Average Cost of a Doctorate Degree

Report Highlights. The cost of obtaining a Doctorate degree depends on field of study, type of Doctorate degree, program length, etc.; up to 85% of Doctoral students receive financial assistance. 

• The average research research Doctorate degree holder owes $84,540 in education debt.
• The average Doctorate of Philosophy, or Ph.D., degree holder owes $80,210.
• Those who pursue a Doctorate of Education degree owe is $79,790 on average.
• The average loan debt for a professional doctorate is $208,310.

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Cost Varies

It typically takes 5 to 11 years for an individual to complete their doctorate degree. The overall cost of a Doctorate degree can depend on several factors, including the kind of doctorate degree and the length of the program.

• Depending on the field of study, up to 85% of doctoral students receive financial assistance in the form of fellowships, scholarships, grants, teaching assistantships, etc.
• A Doctorate in Philosophy from an 8-year Ph.D. program at the University of Florida may cost between $175,000 and $425,000.
• A Doctorate in Philosophy from a traditional 8-year Ph.D. program at New York University may cost $450,000.
• The University of Southern California: School of Education estimates that their online Doctoral degree in Education would only cost up to $37,333.
• St. Thomas University estimates that their online Doctoral degree in Education would take as little as 40 months full-time and cost up to $50,000.
• The average research Doctorate degree holder from a public university owes $187,030 in education debt.
• The average research Doctorate degree holder from a public university owes $247,500.
• Between 51% and 85% of Doctorate recipients graduate with no debt.
• The average grant aid for a research Doctoral degree is $17,187 annually.
• The average grant aid for a Master’s degree is $9,439 annually.

Doctorate of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Ph.D.s are a type of Doctorate degree, yet not all Doctorate degrees are Ph.D.s. Depending on the field of study, a student may need to choose between earning a Ph.D. or a different type Doctorate degree in their field.

• The average Doctorate of Philosophy, or Ph.D., degree holder owes $81,900 in student debt.
• The average debt from a Ph.D. from 2000 to 2020 has increased by 33.8%.
• 35.0% of doctorate recipients are primarily supported by research assistantships or traineeships.
• 24.6% of doctorate recipients are supported by fellowships, scholarships, or dissertation grants.
• 21.7% of Ph.D. students offset the cost of their degree with teaching assistantships.

Doctorate of Education

A Doctorate in Education is suited to professional practice whereas a Ph.D. in Education is suited to research and teaching.

• The average Doctorate in Education recipient owes $79,790 in education debt.
• The average debt from a Doctorate in Education from 2004 to 2020 has increased by 2.8%.
• 46.3% of surveyed Doctorate students in Education offset the price of their degree with their own resources.
• The median time to complete a Ph.D. in Education is 11.8 years.

Doctorate of Psychology

A Ph.D. in Psychology tailors the student to researching and teaching; a Psy.D. tailors the student for direct clinical practice.

• 34.2% of surveyed Doctorate students in Psychology offset the price of their education with teaching assistantships.
• A Ph.D. in Psychology takes 5 to 7 years to complete.
• A Psy.D. takes 4 to 5 years to complete.
• Social Psychology degrees can take about 5 years to complete.

Cost by Race

Asian and Black Americans tend to be the two races that end up with the largest amount of cumulative debt and average debt. The majority of grant aid comes from the institutions. Employers and private financial aid barely account for 20% of aid to each race.

• Asian research Doctoral students borrowed $21,520 on average for their degree.
• Black or African American research Doctoral students averaged $12,381 in aid received.
• Hispanic or Latino research Doctoral students borrow on average $18,104 for their degree.
• White Doctoral students typically borrowed $14,843 a year.
• Research Doctoral students from more than one race averaged $16,453 in loans.
• 51.6% of Black research Doctoral students borrowed money to fund their education.
• 21.8% of research White Doctoral students borrowed money to fund their education.
• 67.4% of Black professional Doctoral students received institutional financial aid.
• 66.4% of Asian professional Doctoral students received institutional financial aid.

Cost by Gender

A majority of both men and women try to offset the cost of their doctorate degrees with research assistantships and traineeships. While there are more male graduates with Doctoral degrees, women on average carry more debt than men.

• 40.3% of men find financial support working as a research assistant or a research trainee.
• 29.0% of women have financial support working as a research assistant or a research trainee.
• 64.9% of male research Doctorate graduates possess no student loan debt.
• 58.9% of female research Doctorate graduates possess no student loan debt.
• 2.8% of male graduates owed more than $160,000 in student loan debt.
• 5.3% of female graduates surveyed owed more than $160,000 in student loan debt.

Sources

1. National Science Foundation, Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED)
2. American Psychological Association, Pursuing a Career in Social Psychology
3. National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), Digest of Education Statistics
4. New York University, Look Up Your Tuition
5. National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES), Survey of Earned Doctorates: Data Tables Financial Support for Graduate Education of Doctorate Recipients 
6. Psychology.org, Doctorate in Psychology (Ph.D. and Psy.D.)
7. University of Florida, 2024-25 Academic Year Graduate Cost of Attendance
8. University of South Carolina, Doctor of Education – Learning Design and Technologies
9. St. Thomas University, Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership – Administration Online
10. American Council on Education, Race and Ethnicity in Higher Education: 2024 Status Report
11. Rutgers University, 2024-2025 Tuition & Fees by Semester: Graduate Schools – Newark
12. Kansas University, Tuition and fee tool
13. Mississippi State University, Tuition
14. University of Massachusetts Amherst, Graduate Costs
15. University of Colorado Boulder, Tuition & Fee Rate Sheets