phd research visit

International visiting researchers

The University welcomes research visits from international academics.

The University welcomes applications from academics who are employed at a university overseas for visits of between one month and one year. If you would like to visit Oxford for less than a month, you also have the option of visiting Oxford’s libraries and attending research seminars as an independent researcher.

We accept two types of visiting researchers:

• Visiting scholars (those who are research-active academic staff at other institutions)
• Doctoral researchers visiting Oxford (who are registered as doctoral students at another institution)

Graduate students who are interested in spending time studying under the supervision of an Oxford academic can apply for  Recognised Student status .

The Oxford University Welcome Service  provides practical information on coming to Oxford from abroad.

Arranging a visit

Feb. 17, 2023

What to expect and do on a ph.d. visiting weekend (and what questions to ask), by carly graverson: to make sure you make the best decision, here is what to expect and do on a ph.d. visiting weekend..

A visiting weekend is the perfect time to get to know the faculty, students, and culture of a Ph.D. program and gives you the chance to ask any questions you may have. It is also an excellent opportunity to meet and ask questions of a potential Ph.D. advisor. 

To make sure you make the best decision, here is what to expect and do on a Ph.D. visiting weekend. 

Before the Visit

Before your visiting weekend, it is important to research the department and the program that you are applying to. This includes reading about the faculty and their research, as well as familiarizing yourself with the program’s curriculum, requirements, and any specializations it offers. It is also beneficial to read the university's Ph.D. handbook and mission statement.

If you’re visiting Rice, maybe even reach out to a Grad Student Ambassador in the department of your interest!

During the Visit

When you arrive on campus, you should attend any open houses and activities that are offered. This can include information sessions, faculty lectures, field trips, lab tours, social events, and so much more! Take time to explore the campus and get a feel for the environment and culture of the department. Meet as many current students as you can and get their input about the program’s strengths and weaknesses. Make sure to take notes and ask questions as you go.

When you meet with faculty members, it is important to ask questions that are relevant to your academic interests and goals. Make sure to ask about the professor’s research, experience, and mentoring style—and ask their students too. Some questions you can ask include:

• What is your mentorship style? Are you more “hands-on” or “hands-off”?
• How will you determine whether you take a student? Will this be a funded position?
• Do you have a particular project that you see me working on?
• How is your group structured? Are students collaborative?

This is a very brief list of questions you can ask but remember that your visitation weekend is a time for you to evaluate how well the program fits your needs!  

After the Visit

After your visiting weekend, it is important to reflect on your experience and evaluate the program and faculty. Make sure to take some time to consider all the information you received and make an informed decision. It is also beneficial to reach out to faculty and other students for more information and advice. 

Visiting weekend is the ideal time to get to know the faculty and ask any questions you may have about the Ph.D. program. Preparation and research are key to making the most of your visiting weekend and selecting the best advisor for your Ph.D. journey.

With some research and preparation, you can make the most of your visiting weekend and select a department (and advisor!) that best fits your needs

Visiting Students Program

Through the Visiting Students Program (which is a non-degree student status), participants can engage in classwork, gain research experience, or connect with a graduate program without pursuing a degree.

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Investigate your options for non-degree programs in the Programs section for information on visiting students program options.

Visiting Students Program Options

The Visiting Students Program Office accepts applications for special students, visiting fellows, and research scholars twice a year: 

• The application will be available in early January.
• The application will be available on September 6.
• Access your submitted application here .

Special Students

Learn more about the Special Students Program .

Create a Special Student Applicant Account

Visiting Fellows

Learn more about the Visiting Fellows Program . 

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Other Opportunities for Non-Degree Study

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For information about tuition and fees, see the Cost of Attendance section.

Visiting Students Program Office

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Visiting Scholar/Visiting Researcher Program

VS/VR Admissions

Each year the Graduate Program hosts some 30 to 35 Visiting Scholars and Visiting Researchers (“Visitors”) from around the world. A Visiting Scholar is generally a Professor of Law at another institution; a Visiting Researcher is generally someone who is working towards a graduate degree or doing postgraduate work at another institution. In recent years our Visitors have included a Justice of the Supreme Court of Norway, a professor in a cyberlaw research institute at the University of Tokyo, the Director of the Graduate Programme in Law at Osgoode Hall Law School, and graduate students from all over the world.

The program provides Visitors access to Law School facilities (including the Law School’s libraries as well as other libraries at Harvard University) so that they can conduct research on an approved topic while in residence. Visitors may audit Law School courses on a non-credit basis with the permission of the course instructor and the Registrar’s Office. They may be able, from time to time, to consult with faculty members interested in their fields of study. The Graduate Program arranges a number of informal functions for Visitors at which they are able to present their work and meet each other as well as other members of the Law School community.

Visitors must be sponsored by a faculty member who is willing to act as an advisor to the proposed research project, and it is the responsibility of a prospective Visitor to contact appropriate faculty members and arrange for such sponsorship. Visitors do not have faculty status, nor do they have access to office space, telephones, or secretarial services. Please note that “Visiting Student” status is not available at Harvard Law School.

Because of the large number of applications we receive each year, the Graduate Program is unable to accommodate all those who express interest in visiting for research purposes. In selecting applicants for Visitor status, the Committee on Graduate Studies considers the applicant’s background, field of interest, scholarly achievement, research proposal, availability of Harvard Law School faculty for consultation in the proposed research area, and English language proficiency. Applicants should have completed their basic legal studies with high academic standing.

Visitors normally are in residence at the Law School for either a semester or academic year. Normally, applications for stays of less than one semester will not be considered. Prospective applicants interested in gaining access to the Harvard Law School libraries for shorter periods should visit the  Library Admission page  or contact: [email protected] or Library Access, Harvard Law School, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. Prospective applicants interested in an affiliation with a  specific research program  at the Law School should contact the respective program directly for application information and procedures.

