Graduate School, Arts

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Salary and employment

Salary and working conditions

  • Most PhD students are employed at the Faculty of Arts simultaneously with their enrolment as PhD students, but there are also many PhD students who are employed by public or private employers during their PhD study.
  • Apart from working on the PhD project and taking part in PhD courses the PhD degree programme normally requires that the PhD student places a certain number of working hours at the department at which he or she is associated. The PhD student and the department agree on the tasks. This might for instance be teaching, instructor lessons or assistance to project applications, conferences or other research activities at the department.
  • The Guidelines on PhD students' paid work for the departments (840 hours total) is the Faculty regulations on work hours for PhD students: English version - Danish version

PhD fellowship

  • As a PhD student (5+3 programme or 4+4 programme, part B) you are salaried in accordance with the collective agreement between the state and the academic unions. This means that you will have a monthly income at approximately 31,641-38,213 Danish Kroner before tax (depending on seniority).

Employment

  • The majority of PhDs are employed within higher education and work within research and teaching. However, an increasing number of PhDs are also employed within other public institutions or private companies.

Further information

SU PhD scholarship

  • PhD students on part A of the 4+4 programme receive a payment corresponding to two SU vouchers per month (maximum 48 points). One SU vouchers corresponds to DKK 7,426.00 (2026). The PhD SU vouchers are funded by the graduate school or the grant for the scholarship.
  • Any remaining SU vouchers from your Master's degree programme will be paid according to article 1 of the law regarding the State Educational Grant and Loan Scheme (SU). These SU vouchers are funded by the Danish students' Grants and Loans Scheme (SU Styrelsen).
  • The SU vouchers from your Master's degree programme and the PhD SU vouchers are thus paid independently of each other.

Employment

  • Additionally, PhD students on part A are offered employment simultaneously with the SU PhD scholarship which takes place in accordance with the agreement regarding payment of PhD students for work carried out in connection with the PhD programme (enclosure 5b: Danish version - English version).
  • The salaried work is 280 working hours in total during part A of the PhD degree programme (two years), corresponding to one-third of the workload on a three-year PhD fellowship. If the 4+4 PhD student is enrolled for less than two years on part A, the departmental work will be reduced in accordance with the duration of the enrolment period (enrolment for 1½ year on part A = 210 working hours).
  • The hourly salary is DKK 252.04 (April 2026 level).
  • As of 1 January 2024 new PhD students are paid monthly in arrears at a rate of 2.68 hours per week.
  • PhD students employed before 1 January 2024: The salary is based on 17.5 hours per month, and is disbursed on the last weekday of each month during February-May and September-December.

From part A to part B

  • After obtaining a Master's degree and the successful completion of the qualifying exam the PhD student will be employed on the 4+4 programme's part B under the same conditions as a PhD fellow on the 5+3 programme.
  • Please be aware that the SU PhD scholarship on part A of the 4+4 programme is paid monthly in advance while the monthly salary on part B will be at your disposal on the last weekday of the month. This means that there be a “gap” between your payments.
  • Example:
    • Part A ends on 31 August 2025 and part B starts on 1 September 2025.
    • The last SU payment on part A (payment for August) will be at your disposal at the beginning of August 2025 while your first salary on part B (payment for September) will be at your disposal on the last weekday of September 2025.

Employment of non-Danish staff

New appointment of foreign PhD fellows/scholars


For further information please see

Salary paid to the PhD fellow (5+3)

The salary will be paid according to the AC-salary level (4, 5, 6 or 8) with salary seniority depending on relevant employment after the Master’s degree was granted. 

The employment includes a special supplement (PhD bonus) of DKK 18,850 per annum (1 April 2026 level).

The monthly salary amounts to (1 April 2026 level):

Base salary, level 4, 2 years1

DKK

30,071.08

PhD bonus2, level 4

DKK

1,570.83

Total

DKK

31,641.91

 

 

 

Base salary, level 51

DKK

32,409.08

PhD bonus2, level 5

DKK

1,570.83

Total

DKK

33,979.91

 

 

 

Base salary, level 61

DKK

34,541.33

PhD bonus2, level 6

DKK

1,570.83

Total

DKK

36,112.16

 

 

 

Base salary, level 81

DKK

36,642.25

PhD bonus2, level 8

DKK

1,570.83

Total

DKK

38,213.08

 

1 The full base salary is pensionable salary according to the below-mentioned special pension rules for PhD fellows.

2 The supplement is not pensionable.

Salary costs when applying for grants

  • The above is only the amount paid to the PhD fellow. The salary costs are much higher. 
  • Please see the calculation for the total salary costs: English version - Danish version
  • The salary is based on the PhD fellow's salary seniority after the Master's degree. Remember to take the seniority into consideration when applying for external grants. Relevant employment (with seniority) taking place after the Master's degree is obtained qualifies the PhD fellow to a higher pay scale.
    • Example

      • 5+3:
        Two years of relevant employment (with seniority) qualifies the PhD fellow to receive a salary corresponding to pay scale 5 instead of pay scale 4.

      • 4+4, part B:
        4+4 students on part B will always start on the first year of pay scale 4 because they have just obtained their Master's degree.

Please see this page for the pay scale incl. pension and holiday pay: English version - Danish version

Guide for International Academic Staff

Please see this page for the guide

Employment in the Danish State Sector

Learn more about employment in the Danish State Sector in the publication "Employment in the Danish State Sector" made by The Agency for the Modernisation of Public Administration.

Revised 21.05.2026
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Bettina Holmbo Acthon