A doctorate in biology (Promotion in der Biologie) is funded through a position, a scholarship or a mix of both. Your funding also shapes the length of your fixed-term contract and your health insurance. This guide sets out the rules and figures that apply as of October 2026 and shows where you need to check your individual case.
Short answer: A PhD candidate in biology is funded through a position paid by the university budget or by a third-party project, through a scholarship, or through a combination of both. According to the Heinrich Böll Foundation, scholarship maximums from the scholarship foundations reach up to 1,750 euros basic scholarship per month (as of October 2026). With a salaried position, you are usually compulsorily insured as an employee. Last updated: October 2026.
The most important points at a glance
- Funding: a university position, a position in a third-party funded project or a scholarship are the common routes.
- Fixed-term contracts: before the doctorate, a qualification post may be fixed-term for up to six years under § 2 (1) sentence 1 WissZeitVG (Fixed-Term Contracts in Academia Act).
- Insurance: with a salaried position you are compulsorily insured as an employee. Without a position, student health insurance (KVdS) may apply, which ends at age 30.
- Scholarship: a scholarship is not earned income. Whether it affects your health insurance is decided by your health insurer in your individual case.
- Figures: in the 2025 examination year, 28,800 doctorates were completed according to Destatis (as of October 2026). A figure for biology alone is not reported in the sources used here.
How long can a doctoral position in biology be fixed-term?
An average doctoral duration for biology is not documented in the sources used here, so none is given. The binding framework is the Fixed-Term Contracts in Academia Act (Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz, WissZeitVG). It sets how long a fixed-term employment contract may run at most, which tells you more about your contract term than about the time your research will take.
For staff before their doctorate, § 2 (1) sentence 1 WissZeitVG allows fixed terms of up to six years if the post serves their own academic qualification. After the doctorate, sentence 2 sets the same six-year framework. If you care for children under 18, sentence 4 extends the total period by two years per child.
| Phase | Maximum fixed term under WissZeitVG | Provision |
|---|---|---|
| Before the doctorate | up to 6 years | § 2 (1) sentence 1 |
| After the doctorate | up to 6 years | § 2 (1) sentence 2 |
The statute text consulted shows no version or status date. Check the current text on gesetze-im-internet.de before you rely on a specific contract term.
How do doctoral candidates in biology finance themselves?
Typical routes are a university position, a position in a third-party funded project and a doctoral scholarship. The right choice depends not only on income but also on your insurance status. You will find an overview of positions and scholarships in Promotionsstelle oder Stipendium.
| Route | What it means | Health insurance |
|---|---|---|
| University position (budget funded) | Fixed-term employment contract, pay under collective agreement | Compulsory insurance as an employee if you are paid |
| Position in a third-party project | Contract term tied to the project term | Compulsory insurance as an employee if you are paid |
| Doctoral scholarship | No earned income; maximum rate of 1,750 euros basic scholarship (October 2026) | Student insurance or voluntary insurance, check in your case |
| No position and no scholarship | Financed from your own funds | Student insurance if the conditions are met, otherwise voluntary insurance |
Whether a position is paid from the budget or from third-party funds is stated in the contract. Ask your faculty which funds the position comes from, because that determines how long it runs and whether a follow-on funding is possible after the project ends.
What does health insurance cost during a doctorate without a position?
Student health insurance (KVdS) does not depend on your scholarship. It is calculated on a fixed assessment base. Under § 236 SGB V (Social Code Book V) this is one thirtieth of the BAföG need for students who do not live with their parents. That gives 855 euros per month (status 2026). The following worked example shows the contributions based on that base.
| Contribution part | Calculation | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| Health insurance without additional contribution | 10.22 percent of 855 euros | 87.38 euros |
| Additional contribution (average) | 2.9 percent of 855 euros | 24.80 euros |
| Long-term care insurance without child, from age 23 | 4.2 percent of 855 euros | 35.91 euros |
| Total | 148.09 euros |
Assumption: childless, aged 23 or older, average additional contribution of 2.9 percent. The rates for health and long-term care insurance come from the fact sheet of the GKV-Spitzenverband (status 1 January 2026). Your actual additional contribution depends on your health insurer.
What to check in biology in particular
- Project term: check whether a third-party funded position runs until your expected submission. Otherwise the position ends before your dissertation is finished.
- Graduate schools: some universities bundle biology doctorates in graduate schools with their own selection procedures and programmes.
- Research costs: a scholarship is meant for living costs. The research cost allowance is 100 euros per month (status October 2026). Clarify in writing which materials and equipment you can use beyond that.
- Results and inventions: contracts govern who owns results from projects. Read these clauses before you sign.
Frequently asked questions
Can I stay in student insurance with a doctoral scholarship?
That depends on your enrolment and on when your doctorate starts. The Techniker Krankenkasse (TK) states that student insurance is possible if the doctorate starts before you complete your master or diploma degree or your state examination. Its page does not say how a scholarship is assessed in an individual case, so ask your health insurer directly before you decide.
How long can my position be fixed-term?
Before the doctorate, § 2 (1) sentence 1 WissZeitVG allows up to six years if the post serves your own qualification. After the doctorate, the same six-year framework applies. The contract term must also be appropriate for the qualification you are pursuing.
What happens to my insurance after the doctorate?
Your time as a student ends with your degree, and student insurance no longer continues. A voluntary insurance or a switch to private insurance are then possible routes. A new salaried position, for example as a postdoc, again creates compulsory insurance as an employee.
How quickly do I have to join voluntary insurance?
Under § 9 (2) SGB V you must notify your joining within three months. The deadline starts at different points depending on the case, for example when your membership ends or when you take up employment. Note the date as soon as your status changes.
Is switching to private health insurance worth it?
Private health insurance has different contributions and benefits than statutory insurance. A fair comparison requires your age, your health information and the specific tariff. A personal assessment is available through the way Academycon works (in German).
How to proceed now
- Clarify your status: are you enrolled, and do you have a contract with pay or only a scholarship?
- Read the doctoral regulations of your faculty and your supervision agreement before you sign.
- Ask your health insurer and keep the answer in writing.
- Check the deadlines and selection procedures of each scholarship provider, because they apply only to that provider.
- Enter the contract end, the submission deadline and the three-month deadline for joining in your calendar.
Related reading
- PhD in Germany: routes, titles and requirements: routes, titles and requirements
- Health Insurance for PhD Students in Germany: insurance options for doctoral students
- Promotion in Chemie: Dauer, Finanzierung und Versicherung
- Promotionsstipendien 2026: Stiftungen im Vergleich
Sources: Fixed-Term Contracts in Academia Act § 2 (gesetze-im-internet.de, retrieved October 2026), SGB V § 236 (gesetze-im-internet.de, status 2026), GKV-Spitzenverband, fact sheet on contribution calculation parameters (status 1 January 2026), Heinrich Böll Foundation, scholarship rates (status October 2026), Destatis, press release on doctorates 2025 (2 October 2026).
Last updated: October 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice.