For further information about the application process, please see  application information  for the Visiting Scholar/Visiting Researcher program.

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PhD | Visiting Scholars: Application Process

How To Apply

Ph.d. visiting scholar program.

Eligibility

International Students

Application

Application Process

• The PhD Visiting Scholars program is intended for current Ph.D. students who are sufficiently proficient in their disciplines to engage in scholarly interaction that would benefit both Stern as well as the visiting scholar. As such, applicants must be doctoral students who are near the end of their required coursework or in the dissertation phase.
• Individuals who have already obtained their Ph.D. are not eligible for this program.
• This program and its requirements and procedures are subject to change without notice.
• Visiting Scholar Ph.D. students are charged a $8,000 fee per semester.
• Ph.D. Visiting Scholars must make payment to the NYU Stern Doctoral Office prior to arrival.
• In order for NYU to provide a visa, students must certify that they have health insurance and adequate financial support for the duration of their stay. Financial support can be from external sources, such as the student’s home university or government, or from personal or family savings.
• Newly appointed scholars must pay a $100 fee to the Department of Homeland Security before a J-1 visa may be issued or a change to such status granted. A J-1 exchange visitor will be required to pay only one fee for the duration of the program.
• Once accepted, students will be advised on the J-1 visa application process and will need to provide documentation of sufficient funding.
• In order to apply to be a Ph.D. Visiting Scholar, students must first find a Stern faculty sponsor. A faculty sponsor should be a research professor who is interested in your research and is available to work with you. A directory of Stern faculty along with a description of their research interests and contact information can be found in the Faculty and Research pages.
• To be considered, applicants must complete and submit our online application .
• Interested students should apply at least five months prior to the start of their intended visit .

International Students

Visiting research students

You can apply to spend a period of 3 to 12 months at UCL undertaking research which is complementary to the Doctorate/PhD project at your home university.

How to apply

If you wish to apply independently as a visiting research student, you must check that your chosen department at UCL has a member of staff in the relevant academic field, who is both able and willing to supervise your research.

To apply as an independent visiting research student please apply online and select Visiting Research in the Programme Type drop down menu. Applications must be supported by the following documentation, which you will have the opportunity to upload: 

• Valid email address for two academic referees at your home institution who are familiar with your work
• Academic transcripts for all higher education provided in English and in electronic format
• Personal statement
• Research proposal
• Confirmation from your home institution that your request to study abroad is supported
• Confirmation from your home institution that you are a registered research degree student.

Transcripts and Diploma supplements

Please include digital or scanned copies of official transcripts/diploma supplements in English, containing details of all the subjects or courses studied, the marks that you obtained, and the qualifications awarded for any Undergraduate or Postgraduate study. 

If you hold a General Medical Council/General Dental Council registration, you are not required to send official transcripts. Please provide your registration number instead.

We also require evidence of your PhD registration, so please include a scanned copy of such proof from your current institution.

English Language Requirements

If your first language is not English, you must provide recent evidence that your spoken and written command of the English language is adequate for the programme you have applied for. See link below for further details of UCL’s English language requirement.

Applications must usually be submitted at least two months prior to your proposed start date.

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees are calculated on a pro-rata basis and will vary by department and length of your stay at UCL. For a precise tuition fee quote you should contact the fees office directly once an offer has been made quoting your student number. 

After you apply

Applicants will receive an email once the application has been submitted (or if it is saved half way through). Once submitted you should also receive an invitation to access the Applicant Portal where you can track the status and progress of your application. UCL Admissions will get in touch as soon as possible with a decision about acceptance. If we have any queries regarding your application – for example about grades or prerequisites – we will contact you. 

If you are accepted you will be sent an offer letter and invited to reply to your offer via the UCL Applicant Portal. Once you’ve accepted your offer and confirmed that you will be attending UCL, more information will be sent about how to apply for student accommodation, and about visas if this is applicable.

From July UCL publishes pre-arrival information on the website.

• UCL’s English language requirements
• How to apply through Erasmus+ or Exchange Programme
• Fee Schedules Visiting Research
• Apply online: Visiting Research

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• Research and innovation blog

Five Benefits of Visiting Another University for Research

Sonja Perkovic is a second-year Postgraduate Researcher, supervised by Dr Nicola Bown and Dr Gulbanu Kaptan. She is a recipient of a University of Leeds 110 Anniversary Research Scholarship and works within the Centre for Decision Research. Her primary research interest focuses on understanding consumers’ decision making processes and choices regarding organic food products. She was recently awarded a grant from the Aarhus University Research Foundation for a three month research visit (from September 2015) to the MAPP Centre - Research on Value Creation in the Food Sector for Consumers, Industry and Society, at Aarhus University.

PhD research visits to other universities are becoming increasingly popular. They vary in length and are usually in a time period from three months up to a year. At certain universities in some countries (such as Italy) research visits are obligatory; PhD students have to spend six months abroad at another university when they reach their final year of study. I have recently come back from a research visit abroad, having applied for a grant in May 2015 from the Aarhus University Research Foundation for a three month research visit to their MAPP Centre (Research on Value Creation in the Food Sector for Consumers, Industry and Society). I applied for this grant because I wanted to learn more about  eye-tracking  which I had planned to use as a methodology for answering my research questions on whether the term ‘organic’ affects consumers as a heuristic cue (ie a mental shortcut) while making healthy food choices.  For those who are not familiar with this particular methodology, eye-tracking is a special methodology used for following people’s eye movements with an eye-tracking device. This can be useful to see what catches people’s attention, how much time they look at the areas of interest before making a decision, and the order they look at the areas of interest in. There are various types of eye-trackers and I got to work with a Tobii Pro T60XL model. It has an infrared camera integrated in the computer monitor so participants’ eye movements are captured unobtrusively. The grant covered all of my expenses apart from food. Specifically, my accommodation, travel and research expenses were fully covered. My advice to those interested in visiting another university for a research visit would be to look for grants that cover as many expenses as possible because costs tend to accumulate quite quickly, especially in more expensive countries. I found my time learning about eye-tracking at the Aarhus University to be very beneficial. From my experience, here are my top five reasons why I would recommend researchers to spend time at other universities:

1. To learn more about your research area or methodology of interest and gain new skills  - The reason I chose this particular group (MAPP Centre) was the fact that its researchers’ interests are focused on food choices and some are experts in eye-tracking. Moreover, the communication with my potential supervisor, Dr Jacob Lund Orquin, was very good from the beginning which was extremely important to me.

