"The message that supervisors who make a conscious effort to support and mentor their PhD candidates have more-satisfied students comes from Nature's 2025 global survey of more than 3,700 doctoral students. About half of the respondents, who self-reported their experiences, said that their supervisors spent less than one hour a week with them. Some 69% of respondents in this group reported being at least moderately satisfied with their PhD compared with around 82% of those who met with their supervisors more often."
"In the United Kingdom and Germany, for example, 61% and 60% of respondents, respectively, see their supervisors for less than one hour a week. By contrast, in India, 60% spent at least one hour a week with their supervisor. Some of the most satisfied respondents of this year's survey studied in Brazil (83%) and Australia (82%), where nearly half of students were extremely happy with their overall relationship with their supervisor, compared with 36% of students globally."
Supportive supervision strongly correlates with higher PhD satisfaction and also benefits supervisors' own research. A global survey of more than 3,700 doctoral students found about half reported supervisors spent less than one hour weekly with them. Sixty-nine percent of those students were at least moderately satisfied, compared with approximately 82% among students who met supervisors more often. Student well-being is linked to supervision quality. Country differences are notable: many UK and German students meet supervisors less than an hour weekly, while India, Brazil and Australia show higher meeting frequencies and greater satisfaction tied to openness and mutual respect.
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