PhD Funding in Spain

Spanish PhD funding – what you need to know first

The cost of a PhD in Spain

PhD fees

In Spain, PhD students only take credit courses during their first year of study. They are required to study 60 ECTS. This means that tuition for the first year will be the most expensive and can go up to €3,300 for EU/EEA students.

During the rest of the PhD course students only have to pay for supervision, continual assessment and administrative costs. On average this costs around €550 per year, but you should expect variation depending on the university and your country of residence.

Living costs

Compared to the rest of Western Europe, living as an international student in Spain is quite affordable. Students should expect to spend around €900-1,000 per month. Depending on whereabouts in Spain you are located, accommodation can cost between €500-900, leaving the remaining budget for food and miscellaneous costs.

Spanish government PhD funding

Grants for the Training of University Teachers (FPU)

The FPU is a grant awarded to predoctoral students for the completion of a doctoral thesis in a Spanish university. The programme is designed to train students of any discipline in university teaching skills with the intent to facilitate their future incorporation into Spanish higher education.

Each year 885 grants are awarded. Students receive a monthly stipend of €1,188.49 for the first two years. This amount then increases to €1,273.38 in the third year and €1,591.73 in the fourth. Alongside the monthly payments, student will also receive two additional payments each year.

Salvador de Madariaga

The Salvador de Madariaga offers grants for predoctoral training at the Florence European University Institute (IUE). This programme facilitates the hiring of students and finances their salary while carrying out a doctoral thesis within four years.

Currently the IUE supports applications in the departments of History, Political and Social Sciences, Economics and Legal Sciences. More information about specific topics can be found on their website.

During the first two years of study recipients will receive a monthly provision of €1,300. In the final two years this increases to €1,600 and two additional payments will added. The scholarship also offers students aid with travel expenses, providing €700 at the start of the first and third year.

University scholarship programmes

Other funding opportunities

Fundación Carolina

The Fundación Carolina promotes cultural relations and educational cooperation between Spain and the countries of Ibero-American Community of Nations. Their doctoral scholarships are intended to promote doctoral degrees among professors of Latin American universities.

The scholarship operates as a co-financing system, where 60% of the cost is covered by Fundación Carolina and the remainder is provided by the university in Latin America.

Students receive a living cost stipend of €1,200 per month alongside full tuition and administrative fee cover. Awardees are also granted three round-trip air ticks per academic year. Please note that the living cost stipend is only awarded during set months of on-site study. Students are only able to claim their scholarship for a duration of 21 months during the three years of the PhD. More information can be found on the Fundación Carolina website.

Santander

Some Spanish companies also offer scholarship opportunities for postgraduate students throughout the year. Santander has a lot of opportunities for short-term financial support to postgraduate students. These can be limited or one-off grants awarded for a variety of reasons. Some may be to fund the attendance of training opportunities while others are financial awards for academic prowess.