As well as mastering eye-tracking, I also learned to programme in R - a language and environment for statistical computing and graphics - which was both necessary and helpful for the data analysis because eye-tracking generates huge datasets. This is something I didn’t expect that I would learn and would definitely recommend it to anybody interested in eye-tracking.

Networking is extremely relevant for a young researcher at the beginning stage of their career so my second reason in favour of visiting another university is:

2. To expand your network of contacts  – For me, building an extended network at the Aarhus University has been a source of useful feedback, valuable new research ideas, and insights into different methodological approaches. What is more, I was able to share my research with others which led me to receiving information about useful conferences, workshops, seminars and summer schools in the area of my interest.

This is how I came to participate in a PhD course - using eye-tracking in social science research projects where I met 15 other young researchers from different countries interested in eye-tracking. I also participated in the MAPP Conference 2015 about Food and Identity which was a unique opportunity to hear great talks from the experts in this field. Overall, I was fully integrated in their research community and was made to feel very welcome.

From my point of view, it is good practice to continue the collaboration with the researchers you met at the university you visited and with whom you had a good working relationship. Therefore, my third reason for visiting another university is: 

3. To establish and maintain the collaboration between your home university and the university you visited –  There are  mutual benefits  of your research stay for both universities in terms of establishing collaboration and broadening their networks. Moreover, your research visit can also help inspire new research ideas for both institutions. There is the chance for you to act as a link between researchers from both universities who share their research interests.  

A research visit is not only about work and focusing solely on your research. It is also an opportunity to explore a new country, learn a new language and allow yourself to be dazzled by a new culture and customs. To this end, my fourth reason for visiting another university is:

4. To experience and learn about new cultures and customs  – I have to admit that visiting Denmark was one of my best experiences so far. I really like the Danish mentality and lifestyle. Danes are very health conscious and an environmentally aware nation, which is why most of them use bicycles and have special traffic lanes just for cycling. The Aarhus University takes good care of its employees; each day they are provided with several types of fruits and the student cafeterias offer food that bears a keyhole label (a Nordic label that identifies healthy alternatives within a product group). Aarhus, as the second largest city in Denmark, has a lot to offer and I particularly liked the wide range of museums that were available to me. The most exquisite museum I visited was the  Aros museum  which is one of the largest museums in northern Europe. It is known for its magnificent circular rainbow skywalk which differentiates it from other museums.

Finally, during your research visit you will most probably meet a lot of interesting people and there is a great chance that you will start long-lasting friendships with some of them. Therefore, my fifth reason to set off on a journey called research visit is:

5.  To make friendships  – During my stay in Denmark, I experienced living in a student dorm for the first time in my life. That was a great opportunity to meet new people from various research backgrounds and countries. At the same time, I was a member of a PhD community at the Department of Management at the Aarhus University so this also provided me with an opportunity to meet new colleagues. I have stayed in touch with a few of them which, as well as classic souvenirs such as postcards and magnets, is a great way to remember my fantastic experience.

If you would like to get in touch regarding any of these blog entries, or are interested in contributing to the blog, please contact:

Email: [email protected] Phone: +44 (0)113 343 8754

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect the views of Leeds University Business School or the University of Leeds.

Visiting and Affiliate Appointments

In the sections below are descriptions of the various appointments and the terms associated with them.

Visiting Engineer, Visiting Scientist, and Visiting Scholar titles designate visitors working at MIT for a specified period from one week to one year.

Appointments to this rank are temporary by definition.

Appointees to these ranks must report their outside professional activities to their department heads annually, as described in Section 4.4 Conflict of Interest and Section 4.5 Outside Professional Activities .

Appointees to this rank are required to sign an Invention and Proprietary Information Agreement .

The academic appointment of Research Affiliate recognizes the status of an individual with whom the Institute wishes to acknowledge some degree of association.

Appointments to this rank are not normally intended to be long-term or of indefinite duration.

Appointments to this rank are without salary. Research affiliates are not employees of the Institute and do not participate in staff benefits programs.

Appointees to this rank must report their outside professional activities to their department head annually.

Appointees to this rank are required to sign an  Invention and Proprietary Information Agreement .

Staff Affiliate: Because of the unique relationship that the Institute has with both the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) and the Broad Institute, there are individuals who are employed by HHMI or the Broad Institute and its partner institutions who work exclusively in MIT-assigned space. The appointment of staff affiliate is reserved for those individuals. Individuals appointed as staff affiliates are usually administrative or technical staff. Postdoctoral scholars supported by HHMI or the Broad Institute are appointed as fellows.

Staff Affiliates receive their salary from either HHMI, the Broad Institute or other non-MIT Broad Institute partner institutions. They are not employees of the Institute and are not eligible for MIT employee benefits.

Ownership of intellectual property is governed by collaboration agreements between the Institute and each organization.

Visiting students are individuals who are enrolled in degree-granting programs at their home institution either in the US or abroad and are approved to conduct research on campus for a set duration. Visiting students are ineligible to enroll in or attend classes and, therefore, are distinct from cross-registered students.

Students who are pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree at an institution of higher education other than MIT and have been invited by an MIT department, laboratory, or center (DLC) to do research in their fields of study may apply for Visiting Student status. Visits must be approved by the dean of the school or college where the DLC is located.

