Report Highlights. While the average doctorate degree costs $98,015, most doctoral students (at least 81.3%) subsidize costs with fellowships, grants, scholarships, teaching assistantships, etc.
- The average tuition for doctoral programs is $22,773.
- At a public university, the average doctorate costs $59,955.
- Doctoral students receive education financing for an average of 34.8 months.
- 5.7 years is the median length of time to complete a doctoral program in practice.
- $92,399 is the average federal student loan balance among research doctorate borrowers.
Related reports include Average Cost of College & Tuition | Average Cost of Community College | Average Cost of a Doctorate Degree | Average Cost of Law School | Average Cost of Private School
Average Doctoral Program Tuition
Full-time students can expect to complete a doctorate in 4 to 5 years.
- Public universities charge an average $13,861 tuition* for doctoral programs.
- The average private nonprofit university charges $33,322 for its doctoral program.
- A doctorate from the average private nonprofit university costs $143,171.
*Tuition is generally higher for nonresidents at public institutions.
| Institution | In-State Tuition | Out-of-State Tuition |
|---|---|---|
| Rutgers-Camden | $19,188 | $29,952 |
| University of Kansas | $19,334 | $42,454 |
| UM–Amherst | $18,359 | $37,791 |
| UC–Boulder | $14,927 | $37,553 |
| University of Florida | $12,740 | $31,872 |
| Mississippi State University | $10,604 | $28,736 |
Average Cost of a Doctorate by State
- Pennsylvania public postsecondary institutions charge an average of $23,390‡ for AY2025-26 graduate tuition, the highest among states.
- Public institutions in Pennsylvania also increased graduate tuition the fastest over four (4) years, up 51.6% from AY2020-21 to AY2024-25.
- Private non-profit institutions in Massachusetts charge the highest average graduate tuition ($33,965).
- Alaska private institutions have increased graduate tuition the fastest, up 71.43% over four (4) years.
‡AY2025-26 estimates based on latest confirmed averages and growth.
| State | Public, in-state | Private, nonprofit |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $10,432 | $14,498 |
| Alaska | $11,776 | $23,755 |
| Arizona | $11,431 | $24,500 |
| Arkansas | $8,720 | $14,455 |
| California | $12,671 | $29,535 |
| Colorado | $13,287 | $23,370 |
| Connecticut | $16,012 | $26,093 |
| Delaware | $13,562 | $9,626 |
| District of Columbia | $9,485 | $30,742 |
| Florida | $9,882 | $17,646 |
| Georgia | $7,192 | $17,129 |
| Hawaii | $14,366 | $21,201 |
| Idaho | $11,116 | $18,388 |
| Illinois | $12,586 | $23,230 |
| Indiana | $9,777 | $22,418 |
| Iowa | $13,111 | $13,579 |
| Kansas | $9,668 | $11,906 |
| Kentucky | $12,247 | $11,754 |
| Louisiana | $9,925 | $17,513 |
| Maine | $11,672 | $31,035 |
| Maryland | $13,565 | $21,237 |
| Massachusetts | $14,976 | $33,965 |
| Michigan | $19,540 | $20,492 |
| Minnesota | $13,866 | $17,120 |
| Mississippi | $9,531 | $13,652 |
| Missouri | $11,168 | $15,790 |
| Montana | $7,090 | $27,254 |
| Nebraska | $8,512 | $16,792 |
| Nevada | $6,847 | $30,855 |
| New Hampshire | $18,825 | $25,878 |
| New Jersey | $19,782 | $24,832 |
| New Mexico | $7,991 | $19,212 |
| New York | $12,208 | $29,020 |
| North Carolina | $8,897 | $16,888 |
| North Dakota | $9,721 | $10,978 |
| Ohio | $13,798 | $20,062 |
| Oklahoma | $6,872 | $13,473 |
| Oregon | $20,318 | $26,640 |
| Pennsylvania | $23,390 | $22,361 |
| Rhode Island | $14,492 | $31,190 |
| South Carolina | $13,599 | $15,969 |
| South Dakota | $6,445 | $17,278 |
| Tennessee | $12,175 | $17,288 |
| Texas | $8,659 | $20,470 |
| Utah | $9,035 | $13,886 |
| Vermont | $10,735 | $26,106 |
| Virginia | $15,521 | $17,992 |
| Washington | $16,206 | $23,881 |
| West Virginia | $11,242 | $10,618 |
| Wisconsin | $10,246 | $15,936 |
| Wyoming | $8,980 | NA |
Average Doctorate Financing
The real cost to a doctoral student may be much lower than the sticker price with education financing.
