While nearly half of all doctoral candidates in the United States will not finish their degrees, a closer look at the numbers reveals a complex story of discipline, funding, and determination that every prospective PhD should know.
Key Takeaways
- In the United States, the overall PhD completion rate within 10 years is approximately 56% across all fields
- For humanities PhD programs, the 10-year completion rate stands at 48%, lower than STEM fields
- STEM PhD completion rate within 7 years is 65%, compared to 55% overall
- Average time to US PhD degree is 5.8 years
- Humanities PhDs take 7.1 years on average to complete in US
- Engineering PhDs average 5.6 years
- 55% of US PhD recipients are female as of 2021
- International students comprise 37% of US PhD recipients in science/engineering
- 12% of US PhD recipients are Hispanic/Latino
- Average PhD student debt in US is $25,000
- 25% of PhD students receive full funding, 40% partial
- NSF fellowships awarded to 2,000 PhD students annually
- 75% of new PhDs in US academia get tenure-track jobs, no: 15%
- Median starting salary for PhD in industry $110,000 in US STEM
- 50% of humanities PhDs in non-academic jobs 5 years post-PhD
PhD completion rates vary significantly by country, field of study, and personal circumstances.
Completion and Attrition Rates
- In the United States, the overall PhD completion rate within 10 years is approximately 56% across all fields
- For humanities PhD programs, the 10-year completion rate stands at 48%, lower than STEM fields
- STEM PhD completion rate within 7 years is 65%, compared to 55% overall
- Attrition rate for PhD students in social sciences is 45% before completion
- In Europe, the average doctoral completion rate is 80% within 5 years in top universities
- US PhD attrition in first year is 10-15%, rising to 50% by year 5
- Female PhD completion rate in US is 58%, slightly higher than males at 54%
- In biomedical sciences, completion rate is 70% within 6 years
- UK PhD completion rate improved to 81% from 74% in 2010-2020
- Engineering PhD completion rate in US is 62% within 9 years
- Overall US doctoral attrition rate is 50%, with 20% dropping out after qualifying exams
- In Australia, PhD completion rate is 84% within 4 years full-time equivalent
- Life sciences PhD completion in EU averages 75%
- Minority students in US PhD programs have 10% lower completion rates
- Part-time PhD completion rate is 30% lower than full-time
- In Canada, doctoral completion rate is 76% within 7 years
- Physics PhD completion rate in US is 67%
- Pandemic increased PhD attrition by 5-10% in 2020-2021
- Economics PhD completion rate is 55% within 6 years
- In Germany, PhD completion rate is 85% for structured programs
- US EdD completion rate is 40%, lower than PhD
- Online PhD programs have 25% completion rate
- In India, PhD completion rate averages 60%
- Computer science PhD completion is 68%
- International students have 5% higher completion rates in US STEM
- History PhD completion rate is 45% within 10 years
Completion and Attrition Rates Interpretation
While the American dream of earning a PhD is often a ten-year marathon where only about half cross the finish line, it seems the Europeans have mastered a more efficient five-year sprint.
Employment and Salary Outcomes
- 75% of new PhDs in US academia get tenure-track jobs, no: 15%
- Median starting salary for PhD in industry $110,000 in US STEM
- 50% of humanities PhDs in non-academic jobs 5 years post-PhD
- Unemployment rate for new PhDs is 2.1% in US
- Average salary for assistant professor $85,000
- 80% of STEM PhDs employed full-time within 1 year
- UK PhD graduates 90% employed 15 months post-graduation
- Industry salaries for PhDs 20% higher than master's
- 35% of PhDs in government/research labs
- Women PhDs earn 92% of male salaries post-PhD
- Economics PhD median salary $120,000 first job
- 60% of EU PhDs in private sector
- Australia PhD unemployment 3%, median salary AUD 90,000
- Canada PhD salary premium 40% over bachelor's
- 25% of US PhDs in adjunct positions initially
- Biotech PhD starting salary $105,000
- International PhDs have 85% employment rate in US
- Humanities PhD salary $70,000 median academia
- 70% of engineering PhDs in industry, salary $115,000
Employment and Salary Outcomes Interpretation
The academic dream factory churns out more baristas than professors, but a PhD still generally punches your ticket to a stable, well-paying job, provided you’re willing to let the data, not dogma, guide your career path.