Visiting student appointments are limited to 12 months. Faculty hosts must pay a processing fee using discretionary (non-sponsored) funds. In addition,  Visiting Student Fees  must be paid in the Visiting Student Portal in full, prior to the student’s arrival. Additional policy information can be found in  Policies and Procedures §5.5  and the  Visiting Students Process  page (requires Touchstone) and at the  MIT International Students Office website , which includes a detailed DLCI Guide to the Visiting Students Program .

The International Students Office handles all visiting student applications (including those of US citizens). Details on the process and appropriate forms can be found at the  International Students Office website .

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PhD Program

Program overview.

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Rigorous, discipline-based research is the hallmark of the MIT Sloan PhD Program. The program is committed to educating scholars who will lead in their fields of research—those with outstanding intellectual skills who will carry forward productive research on the complex organizational, financial, and technological issues that characterize an increasingly competitive and challenging business world.

Start here.

Learn more about the program, how to apply, and find answers to common questions.

Admissions Events

Check out our event schedule, and learn when you can chat with us in person or online.

Start Your Application

Visit this section to find important admissions deadlines, along with a link to our application.

Click here for answers to many of the most frequently asked questions.

PhD studies at MIT Sloan are intense and individual in nature, demanding a great deal of time, initiative, and discipline from every candidate. But the rewards of such rigor are tremendous:  MIT Sloan PhD graduates go on to teach and conduct research at the world's most prestigious universities.

PhD Program curriculum at MIT Sloan is organized under the following three academic areas: Behavior & Policy Sciences; Economics, Finance & Accounting; and Management Science. Our nine research groups correspond with one of the academic areas, as noted below.

MIT Sloan PhD Research Groups

Behavioral & policy sciences.

Economic Sociology

Institute for Work & Employment Research

Organization Studies

Technological Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Strategic Management

Economics, Finance & Accounting

Accounting  

Management Science

Information Technology

System Dynamics  

Those interested in a PhD in Operations Research should visit the Operations Research Center .  

PhD Program Structure

Additional information including coursework and thesis requirements.

MIT Sloan Predoctoral Opportunities

MIT Sloan is eager to provide a diverse group of talented students with early-career exposure to research techniques as well as support in considering research career paths.

Rising Scholars Conference

The fourth annual Rising Scholars Conference on October 25 and 26 gathers diverse PhD students from across the country to present their research.

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The goal of the MIT Sloan PhD Program's admissions process is to select a small number of people who are most likely to successfully complete our rigorous and demanding program and then thrive in academic research careers. The admission selection process is highly competitive; we aim for a class size of nineteen students, admitted from a pool of hundreds of applicants.

What We Seek

• Outstanding intellectual ability
• Excellent academic records
• Previous work in disciplines related to the intended area of concentration
• Strong commitment to a career in research

MIT Sloan PhD Program Admissions Requirements Common Questions

Dates and Deadlines

Admissions for 2024 is closed. The next opportunity to apply will be for 2025 admission. The 2025 application will open in September 2024. 

More information on program requirements and application components

Students in good academic standing in our program receive a funding package that includes tuition, medical insurance, and a fellowship stipend and/or TA/RA salary. We also provide a new laptop computer and a conference travel/research budget.

Funding Information

Throughout the year, we organize events that give you a chance to learn more about the program and determine if a PhD in Management is right for you.

PhD Program Events

September 12 phd program overview.

During this webinar, you will hear from the PhD Program team and have the chance to ask questions about the application and admissions process.

DocNet Recruiting Forum at University of Minnesota

We will be joining the DocNet consortium for an overview of business academia and a recruitment fair at University of Minnesota, Carlson School of Management.

September 25 PhD Program Overview

Docnet recruiting forum - david eccles school of business.

MIT Sloan PhD Program will be joining the DocNet consortium for an overview of business academia and a recruitment fair at Utah, David Eccles School of Business.

Complete PhD Admissions Event Calendar

Unlike formulaic approaches to training scholars, the PhD Program at MIT Sloan allows students to choose their own adventure and develop a unique scholarly identity. This can be daunting, but students are given a wide range of support along the way - most notably having access to world class faculty and coursework both at MIT and in the broader academic community around Boston.

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Profiles of our current students

MIT Sloan produces top-notch PhDs in management. Immersed in MIT Sloan's distinctive culture, upcoming graduates are poised to innovate in management research and education.

Academic Job Market

Doctoral candidates on the current academic market

Academic Placements

Graduates of the MIT Sloan PhD Program are researching and teaching at top schools around the world.

view recent placements 

MIT Sloan Experience

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The PhD Program is integral to the research of MIT Sloan's world-class faculty. With a reputation as risk-takers who are unafraid to embrace the unconventional, they are engaged in exciting disciplinary and interdisciplinary research that often includes PhD students as key team members.

Research centers across MIT Sloan and MIT provide a rich setting for collaboration and exploration. In addition to exposure to the faculty, PhD students also learn from one another in a creative, supportive research community.

Throughout MIT Sloan's history, our professors have devised theories and fields of study that have had a profound impact on management theory and practice.

From Douglas McGregor's Theory X/Theory Y distinction to Nobel-recognized breakthroughs in finance by Franco Modigliani and in option pricing by Robert Merton and Myron Scholes, MIT Sloan's faculty have been unmatched innovators.

This legacy of innovative thinking and dedication to research impacts every faculty member and filters down to the students who work beside them.

