Salary as PhD student

What does one earn as PhD student?

As a PhD student, one earns an average of 51.749€ per year in Germany. This corresponds to a gross monthly salary of 4.312€. The salary as a PhD student ranges between 43.603€ and 53.898€.

Nationwide, there are

117 PhD student jobs on jobvector.de.

Average Salary

51.749 € gross/Year
To give you a realistic assessment of your potential income, we use the 25th and 75th percentiles of our salary data for salary values (min, max). This improves the quality of our salary information by excluding distorting (extremely high and low) salaries.
min. 43.603 €

Gross salary/Year

max. 53.898 €

Gross salary/Year

Year Month
Demand in the job market for positions as PhD student is currently high, and many companies are looking for suitable professionals. Among the employers currently seeking applicants as PhD student are:

Similar Interesting Professions

As a PhD student, you have numerous specialization opportunities and related professions, such as

Doctorate , Biophysicist , Biologist ,

for which you could also be qualified with your knowledge.

Skills as PhD student

In addition to soft skills such as communication, flexibility, and teamwork, employers expect a variety of relevant hard skills and abilities for the profession as PhD student. The most important skills include: Research , Research position , Ph.D. , cell biology , Molecular Biology , Protein Biology , Pharmaceutical Biology , Pharmacology , Phenotyping .

Salary as PhD student
by City

Where do you earn the most as a PhD student? Currently, you earn the most as a PhD student in Hamburg with an average salary of 57.343€ per year.

In general, the salary as a PhD student is usually higher in large cities than in small towns. Large cities and metropolises often offer higher salaries, although the cost of living is also higher.

In which city you can earn particularly high salaries as a PhD student, you will find out in this table:

Ø Gehalt Gehaltsspanne
Berlin 47,393€ 42,546 € - 52,762€
Hamburg 57,343€ 53,722 € - 59,503€
München 52,762€ 48,385 € - 54,145€
Köln 51,110€ 33,934 € - 51,978€
Düsseldorf 42,841€ 33,934 € - 52,092€
Essen 50,024€ 37,525 € - 52,092€
Duisburg 51,749€ 33,934 € - 52,207€
Wuppertal 41,116€ 33,934 € - 50,886€
Bonn 51,110€ 33,934 € - 51,658€
Münster 50,180€ 45,032 € - 52,207€
Krefeld 51,749€ 33,934 € - 52,207€
Oberhausen 51,749€ 33,934 € - 52,207€
Potsdam 47,393€ 42,546 € - 52,762€
Mülheim an der Ruhr 51,749€ 33,934 € - 52,207€
Leverkusen 33,934€ 33,934 € - 51,749€
Solingen 33,934€ 33,934 € - 51,749€
Neuss 42,841€ 33,934 € - 52,092€
Bottrop 50,024€ 37,525 € - 52,092€
Bergisch Gladbach 51,110€ 33,934 € - 51,978€
Remscheid 33,934€ 33,934 € - 51,749€
Moers 51,749€ 33,934 € - 52,207€
Troisdorf 51,110€ 33,934 € - 51,658€
Lüneburg 57,343€ 53,722 € - 59,503€
Langenfeld (Rheinland) 33,934€ 33,934 € - 51,749€
Hilden 33,934€ 33,934 € - 51,749€
Sankt Augustin 51,110€ 33,934 € - 51,658€
Erkrath 42,841€ 33,934 € - 52,092€
Monheim am Rhein 33,934€ 33,934 € - 51,749€
Seevetal 57,343€ 53,722 € - 59,503€
Bensheim 51,518€ 49,107 € - 53,659€
Show more cities

What factors influence your salary as PhD student?

There are several career factors that influence your salary as a PhD student. Average salary tends to increase with the size of the company you work for. In large corporations, salaries are often higher compared to start-ups and small companies. However, in smaller companies, you may have the opportunity to advance more quickly on the career ladder.

One of the key factors affecting your salary as a PhD student is your work experience. With each year on the job, you gain valuable knowledge and experience that become increasingly better compensated over time. In just a few years, you transition from a beginner to a young professional. After more than 10 years of experience, you can then be considered a professional. With increasing experience, you also have the opportunity to move into positions with personnel responsibility. A position with personnel responsibility is generally paid significantly better, and there are further factors influencing your salary here as well. For example, a department head with personnel responsibility for over 20 employees earns more than a group leader responsible for 5 employees.

Your educational qualification, the city, and the federal state where you work are also factors that influence your salary.

PhD student - Latest salary data 2025

How up-to-date is the PhD student salary data?

At jobvector, we attach great importance to always providing you with up-to-date and accurate salary information. Income as an PhD student has changed significantly over the last few years due to factors such as rising wage levels, inflation, new legal regulations, bonus payments and tax adjustments. It is therefore particularly important to us to present up-to-date data that gives you as an applicant a good and realistic basis for the next salary negotiation.

The salary information on jobvector is consistently kept up to date and is never more than three years old. This timeliness guarantees you a precise and clearly structured overview of salary structures as an PhD student, and effectively supports you in preparing for your salary negotiations.

Further job vacancies as PhD student

As a doctoral candidate in medical data science, you will join the AIPD doctoral network, which includes leading institutions and researchers in academia and industry across Europe. You will work on a PhD project of your choice under the direct supervision of an academic and a no...
Microtubules are indispensable structural elements in living systems. Their unique mechanical properties play a central role in many cellular functions, including cell division, motility, intracellular transport, and the generation of various cellular architectures. Their mechani...
Respiratory viruses still represent a major health threat worldwide. Our antiviral arsenal to fight these pathogens is quite limited due to the rapid development of resistance to currently available drugs. Our work at the Institute of Virology focuses on the identification and ch...
The Thomas lab focuses on integrating cutting-edge OMICS technologies with spatial resolution to uncover molecular mechanisms within the morphologic context of tissues. The Kerl group investigates cellular heterogeneity and communication in pediatric tumors. Together, we aim to...
All PhD student Jobs

Frequently asked questions about PhD student salaries

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The salary data presented here is based on salary information provided by employers in job advertisements as well as salary information from over 10,000 professionals and managers from surveys conducted by jobvector.

These professionals bring a variety of experience and expertise from different companies and positions, making the salary data a comprehensive and meaningful source of average salaries.
It is important to emphasize that this salary data represents averages and cannot be directly attributed to individual job postings. However, they do provide valuable guidance and insight into the salary structures of the field being sought for both job seekers and employers.