Scholarships for PhD students: an interim evaluation of a Dutch policy experiment

​We focus on a policy experiment in the Netherlands that allows universities to test a new model for doctoral education. Universities have the option to offer scholarships to their PhD students, alongside the more customary model of offering PhD students an employment contract. The PhD scholarship students enjoy more freedom to write their own research proposal and are expected to receive training. We analyse whether the experiment has delivered on its promises and discuss the implications for the PhD students (their status, income position, supervision and integration in the research group). In doing so we compare the different types of PhD students and conclude with some reflections on the reform of doctoral education, arguing that universities should take more responsibility for preparing their PhD students for a future career – inside or outside of academia.