Faculty Links

• Accounting Faculty
• Economic Sociology Faculty
• Finance Faculty
• Information Technology Faculty
• Institute for Work and Employment Research (IWER) Faculty
• Marketing Faculty
• Organization Studies Faculty
• System Dynamics Faculty
• Technological Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Strategic Management (TIES) Faculty

Student Research

“MIT Sloan PhD training is a transformative experience. The heart of the process is the student’s transition from being a consumer of knowledge to being a producer of knowledge. This involves learning to ask precise, tractable questions and addressing them with creativity and rigor. Hard work is required, but the reward is the incomparable exhilaration one feels from having solved a puzzle that had bedeviled the sharpest minds in the world!” -Ezra Zuckerman Sivan Alvin J. Siteman (1948) Professor of Entrepreneurship

Sample Dissertation Abstracts - These sample Dissertation Abstracts provide examples of the work that our students have chosen to study while in the MIT Sloan PhD Program.

We believe that our doctoral program is the heart of MIT Sloan's research community and that it develops some of the best management researchers in the world. At our annual Doctoral Research Forum, we celebrate the great research that our doctoral students do, and the research community that supports that development process.

The videos of their presentations below showcase the work of our students and will give you insight into the topics they choose to research in the program.

Attention To Retention: The Informativeness of Insiders’ Decision to Retain Shares

2024 PhD Doctoral Research Forum Winner - Gabriel Voelcker

Watch more MIT Sloan PhD Program  Doctoral Forum Videos

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Visiting-PhDs

The University of Vienna welcomes Visiting-PhD students from all over the world. The Visiting PhD Programme is a "non-degree-seeking" programme for guest PhDs who would like to spend a research period at the University of Vienna, lasting a maximum of one year. Following the stay, PhD candidates return to their respective home-universities. Visiting-PhDs are enrolled at the university to run their research projects, participate in courses and pass exams as well as to benefit from university's services (libraries, Center for Doctoral Studies, computer-services, etc.).

How can I apply for a Visiting-PhD research stay?

In order to enroll you as a Visiting PhD, we need written confirmation of your mentoring professor at the University of Vienna. It is within the scope of your responsibility to contact a professor and negotiate the mentoring during your research stay at the University of Vienna. As soon as an agreement is reached, we kindly ask you and your mentor to get in touch with us. For the subsequent steps please prepare the following:

• copy of your master diploma in German or English
• passport photo 35x45mm
• copy of your identity card or passport

Please be aware that the University of Vienna does not provide particular funding for Visiting-PhDs. Funding possibilities can be found here.

Visiting PhDs do not pay tuition fees (only the student union's fee).

As a Visiting PhD at the University of Vienna you will for sure spend an exciting time here by getting to know a new research group and exploring a new city.

You have access to the following services of the University of Vienna:

Courses at the faculty.

The faculties are offering course for PhD candidates. These you will find in the course directory . Online registration is possible for almost all courses. In the course catalogue you will find the application periods and the link to the registration via u:space.

Events organized by the doctoral schools

The doctoral schools are very active in bringing doctoral candidates and researchers from the faculty together by different events. Please check the website of the doctoral school you are affiliated to. An overview of the schools you will find here .

Workshops in transferable skills and events from the Center for Doctoral Studies

Every semester, workshops on topics such as literature research and management, academic writing and publishing, time and project management etc. are offered by the Center for Doctoral Studies. Additionally, there are events on topics like well-being or postdoc funding programmes. Check out the website .

Vienna University Library

Of course, you have access to all services our library is offering. With the u:card you already have a valid library card. Inform yourself about the different research tools and services on the website of the Vienna University Library . 

Vienna University Computer Center

The u:account is your personal access to the IT services of the University of Vienna. Students receive a personal e-mail address including a mailbox free of charge as part of their u:account. It is essential to activate and check these e-mails regularly, because important information for example concerning the courses you registered for are sent to this e-mail address. How to activate the account and what services you can profit from can be found on the website .

University Sports Institute

From aqua fitness to ball sports, gymnastics, or popular new sports such as Zumba – the University Sports Institute Vienna offers more than 1,200 courses (from over 120 different types of sport) in modern sports facilities all over Vienna. Check them out on the website . 

Language Centre of the University of Vienna

The Language Center of the University of Vienna offers language courses for German and more than 30 foreign languages. 

Google PhD fellowship program

Google PhD Fellowships directly support graduate students as they pursue their PhD, as well as connect them to a Google Research Mentor.

Nurturing and maintaining strong relations with the academic community is a top priority at Google. The Google PhD Fellowship Program was created to recognize outstanding graduate students doing exceptional and innovative research in areas relevant to computer science and related fields. Fellowships support promising PhD candidates of all backgrounds who seek to influence the future of technology. Google’s mission is to foster inclusive research communities and encourage people of diverse backgrounds to apply. We currently offer fellowships in Africa, Australia, Canada, East Asia, Europe, India, Latin America, New Zealand, Southeast Asia and the United States.

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Program details

Application status, how to apply, research areas of focus, review criteria, award recipients.

Applications are currently closed.

Update on 2024 Announcement : Decisions for the 2024 application cycle, originally planned for July 2024, will now be announced via email in August 2024. We apologize for the delay and appreciate your patience as we work to finalize decisions.

• Launch March 27, 2024
• Deadline May 8, 2024
• Awardees Notified By Aug. 31, 2024

The details of each Fellowship vary by region. Please see our FAQ for eligibility requirements and application instructions.

PhD students must be nominated by their university. Applications should be submitted by an official representative of the university during the application window. Please see the FAQ for more information.

Australia and New Zealand

Canada and the United States

PhD students in Japan, Korea and Taiwan must be nominated by their university. After the university's nomination is completed, either an official representative of the university or the nominated students can submit applications during the application window. Please see the FAQ for more information.

India and Southeast Asia

PhD students apply directly during the application window. Please see the FAQ for more information.

Latin America

The 2024 application cycle is postponed. Please check back in 2025 for details on future application cycles.

Google PhD Fellowship students are a select group recognized by Google researchers and their institutions as some of the most promising young academics in the world. The Fellowships are awarded to students who represent the future of research in the fields listed below. Note that region-specific research areas will be listed in application forms during the application window.

