The UG board of directors wants to grant PhD candidates who are here on a foreign scholarship an S-number. However, additional funding or a place in participatory governance is not on the table.
With an S-number, they can receive student discounts at facilities such as ACLO and the Language Centre. The UG aims to offer them ‘more than they currently have’, spokesperson Anja Hulshof explains.
Formally, scholarship PhD candidates are neither students nor employees, meaning they do not receive any of the associated benefits.
Guest status
Since the termination of the scholarship PhD experiment in September 2024, the UG is no longer allowed to admit PhD candidates with student status. Instead, PhD candidates must either be employed with a salary and corresponding employment conditions or come to the university as ‘guests’ with a scholarship.
However, international scholarship PhDs are dissatisfied. Since September, the top-up the UG provides on top of their scholarship has been nearly 400 euros lower than before. The university agreed with the tax authorities that the scholarship plus top-up cannot exceed 1,875 euros, whereas many PhD candidates were led to expect an amount ‘around’ 2,000 euros.
Additionally, their guest status means they cannot participate in faculty council or university council elections and miss out on student benefits.
Budget cuts
The board now hopes to address the latter issue by granting them an S-number. However, the UG cannot allow them to participate in elections. ‘Because they are not legally considered students, they do not have participatory rights’, says Hulshof.
Nor can the university increase the top-up amount. This is partly due to national budget cuts. The suggested amount of 2,000 euros was ‘unfortunate’, but it was always made clear that ‘at the time, no final decision had been made on the exact amount.’
Legal case
Tax regulations further complicate the situation. During the scholarship PhD experiment, the UG made special agreements with the tax authorities regarding the taxability of the top-up. However, a group of MD-PhDs filed a lawsuit against the UMCG, arguing that they should have been treated as employees rather than students.
The verdict, expected in March, could impact the top-up amounts. ‘Currently, the tax authorities tolerate the existing payment agreements with the UG. Once the ruling is known, the UG will re-engage with them to discuss future options’, Hulshof says.
Inequality
The protesting PhD candidates have since met with rector magnificus Jacquelien Scherpen to discuss the situation. Scholarship PhD candidate Rui Li welcomes the allocation of an S-number but remains concerned. The end of the experiment has made PhDs like him more vulnerable. ‘It has made the unequal treatment we face even worse. Additionally, it’s hard to ignore the stress and frustration that comes with feeling unequal.’
He fears the situation for future international PhD candidates could become even worse. He also insists that the university and graduate schools raised false expectations. ‘Nonetheless, the rector said that the possibility of adjusting the top-up amount might be explored in the future.’