt
It is the flagship newspaper daily of the Axel Springer publishing group and is printed in Bonn.
- Handelsblatt
It is a German-language business newspaper published by Handelsblatt Media Group. The English language version of the newspaper is known as Handelsblatt Global Edition.
Important Resources to Read About Germany |
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Germany is one of the top 3 countries in the world to welcome more than 30,000 students in their PhD programs. The comprehensiveness of the PhD courses helps in the overall development of students and makes them job-ready. Wondering how to apply to the best universities for a PhD? Subscribe to Yocket Premium and get one-on-one personalised guidance on the admission and scholarship process.