Dissertation outcomes in the US vary widely by field and funding. This page reviews completion rates by humanities and STEM, how attrition differs—like social sciences at a 45% rate—and why timelines range from 5.6 years in engineering to 7.1 in humanities. You’ll also examine student debt and stipends, plus what happens after graduation, including unemployment at 2.1% for new PhDs and tenure-track access in academia.
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
- 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
- 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
- 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 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
US PhD completion and career outcomes vary widely by field, funding, and time to degree.
Related reading
01 · Category
Completion And Attrition Rates30 stats
01
In the United States, the overall PhD completion rate within 10 years is approximately 56% across all fields
02
For humanities PhD programs, the 10-year completion rate stands at 48%, lower than STEM fields
03
STEM PhD completion rate within 7 years is 65%, compared to 55% overall
04
Attrition rate for PhD students in social sciences is 45% before completion
05
In Europe, the average doctoral completion rate is 80% within 5 years in top universities
06
US PhD attrition in first year is 10-15%, rising to 50% by year 5
07
Female PhD completion rate in US is 58%, slightly higher than males at 54%
08
In biomedical sciences, completion rate is 70% within 6 years
09
UK PhD completion rate improved to 81% from 74% in 2010-2020
10
Engineering PhD completion rate in US is 62% within 9 years
11
Overall US doctoral attrition rate is 50%, with 20% dropping out after qualifying exams
12
In Australia, PhD completion rate is 84% within 4 years full-time equivalent
13
Life sciences PhD completion in EU averages 75%
14
Minority students in US PhD programs have 10% lower completion rates
15
Part-time PhD completion rate is 30% lower than full-time
16
In Canada, doctoral completion rate is 76% within 7 years
17
Physics PhD completion rate in US is 67%
18
Pandemic increased PhD attrition by 5-10% in 2020-2021
19
Economics PhD completion rate is 55% within 6 years
20
In Germany, PhD completion rate is 85% for structured programs
21
US EdD completion rate is 40%, lower than PhD
22
Online PhD programs have 25% completion rate
23
In India, PhD completion rate averages 60%
24
Computer science PhD completion is 68%
25
International students have 5% higher completion rates in US STEM
26
History PhD completion rate is 45% within 10 years
27
43% of PhD students had left graduate school by 6 years (attrition through 6 years), in the United States
28
63% of PhD students had left graduate school by 10 years (attrition through 10 years), in the United States
29
37% of PhD students had left graduate school by 5 years (attrition through 5 years), in the United States
30
52% of doctoral students had left graduate school by 8 years (attrition through 8 years), in the United States
Interpretation
Completion And Attrition Rates Interpretation
Across Completion and Attrition Rates, PhD students face a steep drop-off in the US as completion lags at 56% within 10 years overall and 48% for humanities while attrition climbs from 10 to 15% in the first year to about 50% by year 5.
report visual · Comparison
PhD Attrition Through Time (United States)
Attrition accelerates over time: the highest share is at Year 10, where 63% of PhD students had left graduate school by 10 years—well above the earlier-year figures (e.g., Year 3 a
63% of PhD students had left graduate school by 10 years (attrition through 10 years), in the United States63%
52% of doctoral students had left graduate school by 8 years (attrition through 8 years), in the United States52%
43% of PhD students had left graduate school by 6 years (attrition through 6 years), in the United States43%
37% of PhD students had left graduate school by 5 years (attrition through 5 years), in the United States37%
18% of PhD students had left graduate school by 3 years (attrition through 3 years), in the United States18%
source-verifiedncses.nsf.gov
02 · Category
Employment And Salary Outcomes19 stats
01
75% of new PhDs in US academia get tenure-track jobs, no: 15%
02
Median starting salary for PhD in industry $110,000in US STEM
03
50% of humanities PhDs in non-academic jobs 5 years post-PhD
04
Unemployment rate for new PhDs is 2.1% in US
05
Average salary for assistant professor $85,000
06
80% of STEM PhDs employed full-time within 1 year
07
UK PhD graduates 90% employed 15 months post-graduation
08
Industry salaries for PhDs 20% higher than master's
09
35% of PhDs in government/research labs
10
Women PhDs earn 92% of male salaries post-PhD
11
Economics PhD median salary $120,000first job
12
60% of EU PhDs in private sector
13
Australia PhD unemployment 3%, median salary AUD 90,000
14
Canada PhD salary premium 40% over bachelor's
15
25% of US PhDs in adjunct positions initially
16
Biotech PhD starting salary $105,000
17
International PhDs have 85% employment rate in US
18
Humanities PhD salary $70,000median academia
19
70% of engineering PhDs in industry, salary $115,000
Interpretation
Employment And Salary Outcomes Interpretation
Employment and Salary Outcomes show that STEM PhDs tend to translate quickly into stable work and solid pay, with 80% employed full time within a year and a median industry starting salary of $110,000 in the US.
