TIMES HIGHER EDUCATION: Third of PhD students in Europe ‘fail to complete in six years’

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Luke Georghiou, chair of the EUA-CDE steering committee and deputy vice-chancellor of the University of Manchester, said that the main factors leading to PhD students dropping out were low barriers for entry and insecure levels of funding.

He added that “structured doctoral education improves completion rates”.

“If the doctoral candidates are part of a cohort and are supported and well monitored throughout the pathway, they are more likely to be taken to completion,” Professor Georghiou said.