Application

Applications are welcome from internal and external candidates holding a Master degree in biosciences without a specific application date. Applicants will first agree with their future supervisor on an application. Please apply before starting with your project but at least within 3 months after the start of the PhD project.

Application process:

I. Complete the application for admission. Please note that the Supervision Agreement (which is provided after filling the online application) must only be completed and signed after admission.
External applicants use this application for admission form. 
If you have been enrolled at the University of Göttingen before, please login via eCampus to access the pre-filled form.

Please have the following documents ready to upload them:

- Master's and Bachelor's certificates and transcripts
- Statement by (prospective) supervisor, addressing the following:

• Name of the doctoral student
• (Provisional) PhD project title
• Starting date (dd/mm/yyyy) of the PhD project
• Funding: contract or stipend, funding source (contract/stipend), duration of funding.
  -> If funding is not yet available for the entire duration of PhD or if supervisor plans lab move: include explanation who will take over funding resp. supervision (e.g. department or second thesis committee member)
• Prospective thesis committee members (if already known)
• the availability of appropriate resources in the form of a workplace, equipment, and financial resources

- Doctoral student’s declaration (can be found in the application for admission form)
- English proficiency certificates (min. level C1, i.e. IELTS 6.5, TOEFL iBT 110),
- Short abstract/project proposal of your PhD thesis (2-3 pages), signed by the candidate and the future supervisor, addressing the following: 

• Summary
• Background and Significance
• Previous work of the research group, with relevant publications
• Specific aims
• Working plan
• Supervisors and their specific tasks (if several supervisors are involved)

- Curriculum vitae, including achievements during Bachelor and Master studies, voluntary projects, and current research activities.

- (Short) description of the student’s motivation for entering the program and working on the proposed research topic
- optionally: certificates of other relevant examinations (e.g. GRE, reference letters, if available)
-> If your documents are in a language other than German or English, you will need to include copies of an official translation (into German or English) as well.

II. Pre-screening:

The coordination office will check the formal requirements for admission while the admission board will screen the application reg. the qualification of the candidate and the thematic fit of the prospective PhD project.

- Master's degree with very good grades in the natural sciences or mathematics, including a Master's thesis with a minimum duration of six months. 
Please note that due to the peculiarities of the German university system, medical degrees are not considered as equivalent to an MSc in the natural sciences. 
In case of MSc degrees from abroad, it may be that the faculty requests the fulfillment of additional requirements before the admission to doctoral studies (e.g. an oral exam, a written progress report after 6 months, etc.).

- English proficiency / language requirements: Candidates have to be fluent in written and spoken English. Candidates whose mother tongue is not English can demonstrate sufficient knowledge of English e.g. by having completed MSc studies in English or by internationally recognized tests such as TOEFL or IELTS or equivalent achievements. During online application, applicants can indicate proven higher education in English or a reasonably long stay in an English-speaking country, if applicable. Knowledge of the German language is not required, but international students will be offered opportunities to take German courses.

- Optional: references: During online registration the applicant may upload reference letters if available. The application will also be processed if no reference letters are submitted.

III. Presentation at admission panel: 
After successful screening by the admission board, the candidate will present his/her project before the admission panel who will decide on the admission to the doctoral program. (see recommendations (pdf) for further information)

IV. Enrolment: 
Upon admission, all doctoral students have to be enrolled at the University of Göttingen for the entire duration of their PhD thesis project. PhD students can enroll throughout the year, i.e. independent of deadlines. Once you have been notified about your admission to program, you enroll/matriculate at the University of Göttingen within four weeks.

IMPORTANT: Upon admission, you have to pay the semester fee of approx. 400 EUR for the current semester. In January and July, the fees for the following semesters (summer resp. winter semester) are due. Make sure to budget accordingly.

Doctoral students who receive a scholarship from public German funding schemes (e.g. DAAD) may pay a reduced fee (by approx. 75 EUR) upon presentation of their official scholarship confirmation to the Registrar's Office when handing in their documents for enrolment.