Algorithms and Theory

Distributed Systems and Parallel Computing

Health and Bioscience

Human-Computer Interaction and Visualization

Machine Intelligence

Machine Perception

Natural Language Processing

Quantum Computing

Security, Privacy and Abuse Prevention

Software Engineering

Software Systems

Speech Processing

Applications are evaluated on the strength of the research proposal, research impact, student academic achievements, and leadership potential. Research proposals are evaluated for innovative concepts that are relevant to Google’s research areas, as well as aspects of robustness and potential impact to the field. Proposals should include the direction and any plans of where your work is going in addition to a comprehensive description of the research you are pursuing.

In Canada and the United States, East Asia and Latin America, essay responses are evaluated in addition to application materials to determine an overall recommendation.

What does the Google PhD Fellowship include?

Students receive named Fellowships which include a monetary award. The funds are given directly to the university to be distributed to cover the student’s expenses and stipend as appropriate. In addition, the student will be matched with a Google Research Mentor. There is no employee relationship between the student and Google as a result of receiving the fellowship. The award does not preclude future eligibility for internships or employment opportunities at Google, nor does it increase the chances of obtaining them. If students wish to apply for a job at Google, they are welcome to apply for jobs and go through the same hiring process as any other person.

• Up to 3 year Fellowship
• US $12K to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel
• Google Research Mentor
• 1 year Fellowship
• AUD $15K to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel
• Up to 2 year Fellowship (effective from 2024 for new recipients)
• Full tuition and fees (enrollment fees, health insurance, books) plus a stipend to be used for living expenses, travel and personal equipment
• US $10K to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel
• Yearly bursary towards stipend / salary, health care, social benefits, tuition and fees, conference travel and personal computing equipment. The bursary varies by country.

Early-stage PhD students

• Up to 4 year Fellowship
• US $50K to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel

Late-stage PhD students

• US $10K to recognise research contributions, cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel
• US $15K per year to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel

Southeast Asia

• US $10K per year for up to 3 years (or up to graduation, whichever is earlier) to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel

Is my university eligible for the PhD Fellowship Program?

Africa, Australia/New Zealand , Canada, East Asia, Europe and the United States : universities must be an accredited research institution that awards research degrees to PhD students in computer science (or an adjacent field).

India, Latin America and Southeast Asia : applications are open to universities/institutes in India, Latin America (excluding Cuba), and in eligible Southeast Asian countries/regions (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam).

Restrictions : All award payments and recipients will be reviewed for compliance with relevant US and international laws, regulations and policies. Google reserves the right to withhold funding that may violate laws, regulations or our policies.

What are the eligibility requirements for students?

All regions

• Students must remain enrolled full-time in the PhD program for the duration of the Fellowship or forfeit the award.
• Google employees, and their spouses, children, and members of their household are not eligible.
• Students that are already supported by a comparable industry award are not eligible. Government or non-profit organization funding is exempt.
• Past awardees from the PhD Fellowship program are not eligible to apply again.
• Grant of the Fellowship does not mean admission to a PhD program. The awardee must separately apply and be accepted to a PhD program in computer science (or an adjacent field) at an eligible institution.
• Grant of the Fellowship will be subject to the rules and guidelines applicable in the institution where the awardee registers for the PhD program.

Nominated students in Africa, Australia and New Zealand, Canada and the United States, East Asia and Europe.

Universities should only nominate students that meet the following requirements:

• Africa: Incoming PhD students are eligible to apply, but the Fellowship award shall be contingent on the awardee registering for a full-time PhD program in computer science (or an adjacent field) within the academic award year of the Fellowship award, or the award shall be forfeited.
• Australia and New Zealand : early-stage students enrolled in the first or second year of their PhD (no requirement for completion of graduate coursework by the academic award year).
• Canada and the United States : students who have completed graduate coursework in their PhD by the academic award year when the Fellowship begins.
• East Asia: students who have completed most of graduate coursework in their PhD by the academic award year when the Fellowship begins. Students should have sufficient time for research projects after receiving a fellowship.
• Europe: Students enrolled at any stage of their PhD are eligible to apply.

Direct applicant students in India, Latin America and Southeast Asia

• Latin America : incoming or early stage-students enrolled in the first or second year of their PhD (no requirement for completion of graduate coursework by the academic award year).

What should be included in an application? What language should the application be in?

All application materials should be submitted in English.

For each student nomination, the university will be asked to submit the following material in a single, flat (not portfolio) PDF file:

• Student CV with links to website and publications (if available)
• Short (1-page) resume/CV of the student's primary PhD program advisor
• Available transcripts (mark sheets) starting from first year/semester of Bachelor's degree to date
• Research proposal (maximum 3 pages, excluding references)
• 2-3 letters of recommendation from those familiar with the nominee''s work (at least one from the thesis advisor for current PhD students)
• Student essay response (350-word limit) to: What impact would receiving this Fellowship have on your education? Describe any circumstances affecting your need for a Fellowship and what educational goals this Fellowship will enable you to accomplish.
• Transcripts of current and previous academic records
• 1-2 letters of recommendation from those familiar with the nominee's work (at least one from the thesis advisor)

Canada, East Asia, the United States

• Cover sheet signed by the Department Chair confirming the student passes eligibility requirements. (See FAQ "What are the eligibility requirements for students?")
• Short (1-page) CV of the student's primary advisor
• 2-3 letters of recommendation from those familiar with the nominee's work (at least one from the thesis advisor)
• Research / dissertation proposal (maximum 3 pages, excluding references)
• Student essay response (350-word limit) to: Describe the desired impact your research will make on the field and society, and why this is important to you. Include any personal, educational and/or professional experiences that have motivated your research interests.
• Student essay response (350-word limit) to: Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes or contributed to group efforts over time. (A leadership role can mean more than just a title. It can mean being a mentor to others, acting as the person in charge of a specific task, or taking the lead role in organizing an event or project. Think about what you accomplished and what you learned from the experience. What were your responsibilities? Did you lead a team? How did your experience change your perspective on leading others? Did you help to resolve an important dispute at your school, church, in your community or an organization? And your leadership role doesn’t necessarily have to be limited to school activities. For example, do you help out or take care of your family?)

