Terms of Service – PhDGrind

Introduction

Welcome to PhDGrind (“we,” “our,” or “us”). These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your use of our website at phdgrind.com and all associated calculators, guides, and services (collectively, the “Service”).

By accessing or using the Service, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you disagree with any part of them, please do not use the Service.

Acceptance of Terms

By accessing, browsing, or using PhDGrind, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated by reference.

We may update these Terms at any time. Your continued use of the Service after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

Estimates for Planning — Verify Before You Rely

PhDGrind’s calculators produce general estimates to help you plan. Stipends, living costs, funding durations and terms, dissertation requirements, defense timelines, conference costs, and citation conventions vary widely by field, university, and country and change over time, and the tools deliberately ask you to supply those figures rather than assuming any one program’s rules. Results depend entirely on the numbers you enter and on commonly used formulas, and may be incomplete or out of date. Nothing on the Service is financial, legal, career, or academic advice. Before you make a decision with real money or your candidacy riding on it — signing a funding agreement, committing to a deadline, booking conference travel, or reporting your metrics — verify the applicable figures and rules with your department, your graduate school, your funding office, your advisor, or a qualified professional.

Description of Service

PhDGrind provides free, browser-based calculators and educational resources, including:

PhD stipend vs cost-of-living calculator (surplus/deficit and coverage ratio)
PhD funding runway calculator (months of savings and stipend against expenses)
Dissertation writing-pace planner (words per week and per day to a deadline)
Time-to-defense countdown (days, weeks, and working days to a defense or viva)
Conference travel budget calculator and citation & h-index estimator
Guides, explainers, and reference content on funding, advisors, writing, and the defense

All tools are provided free of charge. We may modify, suspend, or discontinue any part of the Service at any time.

Your Responsibilities

When using the Service, you agree to:

Use the tools in good faith for lawful, personal academic planning
Enter accurate figures rather than misleading ones
Not misrepresent an estimate as an official figure from your institution or funder
Not disrupt, overload, or attempt to compromise the website
Respect intellectual property rights

You are responsible for exercising your own judgment and for confirming important matters with your department, funding office, advisor, or a professional before acting.

Accuracy and Disclaimers

While we aim for correct formulas, we cannot guarantee that every calculation is error-free or suited to your circumstances. Results are estimates based on standard methods and the figures you provide; the actual stipends, costs, timelines, and metrics you experience may differ. PhDGrind makes no warranties, express or implied, including implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement.

Intellectual Property

All content on this website — text, graphics, logos, tools, calculators, and software — is the property of PhDGrind or its content suppliers and is protected by applicable copyright and other laws. You may use the tools for personal academic purposes; you may not copy, resell, or reverse engineer them, or remove proprietary notices.

Limitation of Liability

In no event shall PhDGrind or its suppliers be liable for any damages (including, without limitation, lost savings, unexpected costs, missed deadlines, or funding shortfalls) arising out of your use of, or inability to use, the Service, even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages.

Third-Party Links and Ads

The Service may link to third-party websites and displays third-party advertisements. We do not control and are not responsible for their content, and inclusion of a link or ad is not an endorsement. Your use of any third-party site is at your own risk.

Governing Law

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the United States, and you submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts located there.

Contact Information

By email: support@phdgrind.com
Via our contact page