Payment period
The total period of receiving a doctoral scholarship at doctoral schools cannot exceed 4 years. The scholarship will also be paid during holiday periods.
The total duration does not include:
- periods of suspended education,
- periods of education at a doctoral school if the training was discontinued and no other doctoral school offers education in the same discipline. In such cases, the institution running the doctoral school covers the costs of the external doctoral degree awarding procedure for individuals who were unable to complete their studies.
- When you are not eligible for a doctoral scholarship?
You are not entitled to receiving a doctoral scholarship if you:
- already hold a PhD degree,
- are required to be employed by the institution running the doctoral school as part of their education, either:
- under an employment contract,
- with a salary exceeding the salary of a professor.
Amount and payment of the scholarship
Amount of the monthly doctoral scholarship amounts to:
- 37% of a professor’s salary - until the month in which the mid-term evaluation was conducted;
- 57% of a professor’s salary - after the month in which the mid-term evaluation was conducted.
The amount of the minimum basic salary of a professor in a university shall be determined by the Minister by regulation. Since 2024, it amounts to PLN 9370 gross.
The amount of the doctoral scholarship will be approximately:
- before the mid-term evaluation: PLN 3466,90 gross,
- after the mid-term evaluation: PLN 5340,90 gross.
The doctoral scholarship is paid after submitting the scholarship declaration.
If any of the information in your declaration changes, you have 2 business days to submit an updated version.
The scholarship is paid by the 30th of each month.
- Disability certificate
If you have:
- a certificate of disability,
- a disability degree certificate,
- a certificate referred to in Art. 5 and Art. 62 of the Act of 27 August 1997 on Vocational and Social Rehabilitation and Employment of Persons with Disabilities,
you will receive the scholarship in an amount increased by 30% of the amount of 37% of a professor’s salary.
- Discontinuation of the scholarship
Your scholarship payments will stop at the end of the month in which you are removed from the list of doctoral students or the maximum scholarship duration expires.
Increase in scholarship resources
You can apply for an increase in the doctoral scholarship through a competition.
Each academic year, 2 doctoral students in each program are able to get the increased scholarship. The number of increased scholarships may be further raised by the Rector upon the request of the Dean of the Doctoral School.
- Announce of the competition in the academic year 2024/2025
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Pursuant to § 8 of the Regulations of Doctoral Scholarships at the Doctoral School, the Dean of the Doctoral School announces a competition for the award of an increased doctoral scholarship.
Deadline for submitting applications: November 11, 2024.
How to submit the request?
- If you sign it with hand-writing signature, send a scan (request + attachments) to bsd@sgh.waw.pl and deliver the hard copies to the Doctoral School Office.
- If you sign it electronically / with a qualified signature, send the file (application + attachments) to bsd@sgh.waw.pl.
Suspension of education and scholarship
The period of suspension of education is not included in the total duration of receiving the doctoral scholarship.
Upon your request, education may be suspended for a period corresponding to:
- maternity leave,
- leave on the terms of maternity leave,
- paternity and parental leave,
in accordance with the provisions of The Labor Code – Act of 26 June 1974.
How to submit the request?
You have 21 days from the date of the circumstances entitling you to leave to submit a written request for suspension of education. In the document, specify the period you want to suspend your studies for and attach documents confirming the reason.. Attach documents confirming the reason of the suspension.
Send your request by email to the Doctoral School Office at: bsd@sgh.waw.pl.
The scholarship amount during the suspension will be calculated based on maternity and paternity/parental leave rules, using the scholarship amount applicable on the day of submitting the request.
Early submission of the dissertation
If you submit your doctoral dissertation before the completion date specified in the training program, you will continue to receive your doctoral scholarship until the originally planned completion date — but for no longer than 6 months.
Social security contributions / taxation
According to the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS), all doctoral students at Doctoral Schools are covered by social security, which includes: pension, disability, and accident insurance contributions. These contributions are mandatory, regardless of any other basis for their payment. Additionally, you can receive sickness insurance if you request for it when submitting your scholarship declaration.
If you give birth, you can receive a scholarship on maternity leave terms, regardless of the paid contributions. However, paying for sickness insurance also entitles you to maternity benefits, even if you decide to discontinue your education at the doctoral school.
If you are on an extension of your studies and no longer receiving the doctoral scholarship, the above insurances are not paid, as the university has no basis to deduct contributions from your scholarship.
The doctoral scholarship is not taxed.
Health insurance
- PL/UE/EFTA citizens and Karta Polaka’s holders
You can be registered to health insurance through:
- your employer,
- your parent — if you are under 26 years old and are not employed nor running a business,
- your spouse — if your spouse is a working person insured in Poland,
- yourself — if you are running your own business.
The university can enroll you in health insurance upon your request (never automatically), only if you don’t have another basis for insurance.
IMPORTANT!: Would you like the university to register you for health insurance? Remember, you must submit a new scholarship declaration to the Doctoral School Office at least 7 days before the date you want your insurance to begin.
Your right to health insurance through the university ends:
- 4 months after completing your studies (submitting your doctoral dissertation) or being removed from the list of doctoral students,
- when you obtain another entitlement to health insurance.
- Non-EU/EFTA citizens
The state does not pay contributions for non-EU/EFTA citizens, so the university cannot report you for insurance.
If you are not a citizen of an EU/EFTA country, you can by insured by:
- employer,
- spouse employed in PL/EU/EFTA
- parent employed in PL/EU/EFTA — if you are under 26 year old
Otherwise, you must be insured by yourself.
What options do you have?
- NFZ public insurance — voluntary health insurance provided by the Polish National Health Fund (NFZ),
- private insurance.
The condition for being covered by voluntary health insurance with the National Health Fund (NFZ) is living in Poland.
IMPORTANT!: If you hold a Karta Polaka or a document confirming Polish origin according to repatriation regulations, you may be registered for health insurance by the university (see the section: PL/UE/EFTA CITIZENS AND KARTA POLAKA’S HOLDERS).
What does voluntary health insurance with NFZ offer?
By signing a contract with NFZ (along with paid contributions), you are entitled to:
- access to public healthcare in Poland,
- the possibility of obtaining the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).
To sign up for voluntary health insurance, please contact the Mazovian Provincial Branch of the National Health Fund in Warsaw, located at Chałubińskiego street, 8.
Unfortunately, most offices, their websites, and documents in Poland only offer services in Polish. You can use translation tools or someone else’s help to obtain more specific information about voluntary health insurance, available on the NFZ website
How to get voluntary health insurance with NFZ (website in Polish)
If you are a non-EU/EFTA citizen and had self-arranged insurance with NFZ, you can continue using the doctoral student insurance rate for 30 days after completing your studies (that means: submitting your doctoral dissertation).
The information has been prepared based on NFZ data available as of 12th February 2025. We make every effort to facilitate the insurance process, but it is your responsibility to verify the current regulations and handle the formalities.
Doctoral School Office
building M, room 35
Madalińskiego 6/8
02-513 Warsaw
e-mail: bsd@sgh.waw.pl
phone: +48 22 564 71 15
phone: +48 22 564 71 30
Monday – Friday: 9:00–15:00