Performance stipend available for doctoral students as of next academic year

As of 1 September 2018, the University of Tartu will pay doctoral students a performance stipend of 400 euros per month. The stipend will be paid in addition to the doctoral allowance that is paid from the state budget, and it aims to ensure that doctoral students whose progress has been positively reviewed will receive 1060 euros per month in the 2018/2019 academic year.

University of Tartu Vice Rector for Research Kristjan Vassil explained that the purpose of the performance stipend is to enable doctoral students to fully concentrate on their studies. As a result, the university expects an improvement in the PhD completion rates. “Many doctoral students work besides studies to earn a reasonable income, but this will delay their completion of studies and graduation,” said Vassil. “The reason why we established the doctoral students’ performance stipend is the fact that the government has not kept their promise to guarantee a bigger allowance to doctoral students from the state budget in 2018. On the proposal of the Rector’s Office and the council, the university will temporarily assume this obligation. We will definitely continue cooperation with the government of Estonia and search for a solution to increase the doctoral students’ income from the state budget.”

The university will guarantee the payment of the performance stipend from the university’s central budget until 2020, and the efficiency of and the need for this measure will be reviewed once a year. A doctoral student is entitled to receive the performance stipend within max 48 months, if:

• the student studies full time;
• the student is not on academic leave;
• the student’s period of study has not exceeded the standard period of study, i.e. it is not the student’s extension year;
• the student does not perform, under an employment contract with the university, duties that support the student’s studies. This condition does not extend to first-year doctoral students, who have not had a progress review yet.

Performance stipend is also paid to first-year doctoral students who have not had a progress review yet or who have completed 100% of the curriculum according to the progress review.

Payment of the doctoral student’s performance stipend will be governed by the Procedure for Applying for, Granting and Payment of Stipends and Study Allowances (UT senate regulation of 25 May 2018). 

Further information:
Anneli Saro
Vice Rector for Academic Affairs
5557 5657
anneli.saro@ut.ee