Copenhagen moves to help PhDs in poverty

University will demand minimum funding levels after investigation reveals students struggling to survive

The University of Copenhagen has decided to accept only international PhD students who receive funding of at least 12,332 Danish kroner (€1,650) per month, in order to alleviate what it said were concerning levels of poverty.

The decision was made in reaction to an investigation by Magisterbladet, which found that international PhD students at the University of Copenhagen (KU) “have difficulty maintaining a reasonable standard of living” because they depend on so-called living cost grants paid by their home country. Most of the students affected by poverty during their doctorates come from China, but problems have also been found with students from other Asian countries, South America, the Middle East and Africa.