Students will need the following documents in a single, flat (not portfolio) PDF file in order to complete an application (in English only):

• Student applicant’s resume with links to website and publications (if available)
• Short (one-page) resume/CV of the student applicant's primary PhD program advisor
• 2-3 letters of recommendation from those familiar with the applicant's work (at least one from the thesis advisor for current PhD students)
• Applicant's essay response (350-word limit) to: Describe the desired impact your research will make on the field and society, and why this is important to you. Include any personal, educational and/or professional experiences that have motivated your research interests.
• Applicant's essay response (350-word limit) to: What are your long-term goals for your pathway in computing research, and how would receiving the Google PhD Fellowship help you progress toward those goals in the short-term?

How do I apply for the PhD Fellowship Program? Who should submit the applications? Can students apply directly for a Fellowship?

Check the eligibility and application requirements in your region before applying. Submission forms are available on this page when the application period begins.

India, Latin America and Southeast Asia: students may apply directly during the application period.

Africa, Australia, Canada, East Asia, Europe, New Zealand, and the United States : students cannot apply directly to the program; they must be nominated by an eligible university during the application period.

How many students may each university nominate?

India, Latin America and Southeast Asia : applications are open directly to students with no limit to the number of students that can apply from a university.

Australia and New Zealand : universities may nominate up to two eligible students.

Canada and the United States : Universities may nominate up to four eligible students. We encourage nominating students with diverse backgrounds especially those from historically marginalized groups in the field of computing. If more than two students are nominated then we strongly encourage additional nominees who self-identify as a woman, Black / African descent, Hispanic / Latino / Latinx, Indigenous, and/or a person with a disability.

Africa, East Asia and Europe : Universities may nominate up to three eligible students. We encourage nominating students with diverse backgrounds especially those from historically marginalized groups in the field of computing. If more than two students are nominated then we strongly encourage the additional nominee who self-identifies as a woman.

*Applications are evaluated on merit. Please see FAQ for details on how applications are evaluated.

How are applications evaluated?

In Canada and the United State, East Asia and Latin America, essay responses are evaluated in addition to application materials to determine an overall recommendation.

A nominee's status as a member of a historically marginalized group is not considered in the selection of award recipients.

Research should align with Google AI Principles .

Incomplete proposals will not be considered.

How are Google PhD Fellowships given?

Any monetary awards will be paid directly to the Fellow's university for distribution. No overhead should be assessed against them.

What are the intellectual property implications of a Google PhD Fellowship?

Fellowship recipients are not subject to intellectual property restrictions unless they complete an internship at Google. If that is the case, they are subject to the same intellectual property restrictions as any other Google intern.

Will the Fellowship recipients become employees of Google?

No, Fellowship recipients do not become employees of Google due to receiving the award. The award does not preclude future eligibility for internships or employment opportunities at Google, nor does it increase the chances of obtaining them. If they are interested in working at Google, they are welcome to apply for jobs and go through the same hiring process as any other person.

Can Fellowship recipients also be considered for other Google scholarships?

Yes, Fellowship recipients are eligible for these scholarships .

After award notification, when do the Google PhD Fellowships begin?

After Google PhD Fellowship recipients are notified, the Fellowship is effective starting the following school year.

What is the program application time period?

Applications for the 2024 program will open in March 2024 and close in May 2024 for all regions. Refer to the main Google PhD Fellowship Program page for each region’s application details.

A global awards announcement will be made in September on the Google Research Blog publicly announcing all award recipients.

How can I ask additional questions?

Due to the volume of emails we receive, we may not be able to respond to questions where the answer is available on the website. If your question has not been answered by a FAQ, email:

Africa: [email protected]

Australia and New Zealand: [email protected]

Canada and the United States: [email protected]

East Asia: [email protected]

Europe: [email protected]

India: [email protected]

Latin America: [email protected]

Southeast Asia: [email protected]

See past PhD Fellowship recipients.

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Advisable to visit other labs?

Is it advisable to do a short (2-3months) visit to a different lab at a different university while doing a PhD? I would think that it would be good for setting up collaborations, but would a PhD supervisor be against this due to the time that would be lost doing so?

• graduate-school
• collaboration

• Related (other side of the coin): academia.stackexchange.com/q/8256/4249 –  penelope Commented Jul 10, 2014 at 13:04
• Relate: academia.stackexchange.com/q/21490/6984 –  Thomas Commented Jul 10, 2014 at 14:50

4 Answers 4

I am actually currently just preparing for such a collaboration/internship/exchange (leaving after summer). From day 1 of my PhD (both) my supervisors said that we should definitely look for such an opportunity during my second year.

Both of my supervisor think it is not a bad idea, moreover, they both think it is something very important given several restrictions :

that you do it around the middle of your PhD.

This is important because in the beginning, you're still new to the topic and trying to get a grip on everything important. You can not "give" almost anything back to the lab you are visiting, so it is not a fair exchange.

the project (3 months in my case), is something directly related to my PhD

Not just "has similarities", but maybe a sub-problem of the research direction I am currently on anyway due to my PhD. It is also important (mostly, for the grants), that it is something that the target laboratory is better suited for/equipped/has more experts than your own institution.

that it is around 3-4 months

The point is, much shorter than that, and it becomes a purely social / networking visit where you can possibly present your research in person and have other people present theirs, but not much more. On the other hand, more than 4 months will indeed be too long, as I am not expected to spend much more than that on a single idea even when I am working in my lab.

