PRESS RELEASE – Four-year contract, five+ years of work

Four-year contract, five+ years of work: New PNN report on promotion duration and delays

March 21, 2025

The Dutch PhD Network (PNN) presents its new report, " Four Years of Contract, Five+ Years of Work, " which analyzes the causes of PhD delays in the Netherlands. Although most PhD contracts have a term of four years, PhD candidates have been taking an average of five years to complete their dissertations for years. This leads to uncertainty, financial problems, and additional pressure on young researchers. "For over thirty years, we have been unable to solve PhD delays. Based on this research, we can make important recommendations to address this persistent problem," says PNN chair Benthe van Wanrooij.

The research, based on focus group discussions with final-stage PhD candidates and recent graduates, points to six key factors that contribute to PhD delays or success. These primarily include unrealistic planning and project scope, the quality of PhD supervision, and a mismatch between formal completion rules and informal norms. Furthermore, the PhD candidate's proactiveness, support from their environment, and the tension between professional development and thesis completion are also important. Van Wanrooij: "We actually see that for PhD candidates who experience delays, it's often a combination of factors. Poor supervision, personal circumstances, and a hyper-ambitious project can sometimes lead to PhD candidates still working on their dissertation years after the contract ends."

PNN advocates for concrete measures to improve the feasibility of PhD programs, including realistic PhD planning that takes into account start and completion times, responsibility for graduate schools and supervisors to ensure timely completion, clear and achievable requirements for the dissertation, established at the start of the program, and improved supervision quality, including mandatory training for supervisors.

With this report, PNN calls on universities, policymakers, and research institutions to seriously address the structural causes of PhD delays. It's time to stop placing the responsibility for timely completion solely on PhD candidates, and instead create an environment where successfully completing a PhD within four years is indeed possible.

END OF PRESS RELEASE

About PNN

The Dutch PhD Network (PNN) is the national advocacy organization for PhD candidates in the Netherlands. PNN is committed to fair working conditions, equal treatment, and improving the position of PhD candidates within the Dutch academic system.

Note to editors:

The full study is available today via this link: https://hetpnn.nl/publicatie/four-years/ . The study will also be presented at a symposium this afternoon .

For more information or interview requests:

Benthe van Wanrooij
chairman@hetpnn.nl
+31 6 15 47 05 56
hetpnn.nl