🎓 PhD in Norway: scholarship vs. work
📑 How the contract works
A PhD in Norway is not a scholarship, but an employment contract (stipendiatstilling).
● Duration: 3–4 years.
● Workload: 100% employment, of which ~25% may be spent on teaching or administration.
● Salaries are paid monthly, as for regular employees.
📌 The contract is signed with the university (UiO, UiB, NTNU, UiT, etc.), not with the grant fund.
💰 Salary and taxes
● Average salary for a PhD researcher in Norway: approximately NOK 500,000–550,000/year (before taxes).
● Income tax is ~22–25%.
● After taxes, ~35,000–38,000 NOK/month remains, which allows for a comfortable lifestyle and savings.
👉 Salary levels may vary slightly between universities and disciplines.
🏥 Social benefits
PhD researchers have full access to Norway's social security benefits:
● Health insurance and access to the healthcare system.
● Holidays (usually 5 weeks per year).
● Sick leave and parental leave.
● Pension contributions.
📌 This is one of the key advantages: employee status gives you more rights than a traditional scholarship.
📄 PhD contract conditions in Norway
- ⏳ Duration: 3–4 years
- 💼 Format: employment contract (stipendiatstilling)
- 💰 Salary: ~500–550k NOK/year (before tax)
- 📊 Taxes: 22–25%
- 🏥 Benefits: vacation, sick leave, parental leave
- 🎓 Duties: research + teaching (up to 25%)
A PhD in Norway is an amazing opportunity! It's a full-time job with a salary and social security benefits, not just a scholarship. The contract is a fantastic opportunity to enjoy stability, rights and comfortable conditions for research.
📌 Tip: look for positions on official portals (jobbnorge, EURAXESS) and prepare a strong CV + research proposal — competition is high, but you can make it!
FAQ
It is a contract job with a salary and social security benefits.
Around NOK 500,000–550,000 per year before tax.
Yes, a PhD is a job, so you pay income tax of ~22–25%.
Holiday leave, sick leave, medical insurance, pension contributions.
Only with the university's permission. It is important that your main work (research) does not suffer.
The main responsibilities are research and writing a dissertation. Additional responsibilities include teaching, participating in projects, and administration.
Competition is high, but English-language positions are published on jobbnorge.no and EURAXESS.
