The Amendment to the Higher Education Act passed this year guarantees students newly accepted into full-time doctoral study programmes an income of at least 1.2 times the minimum wage, which is currently 24,960 CZK, effective 1 September of this year. The newly legally codified doctoral study income can come from a doctoral scholarship, from countable wages for performing work related to the student’s dissertation, or a combination of both.
Masaryk University wants to support all its PhD students and therefore will ensure this guaranteed income for PhD students who are already enrolled in full-time programmes, are studying within the standard programme duration, and are fulfilling their academic obligations. On 5 May, the MU Academic Senate approved new scholarship regulations, which allow this revolution in doctoral incomes to occur.
“Our effort is to cultivate an environment in which doctoral students can fully concentrate on their studies and research. This system is the result of many years of strategic efforts to increase the quality of doctoral studies. I’m glad this support is guaranteed, transparent, and a source of motivation. In taking this step, Masaryk University is confirming that young researchers are a key pillar of its future,” says Martin Bareš, Rector of Masaryk University.
Guaranteed income and scholarship
Newly accepted PhD students will automatically be included in the new doctoral study support system. For current PhD students it depends on until when they have been awarded a scholarship based on the current scholarship regulations; the duration of such existing support is not uniform across faculties.
If current PhD students have been granted a scholarship only until 31 August 2025, they will automatically be included in the new system. Those who have been granted a scholarship for a longer period, typically until the end of the standard duration of studies, may choose to stay in the current system or transfer to the new one. To help make their decision, they will be able to use a support tool in the MU Information System (IS), which the university will launch in September. But the basic information necessary for making a decision has already been made available on the Doctoral Study Income page on muni.cz.
Rector Martin Bareš has also decided that besides including existing PhD students in the new financial aid system, every full-time PhD student who is fulfilling his or her obligations will receive a scholarship of at least CZK 12,000. This decision was also supported by the MU Academic Senate by approving the new scholarship regulations.
“We wanted to establish rules that would ensure equal opportunities for all our PhD students across year groups and that at the same time will be fair, predictable, and focused on quality. Therefore, beyond the scope of the amendment we have introduced a minimum doctoral scholarship for every full-time student studying within the standard programme duration who is fulfilling his or her obligations regardless of countable income. If a student does not have other, legally established countable income, then he or she will receive a stipend to cover the entire guaranteed monthly income of CZK 24,960. The conditions for granting such scholarships are linked to the how individual students are fulfilling their study plans,” says Šárka Pospíšilová, Vice-rector for research and doctoral studies.
The newly introduced guaranteed doctoral study income for all full-time doctoral students at MU is the result of years of debate and preparations. The changes reflect international standards and recommendations, the university’s strategic plan, and the demands of students. Improving conditions for PhD students is one of the university’s priorities.
“The change is connected to the long-term social efforts to improve the quality of PhD studies at MU. It also relies on the persistent work of the faculties, who have worked to optimize doctoral programmes; on a well-founded analysis of their capacities; and improving admissions procedures, and it emphasizes improving the conditions for studying at the university, for example, through a detailed and structured individual study plan,” adds Vice-rector Pospíšilová.
Students must apply for scholarship
The change in the system for renumerating PhD students, the goal of which is to increase the socioeconomic status of young researchers and make completing a PhD more attractive, is highly complex and will mean an induvial approach for each student.
“It will be necessary for all affected students to submit an application for the newly introduced doctoral scholarship. Students will find detailed instructions and a call to fill out a stipend application at the start of the autumn semester in their email and in the MU Information System,” says Vice-rector Pospíšilová.
If you are uncertain about how to submit an application, contact your faculty’s office for doctoral studies.
The Amendment to the Higher Education Act also introduced important new terminology and obligations. One new term is doctoral study income, which is defined as being at least 1.2 times the minimum wage, with its specific amount to be updated annually.
This income may consist of a PhD scholarship, countable wages, or a combination of both. Countable wages are a wage component that students receive as employees for performing work related to their dissertation.
The newly established minimum doctoral scholarship at MU in the amount of CZK 12,000 is available to every student enrolled in a full-time PhD programme who applies for it and has fulfilled all study-related obligations. Besides studying within the standard duration of the programme, other obligations are related to fulfilling the individual study plan that each PhD student develops with his or her adviser in their first semester of study and whose fulfilment is regularly evaluated by the adviser and a doctoral board.
“Besides fulfilling study obligations, students are also required to report any changes to their income, which is included in their doctoral study income,” adds Pospíšilová.
All PhD students and their advisers will find a detailed description of new terms and the method for calculating the doctoral scholarship on the Doctoral Study Income page on www.muni.cz.
At the start of the autumn semester all affected PhD students will be informed by email about where and how to apply for the new doctoral scholarship and about other steps necessary for receiving a guaranteed monthly income in the amount of CZK 24,960.