What is the Average stipend for a Eng/Sci based PhD?

munkifisht

I was in an interview today for a PhD, and was quite shocked when I asked about the stipend. It seamed very low compared to other ones I have been seeing, and really puts me in a bind if the interview went well as I don't think I could live off it. I know that it is tax free etc. Can I ask others what the average stipend is in Ireland?

token56

In my experience I'd say anything close to 24,000 per annum would be considered a good stipend and the average is probably around 16,0000 in my opinion. This is just what I've found from my own experience so it may be wrong. If you look at the IRCSET scholarships which would accommodate a good few people, they amount to roughly 21,000, however only ~16,000 of that is a personal stipend, the rest would go towards fee's, travel etc. You'd be surprised to see the amount of people without any stipend also or a good few living off 8000 or less and working to fund whatever else they need.

What was the stipend on offer if you dont mind me asking?

claire h

16,000 is one I've seen quite a bit too.

pwd

16k is typical for government funding. Departmental funding is usually a lot lower (about half).
However, you should consider grant eligibility as well. If you receive 16k + fees, it puts you over the threshold to receive a grant. Before someone says you can get a grant with this funding - no you cannot legally

munkifisht

That's pretty much along the lines of what I was thinking. 16 - 24K (it seams to be far more in the UK and most of the rest of the EU, surprise surprise). They are offering 11K and said that's about average. Now I know that you get more out of it then cash, and the stipend is just to keep you alive until you finish, but it seems like a hard one to pull off. On top of that, they can't offer any teaching or tutorial classes. Just thinking about it, 24K would be really decent, seeming as it's tax free.

pwd

16k is typical for existing stipends. It's quite likely that they are offering less for new stipends. They certainly are offering fewer of them.
At least they don't expect you to do labs/tutorials for free, which some places do.

Cool Mo D

16k - 18k to live on is about right. 24k would be pretty much unheard of. But remember that stipends are totally tax free, including PRSI, so that's equivalent to a salary of about 20k - 22k.

Ireland is quite generous by EU standards - about £12k would be the UK standard, with a slightly larger stipend for London colleges. You might be able to earn more doing tutorials, but some grants will have you doing mandatory teaching hours anyway, without extra pay.

munkifisht

@PWD they are asking me to do unpaid tutorials/classes, but when I asked if I could bump up my cash flow with with extras I was told that they are not doing that any more. No more unnecessary cash for students. I was told that there is a chance (don't know how strong) of getting a 16K stipend if grants go my way.

I think I am still going to go for it if I get the offer, long term the benefits I will hope be worth the lack of money to treat the pain.

pwd

munkifisht wrote: »

@PWD they are asking me to do unpaid tutorials/classes, but when I asked if I could bump up my cash flow with with extras I was told that they are not doing that any more. No more unnecessary cash for students. I was told that there is a chance (don't know how strong) of getting a 16K stipend if grants go my way.

I think I am still going to go for it if I get the offer, long term the benefits I will hope be worth the lack of money to treat the pain.

They're offering you the 16k if you get the grant, because the grant would cover the fees. That is where the 5k was going. So you're actually in a better situation this way than if they were offering you 16k up front, because you'll get the 16k plus the grant money (assuming you're eligible). If they gave you 16k stipend and your fees, you would be over the threshold for the grant, because the threshold for other funding includes the cost of fees if it covers them.

Makes no sense eh?

Are you applying to UL, as a matter of interest?

KenGriffin

Cool Mo D wrote: »

Ireland is quite generous by EU standards - about £12k would be the UK standard, with a slightly larger stipend for London colleges.

I think the UK standard is a little higher than that. My stipend is around £13.5k per annum + fees. The overall package works out at €21k per year.

dastardly00

IRCSET scholarship holders get €24,000 per annum. However €8,000 of that €24,000 must be spent on expenses and fees (Fees are around the €5,000 mark so you are left with €3,000 approx for actual expenses during the year). So the remaining €16,000 goes into your back pocket.

SFI stipends for engineering students are generally around €16,000 per annum also. And your supervisor will pay your fees and expenses from his/her SFI grant.

However some University scholarships are only around €10,000-€12,000 per annum. They University takes care of your fees but overall it is a pretty low stipend to be living off.