Australian students are turning away from completing their PhD studies for a broad array of reasons.
Australian students are turning away from completing their PhD studies for a broad array of reasons. Between 2000 to 2023, PhD completion rose by 41%. However, it has declined by 8% between 2018 and 2023 despite a significant pool of students eligible for PhD studies as completion of Honours Degree studies has risen 195% since 2003.[1]
The average age of a PhD candidate in Australia is 34 and generally, these students are forced to balance a wide range of responsibilities that may not be as common for the younger demographic of students seen in undergraduate education.[2] One issue that makes the cost of living pressure more acute for older students is the relatively limited access to government support services, noting that there is even less support for international PhD candidates.
The Universities Australia and the Australian Council of Graduate Research have long campaigned for increasing PhD stipends, stating:
“Raising the RTP stipend would allow PhD candidates to focus on research and reduce financial barriers, thereby promoting equity and diversity in the PhD landscape.”[3]
Throughout the operation of Union Mart in 2024, around 80% of all students that utilised our service were graduate students, many of whom are PhD candidates.
One quote taken from UMSU Welfare’s 2024 report into the cost of living crisis at the University of Melbourne, A Campus in Crisis, illustrated the extent to which PhD students are struggling:
“I am a PhD student at Unimelb living with [a] wife and baby. Our source of income is the RTP stipend, which is barely enough for one person let alone a family of three.
Sometimes me and my wife compromise and what we need so that we don’t have to compromise for our baby. Union mart reserve fund has been filling this gap in our needs and we appreciate them from the bottom of our hearts. Thank you for looking after us when the University isn’t.”[4]
The University of Melbourne Student Union represents each and every student across all campuses, including PhD candidates. Over 2025, myself and the team will be consistently advocating to support our PhD community through measures such as:
- Advocating for an increase to the PhD stipend
- Supporting students in dealings with their supervision regarding work ownership and academic disputes
- Providing free advice and support through the UMSU Advocacy and Legal Service
- Advocating on behalf of PhD students through Academic Board and various other committees and working groups.
[1] https://media.licdn.com/dms/document/media/v2/D561FAQHVn7-1FJsYDA/feedshare-document-pdf-analyzed/B56ZRxbeJ3GoAc-/0/1737069822174?e=1738195200&v=beta&t=U1Q4ljfqjU_IJzqUsKv8o1gmENb-qEO0pDjnWu7eYLg
[2] https://media.licdn.com/dms/document/media/v2/D561FAQHVn7-1FJsYDA/feedshare-document-pdf-analyzed/B56ZRxbeJ3GoAc-/0/1737069822174?e=1738195200&v=beta&t=U1Q4ljfqjU_IJzqUsKv8o1gmENb-qEO0pDjnWu7eYLg