Thesis funding: how much money do I need?

Writing and completing your dissertation is quite an achievement, but before reaching the finish line, there’s an important issue you need to address: the funding. Determining the necessary finances for your dissertation production can be a complex task.

The production costs of printing a physical dissertation depend on the specifications. Based on your own decisions, the price may vary. Will you do the layout of the content and cover yourself or outsource it to a graphic designer? What type of paper will you choose: Biotop, HVO, or Silk? And how many pages does your dissertation consist of, and how many copies do you want to purchase? The more dissertations you print, the lower the cost per unit.

In this blog, we delve deeper into the crucial question: how do you gather money, what choices do you need to make, and how do you establish a realistic budget?

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Funding your thesis

University research in the Netherlands is funded by three streams of money. The first stream comes from the government and is intended for tuition fees and living expenses for students. The second stream consists of subsidies and research grants. These are given to the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) and the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW). The third stream comes from non-profit institutions and companies. Depending on your research direction, one organization may be more relevant than another. Below is a table with examples of non-profit institutions, companies, and other organizations that spend money on university research (approach them if they are relevant):

In addition to collecting money through research grants and external subsidies, the university usually also provides compensation ranging from €250 to €750.

Making Choices: Overcoming Dissertation Dilemmas

To determine how much money you ultimately need to finance your dissertation, you need to make choices about the specifications of your dissertation. You need to make choices about layout, margins, font, page layout, amount of copies, number of pages, and cover design. But don’t forget the graduation ceremony. With some of these choices, there are dilemmas we’ll discuss.

• Layout: When it comes to layout, think about the arrangement of chapters, paragraphs, headers, and subheaders. Will you opt for a traditional layout that meets academic standards and guidelines, or will you experiment to achieve a modern creative layout that enhances visual appeal? And will you do the layout yourself or have it done by a graphic designer?
• Margins: In terms of pages and readability, determining margins is important. Often, doctoral candidates want to fit as much as possible on a page to make it comprehensive and accurate. Or to achieve fewer pages and save costs. So, there’s a dilemma here between maximizing the amount of text that fits on a page and maintaining enough white space for readability and aesthetics. Make a choice that doesn’t lean too heavily in one direction.
• Page Layout: Decisions about page numbers, chapter titles, footers, and illustrations need to be made. It’s important to achieve a consistent, professional page layout. Visual elements should be added or extra information to enhance and improve readability. Don’t add too much or too little. Evaluate whether you need a graphic designer or another external party to assess this. This also applies to your cover design.
• Amount of copies: The costs depend on how many copies you are willing to receive.
• Graduation Ceremony: There are two types of doctoral candidates when it comes to graduation ceremonies. One spends €200 to €300, and the other spends a few thousand. There are several factors to consider when determining your budget. It mainly has to do with time, energy, logistical considerations, personality, and financial considerations. Some doctoral candidates gain energy from their defense, while for some, it drains energy. Estimate whether you’re in the mood for a large and extensive graduation ceremony and whether you have the right energy for it. But geography also plays a role. Can you get everyone together, and does it require a lot of planning and stress to accomplish? Thirdly, you have personality. There are introverted and extroverted people. One prefers a smaller, more modest circle, while the other wants to celebrate with as many people and activities as possible. Finally, it’s a question of whether you’re willing to spend the money on holding a large graduation ceremony or whether you prefer to invest it in other things that have higher priority, such as renovating your house or sports.

Budgeting and Balance: Sketching the Right Expectation

When drawing up your budget, it’s important to strike a balance between the dissertation, layout, and graduation ceremony. But also to see how much funding you receive from the university, how you allocate your money between dissertation production and the graduation ceremony, and how much money you get back from non-profit institutions. Always keep in mind that costs can escalate. Therefore, it’s advisable to include an extra margin of 10% in your budget to cover unforeseen expenses and prevent disappointments. As a tip, it’s handy to negotiate prices and terms with catering, designers, and event venues. On average, doctoral candidates take this as a budget for just the production of their dissertation:

Budget = own contribution (€250 to €500) + university funds (€500 to 750) – refund from non-profit institutions.

On average, the majority of doctoral candidates spend between €750 and €1250 on dissertation production. Some spend only €500, and some even €2500! Do you have any questions about dissertation funding or would you like to share your experiences? Feel free to contact us or request a quote for an indication of costs.

Do you want to have your thesis printed soon?
Download our information booklet for more information.
Request the information book