Which country will be best for a PhD?

Which country treats PhD students the best?

• Universities offer a variety of different conditions to PhD students (in terms of salary, rights, facilities, support, ...). Also, as a general trend, some countries tend to treat PhD students better, some others worse. What are your opinions about this, based on your experience?

• Answer:

  I don't have the hard data to back this up, but from speaking to some of my colleagues in the past I've heard wonderful things about the candidature experience of Scandinavian PhDs. In particular: generous scholarships, less pressure & deadlines (they think the idea of cutting off scholarship money in 3/4 years to be terrible), and good opportunities to gain teaching experience, and also take part in industry partnerships. From my own experience of doing a PhD in Australia, I don't feel we're treated too badly, but it's not exactly a gravy train either. Course fees are generally waived due to a government grant scheme, and scholarships are available to those that qualify. However, these are only approx AUD$21,000 per annum (tax exempt), so you're going to either need a supplemental income (through tutoring/sessional lecturing or other casual work), to have a fully employed spouse/partner, or to live with your parents. These scholarships generally expire after three years (I guess to encourage completions), and given that PhDs generally take at least four years plus examination time (up to a year), you're going to be on your own in that time. I'm not familiar with the support provided to US PhD students, though from what I understand their funding is closely tied to their supervisor's grant income. I'd be interested to hear someone's first-hand experience.