The youngest person to be awarded a PhD is the German child prodigy Johann Heinrich Friedrich Karl Witte (born 10 July 1800; better known simply as Karl Witte), who received his doctorate from the University of Giessen, Germany, on 10 April 1814 at the age of 13 years 283 days.
While the average age of PhD students is quite varied depending on the field of study, statistics reveal that in 2021 nearly 45 percent of individuals who received doctorate degrees in the United States were aged between 26 and 30 years old.
Some of these people were even in their twenties, worried that working for two years after their undergraduate degree had inexorably barred them from the halls of academia. Others were past middle age, looking for a career change. In either case, the answer is ultimately no, it's not too late to get a PhD.
If you graduate high school at approximately age 15, you can potentially get a PhD by age 22. You'd need to go to undergraduate school year-round and have some transfer credits from dual enrollment, CLEP tests, or accredited college courses.
Who was the youngest person ever to graduate from college with a doctorate? The youngest recipient of a doctoral degree was Karl Witte a German boy, who received a doctor of philosophy degree from the University of Giessen at the age of 13.
Generally speaking however, the average age of a PhD student can range from 27 to 37 years old. You can see in the table, below, that physical sciences and earth sciences PhD graduates are typically younger than those in other fields. This is because of the culture of going straight from your undergraduate into a PhD.
You are still pretty young as far as PhD students go. Most students typically start around 22 and are awarded their degree when they are around 27-28. If you start at 25 and finish at 30-32 you're at basically the same age as other students. Age differences mean a lot less as you get older.
#Absolutely not, there is not any restriction in Australia as on the maximum age to enroll in a course. If you are under 18 however and seeking a visa to study in Australia, you will require certain additional documentation.
You may consider doing a PhD in your 30s as silly, but definitely, it is NOT. Though numerous people enroll in their PhD program before their 30s, or right after completing their undergraduate degree, it is quite normal to start a PhD in your 30s, and it is totally fine.
There is no right or wrong age to start a PhD. And while an early PhD may give you an extra edge, it does not guarantee early success. If you want to pursue your career in the research sector or academia, a PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) degree in your field of interest can put you miles ahead of the competition.
Less than 2% of the world's population has a doctorate. According to the US Census Bureau, only 1.2% of the US population has a PhD. This makes having a PhD very rare.
Ultimately, don't let your age stop you doing a PhD. There may be a reason you didn't do one early in life and that is no reason why you shouldn't do one now. Your skills and experiences are just as valuable, if not more so as they are often from outside academia, as those from a younger student.
A PhD is an advanced academic degree that requires a huge amount of dedication and hard work. Ask any PhD graduate and they are likely to say that it is one of the most challenging parts of their life in academia.
"The average age of students starting a PhD in Australia is 32, so these are people with families, mortgages and responsibilities." "A lot of them take a long time, so they are paying an opportunity cost, not being out there earning money."
Karl Witte – Age 13
When he was still very young, he attended the University of Giessen in German and graduated with his doctorate at the age of 13. He still holds the Guinness Book of World Records' record for youngest doctorate and this distinction still stands.
Electrical and computer engineering are among America's most lucrative PhDs, with early career pay at approximately $119,000, which could increase to $168,000 by one's career mid-point. The important goal is to earn a PhD in a field that really interests one and offers a variety of employment opportunities.
You may be worried about being too old to start a PhD. ... the average age of a PhD student can range from 27 to 37 years old. Remember that your counterfactual to a PhD is to spend 5-6 years investing in something else: your current job, a new career, a non-PhD skill ...
PhD programs do not have age caps for eligibility (nor do master's programs), and most universities welcome qualified applicants of all ages who will benefit from the program's academic training mission.
A select group of students complete their PhDs in two years, while a tiny number of elite students can get it done in 12 months. It's hard to overstate how rare and impressive this is, but it is always a possibility.
Qualifications required
A bachelors degree with first-class or second-class honours (Division A), or a masters degree incorporating a significant research component with equivalent grades (GPA of at least 5.5, and a grade of 6.0 for the research component on a 7.0 point scale).
A PhD in Australia typically runs between 3 and 6 years, though there is increasing pressure from universities to ensure PhD students finish at the three-year mark, or only a little later.
The Australian National University (ANU) offers fully funded PhD scholarships for international and domestic students in various fields of study. These scholarships cover tuition fees, living allowances, and travel allowances.
1. Boarded Medical Doctor: After spending about eight years to earn your first degree, you are faced with between three and six years of residency. This is the most competitive field in education which means you must have passed through a very rigorous process to earn this certificate.
Alessio Figalli did his PhD in one year. He went on to win the Fields Medal in 2018.
A UC Davis graduate made history as one of the youngest people in the world to earn his Ph.D.At 19 years old, Tanishq Mathew Abraham graduated with his Ph. D. in biomedical engineering. Born and raised in Sacramento, Abraham attended community college classes at just 7 years old and graduated high school at 10.