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Funds

Funds

Doctoral students at the Interdisciplinary Doctoral School can apply for financial support in addition to a doctoral scholarship:

Micro-grants and competitions organised by the Excellence Initiative – Research University programme – LINK to the website of IDUB programme

Social support for doctoral students – LINK to UW website [in Polish]

Mobility, scholarships and programmes for UW doctoral candidates – LINK to UW website

In addition, doctoral students with a high score during the recruitment process can apply under the Scholarship to Start – Rector’s Fund

Stypendium na Start dla Doktorantów

“Scholarship to Start for Doctoral Candidates” – addresed to first year doctoral candidates at a doctoral school who have achieved in the admissions procedure a point score that is in the top 20% of the results in a given discipline or within the educational program at a given doctoral school. Up-to-date information can be found on the UW BPM website – Link to UW BPM website with information on the Scholarship to Start (opens in new tab)

Doctoral scholarship

Doctoral students of the Interdisciplinary Doctoral School admitted as part of the so-called “regular” recruitment (not as part of extramural recruitment), in order to be awarded the scholarship must fill out a statement in which, among other things, they provide the Polish bank account number to which the scholarship will be paid.

The doctoral scholarship stands at PLN 4242 zł gross. It is paid around the 17th of each month.

The scholarship is only available to those who do not have a doctoral degree.

The total period of receiving a doctoral scholarship at doctoral schools cannot exceed 4 years. A doctoral student who has submitted his/her dissertation at an earlier date than the completion date scheduled in the study program shall receive a doctoral scholarship until the date on which the completion date expires, but for no longer than 6 months.

A doctoral student with a disability certificate receives a doctoral scholarship increased by 30% of the basic amount (PLN 1 040,07 gross).

Please Note! If you pass the mid-term evaluation your scholarship will increase to: PLN 5 340,90 gross (4 739,50 netto). In accordance with the Regulations of Doctoral Schools, regardless of the moment when you find out that your result is positive you will be entitled to an equalization of the scholarship calculated from the 25th month of education.

ZUS (Social Insurance Institution) declarations

Since doctoral scholarships are taxable (i.e., disability and pension contributions are paid), you must fill out the appropriate declaration of Social Security when submitting documents to MSD. Please check in advance whether you are covered by health insurance (e.g., by your parents – up to the age of 26, by your spouse or employer).

Please Note! for the purposes of the UW’s financial and accounting system, it is necessary to specify the tax office responsible for you. However, the doctoral scholarship is not taxed and you will not receive a PIT form from the UW for its payment.

Scholarship vs. doctoral students accepted in extramural recruitment

Doctoral students accepted in extramural recruitment (due to e.g., working in a Grant, including Prelude BIS, participation in the “Implementation Doctorate” programme, NAWA programmes) receive a scholarship at a different amount, in accordance with the rules of these programmes/grants.

Loss of the right to a scholarship - news out of date

With regard to the entry on September 21, 2021 of the amendment to the Law on Higher Education and Science to add, among others, the following regulations:

  • Article 209, paragraph 1a – A doctoral student receiving remuneration in the amount of at least 150% of the amount of the doctoral scholarship to which he or she is entitled in accordance with paragraph 4 for employment in connection with the implementation of a research project referred to in Article 119, paragraph 2, items 2 and 3, by the entity operating the doctoral school in which the doctoral student is studying, during the period of such employment, shall not receive a doctoral scholarship;
  • the provision of Article 209, paragraph 1a of the Law amended by Article 1 shall not apply to doctoral students who were employed in connection with the implementation of the research project referred to in Article 119, paragraph 2, items 2 and 3 of that Law before the date of entry into force of this Law,

we would like to point out the need for grant managers to take into account the change in legal status and its consequences.

The introduction of the indicated regulations means that a doctoral student of a doctoral school who will be employed in a grant on an employment contract (after September 21, 2021) and will achieve a salary of

– at least PLN 3,557.55 gross per month (before mid-term evaluation) 

– or at least PLN 5480.55 gross (after the mid-term evaluation), 

will not be eligible to receive a scholarship at the doctoral school. 

If a situation arises in which a doctoral student or doctoral candidate should be stripped of the scholarship, please contact the relevant doctoral school quickly.

The change in the regulations raises many doubts, so we are posting answers to the most common questions:

Does the regulation also apply to work in a research project carried out by a university / institution other than the University of Warsaw?

No, the prohibition on receiving a scholarship applies only if the grant is carried out at the same entity where the doctoral school in which the doctoral student is studying is conducted.

Does the salary of PLN 3557.55 and PLN 5480.55 include only the base salary?

We assume that the “salary” referred to in the regulation means all components of remuneration, resulting from the employment contract, such as allowances, seniority, supplementary salaries.

Does a contract of commission or work financed by funds from a research project also count as remuneration referred to in the regulation?

Civil law contracts are not counted.

Should a scholarship paid from an NCN grant also be included in the salary limit?

No.

Does the regulation apply only to employment as a teacher of academics?

No. The regulation says nothing about employment positions. This means that employment contracts for any position should also be taken into account.

Does the salary also include the part of the salary financed by the faculty and not from the funds of the research project?

All components that result from work in the research project should be included in the salary.

What happens if a doctoral student does not report that he or she has lost the right to a scholarship?

We try to verify on an ongoing basis who signed the employment contract, although this happens with some delay.  If a doctoral student collects an undue scholarship, he or she will be asked to return it.

For additional questions, please contact Maria Golinska-Wapinska (e-mail: maria.golinska@uw.edu.pl), Doctoral Affairs Coordinator.