03 · Category
Funding And Financial Aspects17 stats
01
Average PhD student debt in US is $25,000
02
25% of PhD students receive full funding, 40% partial
03
NSF fellowships awarded to 2,000 PhD students annually
04
Average RA/TA stipend $25,000/year for STEM PhDs
05
60% of US PhD students receive institutional funding
06
UK PhD studentships cover fees + £15,000 stipend
07
EU Marie Curie fellowships fund 10,000 PhDs yearly, €4.5B budget
08
35% of PhD students work off-campus jobs
09
Average cost of PhD program $50,000unfunded
10
NIH funds 80% of biomedical PhDs via training grants
11
Australia RTP scholarships: $28,000/year for 20,000 students
12
15% of PhDs self-fund entirely, higher in humanities
13
Canada NSERC/SSHRC fund 5,000 PhDs/year at $35,000
14
Germany DAAD scholarships for 4,000 internationals
15
PhD tuition remission in 90% of US programs
16
India UGC fellowships: 30,000 at ₹31,000/month
17
Debt-free PhD graduation: 70% in STEM vs 40% humanities
Interpretation
Funding And Financial Aspects Interpretation
Under the Funding And Financial Aspects lens, most US PhD students still rely on varying levels of support since only 25% get full funding and 60% receive institutional funding while the average stipend is about $25,000 a year and the typical PhD debt averages $25,000.
More related reading
04 · Category
Student Demographics19 stats
01
55% of US PhD recipients are female as of 2021
02
International students comprise 37% of US PhD recipients in science/engineering
03
12% of US PhD recipients are Hispanic/Latino
04
Black/African American PhD recipients are 7% of total
05
Asian Americans earn 10% of US PhDs
06
Average age at PhD completion in US is 31.4 years
07
45% of UK PhD students are international
08
Women are 52% of EU doctoral candidates
09
In Australia, 50% PhD students female, 35% international
10
First-generation college students are 25% of PhD enrollees in US
11
Canada PhD students: 52% female, 24% international
12
STEM PhD fields have 28% women in US
13
Humanities PhD: 58% female
14
Over 50% of PhD students in social sciences are over 30
15
Germany: 48% female doctoral students
16
India PhD enrollment: 45% female
17
US PhD recipients with disabilities: 5%
18
Economics PhD: 33% female, 45% international
19
Underrepresented minorities 18% of US STEM PhDs
Interpretation
Student Demographics Interpretation
Student demographics in US PhD programs show clear diversity patterns, with women making up 55% of recipients and international students accounting for 37% in science and engineering, while groups like Black/African Americans represent 7% and Hispanic/Latino recipients 12%.
05 · Category
Time To Completion23 stats
01
Average time to US PhD degree is 5.8 years
02
Humanities PhDs take 7.1 years on average to complete in US
03
Engineering PhDs average 5.6 years
04
Biological sciences PhD time to degree is 5.9 years
05
Social sciences average 6.5 years for PhD
06
Median time to chemistry PhD is 5.7 years in US
07
UK PhD average duration is 3.8 years full-time
08
Part-time PhD in EU takes 6.5 years on average
09
Economics PhD time to degree 6.2 years
10
Physics PhDs average 6.0 years
11
Pandemic extended PhD timelines by 6 months on average
12
Female STEM PhDs take 0.2 years longer than males
13
Australia PhD median time 3.5 years full-time
14
Computer science PhD 5.8 years average
15
History PhD 8.2 years median time
16
Biomedical PhD time increased to 6.2 years post-2010
17
Canada PhD average 4.8 years
18
EdD programs average 3.5 years part-time
19
Psychology PhD 6.7 years
20
Germany individual PhD 5.8 years, structured 3.9 years
21
India PhD average 5 years
22
Education PhD 4.9 years US average
23
Mathematics PhD 5.9 years
Interpretation
Time To Completion Interpretation
In the Time To Completion category, US PhD programs typically take around 5.8 years overall, with Humanities standing out as slower at 7.1 years compared with faster fields like Engineering at 5.6 years and Biological Sciences at 5.9 years.
Reference
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APA
Elif Demirci. (2026, February 13). Dissertation Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/dissertation-statistics
MLA
Elif Demirci. "Dissertation Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/dissertation-statistics.
Chicago
Elif Demirci. 2026. "Dissertation Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/dissertation-statistics.