How rare is it to fail a PhD?
Asked by: Willy Feeney | Last update: November 30, 2025Score: 4.1/5 (2 votes)
United States: While specific failure rates are less clear, it's estimated that between 40% and 50% of doctoral students do not finish their degrees (Springer). In academia, a PhD represents the height of intellectual success.
How common is it to fail a PhD?
Drop out rates vary by discipline, but as many as 50 percent of students don't complete their doctorate. In order to succeed, you must understand what's at stake—and what's expected of you—then develop a plan that you can stick to.
What is the average PhD dropout rate?
Attrition rates for Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programs in the United States across the fields of engineering, life sciences, social sciences, mathematics and physical sciences, and humanities range from 36 – 51%.
How likely is it to fail a PhD Viva?
An immediate fail is rare; a 2022 survey found that only 3.3% of PhD candidates fail their viva outright – it certainly isn't something you should obsess over.
Is PhD harder than Masters?
However, generally speaking, many find PhDs harder due to the time and effort required in addition to the research focus in place of the emphasis on coursework. The prospect of undertaking a three to four-year commitment (or six to seven years if you are studying part-time) can also take its toll on doctoral students.
10 Brutally Honest Lessons About Doing A PhD | Real PhD struggles and PhD Stress
Which is the most difficult PhD?
Medicine (Research): Doing a PhD in medical research involves not only understanding complex biological systems but also conducting experiments and analyzing data. It's a long and demanding process.
Do PhDs get paid more than Masters?
Salary expectations
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics , people with a master's degree earn an average weekly salary of $1,497. Those with a Ph. D. earn an average weekly salary of $1,883.
What is the failure rate for PhD?
United States: While specific failure rates are less clear, it's estimated that between 40% and 50% of doctoral students do not finish their degrees (Springer). In academia, a PhD represents the height of intellectual success.
What happens if I fail my PhD?
If the PhD cannot be recommended, the candidate will be recommended for the award of a lower qualification. In most cases, this would happen only after the candidate has had an opportunity to revise the orginal thesis and be re-examined.
How many PhDs get major corrections?
In the UK, a study of over 26,000 PhD candidates revealed that only 16% of students were awarded major corrections, while 3.3% of students failed their viva outright. Nevertheless, receiving major corrections presents a much-feared outcome for doctoral candidates.
What percentage of people pass the PhD?
80.5% of all students who enrol onto a PhD programme successfully complete it and are awarded a doctorate.
What percentage of Americans hold a PhD?
About 2% of the U.S. Population Holds a PhD.
How many PhD students actually finish?
At the aggregate level, the data indicated that 57% of the doctoral candidates in the sample completed their degree programs within ten years, and 20% completed them after seven years.
What is a bad GPA to get a PhD?
- Know the requirements. ...
- Talk to the faculty. ...
- Complete additional coursework. ...
- Pursue relevant field experience. ...
- Publish in your subject. ...
- Use your statement of purpose. ...
- Consider submitting a separate letter of explanation. ...
- Focus on recommendations.
What is the hardest thing about a PhD?
- Getting Started Takes Time. After you have settled on a topic, the first step in the dissertation or doctoral study process is to produce a proposal. ...
- There's A Lot of Back-and-Forth. ...
- You Have to Manage Your Own Time.
Is a PhD pass fail?
A PhD is usually marked as a pass or fail, rather than being subject to the grade boundaries typically used at undergraduate or master's level study. During your studies you might have reviews with your tutor where your performance will be discussed, or chapters of your thesis reviewed, and feedback given.
What happens if you can't finish your PhD?
It's important for candidates to know that not finishing a PhD doesn't make you a failure, and it doesn't mean you'll never have the opportunity to do a research degree in the future. Sometimes, now is not the right time or you're not in the right field.
What happens if you don't pass PhD qualifying exam?
But you may get another shot at it. Ultimately, if you fail the PhD qualifying exam, you do not get to move forward to write the dissertation and you are finished with the program. They have determined that you have not learned, gathered, or synthesized enough material and you're not ready to work on a dissertation.
Do PhDs get rejected?
Based on our experience, the main reason behind every PhD rejection is often because of a poorly written or organized statement of purpose. A statement of purpose that does not provide compelling evidence that the applicant is prepared to undertake a research project can lead to immediate rejection.
Is it hard to fail a PhD?
As mentioned at the beginning of this guide, very few people fail the PhD. So, while the viva can be difficult and intimidating it's also highly unlikely to have a negative outcome. Overall, a PhD is a long and often challenging learning process.
What is the pass rate for the PhD qualifying exam?
About 50-67% pass the preliminary exams at the end of their first year of the MS-PHD program, and can proceed to the PhD program. I think you get the MS at this point, whether you pass or fail. A small number get a "conditional" pass and have to take the test the next Spring if they want to continue.
What are the hardest PhDs to get?
- Doctor of Optometry: ...
- Doctor of Pharmacy: ...
- Doctor of Veterinary Medicine: ...
- PhD in Sociology: ...
- PhD in Theoretical Physics: ...
- PhD in Foreign Languages: ...
- PhD in Computer Science: Here comes another course that could be seen as a branch of mathematics. ...
- Doctor of Education:
What is a good salary after PhD?
$80,500 is the 25th percentile. Salaries below this are outliers. $171,000 is the 75th percentile.
Does a PhD make you a doctor?
A doctoral degree (PhD) is a degree that one earns after a master's degree. A PhD entitles a person to use the title doctor. These are the social and physical scientists who conduct and evaluate published research. A PhD degree is normally obtained after six to eight years of hard work past the bachelor's degree.
What is the average stipend for a PhD?
PhD Stipends
In exchange, they're usually offered a stipend — a fixed sum of money paid as a salary — to cover the cost of housing and other living expenses. How much you get as a stipend depends on your university, but a range for the average PhD stipend is usually between $20,000 - $30,000 per year.