- 51.5% of research doctoral students receive grants to pay for school.
- For 24.6% of research doctorate students, fellowships, scholarships, or dissertation grants pay for the largest share of their education costs.
- $17,300 was the average grant distribution to research doctoral students in AY2017-18, equivalent to $22,701 in 2026 dollars.
- 35.0% of research doctorate recipients work as research assistants as their primary source of education funding.
- Graduate assistantships paid out an average of $14,900 to research doctoral students in AY2017-18 ($19,552 in 2026) and $8,700 to professional doctoral students ($11,416 in 2026).
- Employers provide a majority of education funding for 4.10% of research doctorate recipients.
Average Doctorate Student Loan
Doctoral students may also use a combination of federal and private loans to cover the cost of attendance.
- Student borrowers with Ph.D.s** owe an average of $94,443 for graduate borrowing alone.
- Among those who borrowed to pay for their research doctorate, the average principal loan in AY2017-18 was $20,500 (equivalent to $26,900 in 2026).
- Students borrowing for professional doctorates took out an average of $46,800 in education loans ($61,411 in 2026 dollars).
- At a 7.94% interest rate† and a 10-year repayment plan, that equates to $9,042.59 in interest on a $20,500 loan.
**Doctorate of Philosophy; in this dataset, Ph.D.s in education were excluded.
†This is the interest rate for federal Direct unsubsidized loans distributed for AY2025-26; since AY2006-07, interest rates for these loans have ranged from 4.30% to 8.08%.
| Harvard Graduate School | Tuition | 5-Year Tuition Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Business | $78,700 | 7.16% |
| Design | $61,510 | 15.1% |
| Divinity | $31,080 | 2.00% |
| Education | $62,244 | 19.9% |
| Government | $61,926 | 17.1% |
| Arts & Sciences | $57,328 | 15.9% |
| Law | $80,760 | 22.6% |
| Medical/Dental | $73,874 | 13.7% |
| Public Health | $74,340 | 14.4% |
Average Cost of a Doctorate
Field of study and length of program influence education expenses; other fees and costs of living may exceed the cost of doctoral program tuition alone.
- Students take a median 6.8 years to complete a Doctorate of Arts and Humanities.
- Doctorates of Business, Agriculture Sciences, and Health Sciences all take a median 5.0 years to complete.
- Zillow lists the average monthly rent in Camden, New Jersey (home to Rutgers, where graduate tuition is $19,188) as $1,650.
- An apartment in Lawrence, Kansas (U-Kansas with $19,334 graduate tuition) is $1,230 per month.
- Factoring in potential lost income, students pursuing a doctorate full-time may lose out on a median $80,236 per year.
- For doctorate students with existing master’s degrees, median potential lost income totals $95,680 per year.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Education National Center for Education Statistics
- National Science Foundation National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Earned Doctorates
- Penn State World Campus, What is the Time Commitment for Different Degree Options?
- American Council on Education, How Students Finance Graduate Education
- Rutgers-Camden Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Planning Your Educational Expenses
- University of Kansas Office of Graduate Admissions, Cost
- University of Massachusetts Amherst, Graduate Costs
- University of Colorado Boulder, Tuition & Fee Rate Sheets
- University of Florida Student Financial Aid and Scholarships, Graduate Costs
- Mississippi State University Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships, Cost of Attendance
- U.S. Department of Education Office of Federal Student Aid, Interest Rates and Fees for Federal Student Loans
- Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: All Items in U.S. City Average
- Harvard University Office of Institutional Research and Analytics, Fact Book: Graduate / Professional Tuition
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections: Education Pays
- Zillow, Market Trends