Funding and Financial Aspects
- Average PhD student debt in US is $25,000
- 25% of PhD students receive full funding, 40% partial
- NSF fellowships awarded to 2,000 PhD students annually
- Average RA/TA stipend $25,000/year for STEM PhDs
- 60% of US PhD students receive institutional funding
- UK PhD studentships cover fees + £15,000 stipend
- EU Marie Curie fellowships fund 10,000 PhDs yearly, €4.5B budget
- 35% of PhD students work off-campus jobs
- Average cost of PhD program $50,000 unfunded
- NIH funds 80% of biomedical PhDs via training grants
- Australia RTP scholarships: $28,000/year for 20,000 students
- 15% of PhDs self-fund entirely, higher in humanities
- Canada NSERC/SSHRC fund 5,000 PhDs/year at $35,000
- Germany DAAD scholarships for 4,000 internationals
- PhD tuition remission in 90% of US programs
- India UGC fellowships: 30,000 at ₹31,000/month
- Debt-free PhD graduation: 70% in STEM vs 40% humanities
Funding and Financial Aspects Interpretation
While PhD students face a financial gauntlet that often results in crippling debt, a complex global patchwork of funding—from full fellowships to half-measures and teaching stipends—means the path to a doctorate is essentially a high-stakes gamble where your field of study and postal code heavily influence whether you graduate as a scholar or a debtor.
Student Demographics
- 55% of US PhD recipients are female as of 2021
- International students comprise 37% of US PhD recipients in science/engineering
- 12% of US PhD recipients are Hispanic/Latino
- Black/African American PhD recipients are 7% of total
- Asian Americans earn 10% of US PhDs
- Average age at PhD completion in US is 31.4 years
- 45% of UK PhD students are international
- Women are 52% of EU doctoral candidates
- In Australia, 50% PhD students female, 35% international
- First-generation college students are 25% of PhD enrollees in US
- Canada PhD students: 52% female, 24% international
- STEM PhD fields have 28% women in US
- Humanities PhD: 58% female
- Over 50% of PhD students in social sciences are over 30
- Germany: 48% female doctoral students
- India PhD enrollment: 45% female
- US PhD recipients with disabilities: 5%
- Economics PhD: 33% female, 45% international
- Underrepresented minorities 18% of US STEM PhDs
Student Demographics Interpretation
The data paints a portrait of modern academia as a complex, globalized, and still-evolving pursuit where women now earn the majority of doctorates overall, yet significant gaps persist in specific fields and for underrepresented groups, all while the journey to a PhD increasingly attracts a diverse, international, and often older cohort of scholars.
Time to Completion
- Average time to US PhD degree is 5.8 years
- Humanities PhDs take 7.1 years on average to complete in US
- Engineering PhDs average 5.6 years
- Biological sciences PhD time to degree is 5.9 years
- Social sciences average 6.5 years for PhD
- Median time to chemistry PhD is 5.7 years in US
- UK PhD average duration is 3.8 years full-time
- Part-time PhD in EU takes 6.5 years on average
- Economics PhD time to degree 6.2 years
- Physics PhDs average 6.0 years
- Pandemic extended PhD timelines by 6 months on average
- Female STEM PhDs take 0.2 years longer than males
- Australia PhD median time 3.5 years full-time
- Computer science PhD 5.8 years average
- History PhD 8.2 years median time
- Biomedical PhD time increased to 6.2 years post-2010
- Canada PhD average 4.8 years
- EdD programs average 3.5 years part-time
- Psychology PhD 6.7 years
- Germany individual PhD 5.8 years, structured 3.9 years
- India PhD average 5 years
- Education PhD 4.9 years US average
- Mathematics PhD 5.9 years
Time to Completion Interpretation
Humanities scholars are so busy contemplating the meaning of time that they forget to track it, clocking in at a leisurely 7.1 years while their frantic engineering counterparts, fueled by caffeine and deadlines, practically sprint to the finish line in 5.6.
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