So, these were the restrictions. The benefits , however, are much more numerous:

• obviously, networking . Especially if you plan to stay in academia, developing your own network of contacts as soon as possible is very important.
• exchanging ideas . In addition to papers, presenting your own (and your labs) work in person is another way to disseminate ideas. Also, being exposed to different people, different approaches and different ideas might just jog some clogs that would otherwise take much longer to click in place.
• strengthening the collaboration (between the participating laboratories) : in a sense, you became an "ambassador" from your own institution to the host institution. A successful internship will be good for you, but it can also hold a lot of benefits for both institutions (that includes your supervisors) as if it goes well, they will be more likely to collaborate (more) in the future.
• international experience . Where I am (France), people who plan to stay in academia and reach a permanent position are more than strongly encouraged to have an international experience. Basically, at least a few months internship abroad is a must for a permanent position, a year-long post-doc position or two abroad are much better. It is not a requirement, but always a person with international experience will get picked over the person with none.
• both of these boil down to: post-doc . If is not unheard of that such an internship might actually be "vetting" the place for a post-doc. And this goes both ways: your host institution/professor sees if he likes working with you, and you see if you like it there.
• specific benefit of the hosting lab . I have mentioned that there is many benefits of generally working in a different research environment and with different people for a while. But, specifically, there might be equipment, or test data, or an expert in the hosting lab that you just do not have in your institution.
• diversity experience . If you have decided to stay in academia only on the basis of your PhD environment (as I have), you might not see the whole picture yet. Seeing different research labs, different environments, can only be a benefit.
• publication While 3 months is not always enough to make a publication, you do want to get the most of the internship. Thus, most people get a publication out of it because they put a little bit extra effort (maybe not even consciously). And, your new publication will have a name of somebody other than your supervisor on it, which speaks to your ability to be able to work with different people successfully.

Now, of course, funding might be one obstacle. But other than that, if adequate funding is found, I see no reason for supervisors to object to such an idea.

• 3 I would add: it's important to go with a clear direction, i.e. know a priori what you want to do during the visit and what you should accomplish by the end of it. –  ff524 Commented Jul 10, 2014 at 13:29
• 2 I also disagree somewhat with one point; I think even a short visit can be beneficial. (I just spent June in a lab in another country, and am now doing July and August in yet another; both of these visits have been very productive) –  ff524 Commented Jul 10, 2014 at 13:29
• 2 @ff524 I am not saying a short visit can not be beneficial, it's just beneficial in a different way. It is more to exchange current ideas between the labs and establish contacts, or possibly discuss a collaborative work that was only in correspondence form by now. While these kind of visits might be great for networking and further inspiration, it's a balance of usefulness versus time in France: we have exactly 3 years to finish our PhDs. In 3 months you can produce immediate results, a shorter visit might be better when you fulfilled all your PhD requirements and have some "time to exchange" –  penelope Commented Jul 10, 2014 at 14:38
• My one-month visit had literally all of the benefits you list here, except that the publication isn't finished yet (instead, we will continue to work on it over Skype during the rest of the summer). So I think it's beneficial in the same way (at least for me) –  ff524 Commented Jul 10, 2014 at 14:41
• I'll add that you also get to visit another country for free (most of the time). I can not agree more to all the other points mentioned in this answer. –  strnk Commented Jul 11, 2014 at 0:11

The purpose of a PhD is to prepare you for doing independent research, and this will usually not be at the same place you did your PhD.

As such, having seen how they do things other places will better prepare you for how they might do things where ever you end up, so visiting another lab (or just another university if you are in a subject that does not use labs) will likely have a very positive effect on your PhD.

In fact, in Denmark, it is not just encouraged to visit another university as part of your PhD, it is mandatory (I am not quite sure what the minimum duration is, but 6 months is the most common).

At a recent study of the quality of the PhD programs at Aarhus University ( http://www.au.dk/fileadmin/www.au.dk/kvalitetiphd/KVALITET_I_PHD__UK_.pdf ), 60% answered that their stay abroad had strengthened their research project to a high degree, and 24% answered that it had to some degree. Essentially the same percentages answered that it had been worth the effort compared to their professional benefits (the part about the stay abroad starts at page 45).

Personally, I spend 6 months at UGA as part of my PhD (I do mathematics), and that stay has netted me a collaborator with whom I have recently submitted a paper, and with whom I will certainly do a lot more research in the future.

I did several months over summer and winter breaks at a US Department of Energy national lab during my PhD. It was my advisor's idea. I worked on things of mutual interest to us and the lab. It certainly didn't slow me down. I didn't end up working for the lab, but I keep those connections to this day.

The other answers are already very good. I'll add just one aspect that I haven't seen. I agree that visiting other labs for a couple of months is very useful... for people who plan on staying in academia . If you already plan on leaving academia after your Ph.D., the benefits that, e.g., Penelope lists are much less convincing compared to losing time - after all, what will you do with your improved academic network you will likely never use again?

Of course, that doesn't mean that such an external stay can't be productive even for people who leave for industry after their Ph.D. I'd just say that they might be better advised to either finish their Ph.D. quicker, or even try to spend some time in industry instead.

• 2 what will you do with your improved academic network you will likely never use again? — Use them as references in your industry job search. –  JeffE Commented Jul 11, 2014 at 7:24
• @JeffE: point taken. I'd still say that references from time actually spent in an industry environment (my last sentence) will be more helpful. –  Stephan Kolassa Commented Jul 11, 2014 at 7:33
• 2 I would object: -Learning to cooperate and be useful rapidly in a foreign environment is an extremely important skill outside of academia. A short lab visit teach you exactly this. -Extending your network is never useless, why would. If you leave industry of the same discipline, you still can use those connections. If you change career completely, than any time you don't spend in your home lab is well spent. –  Greg Commented Jul 11, 2014 at 8:18

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Support making "Research in Germany" more international! Your expertise and commitment are the key to the further development of promoting the German research landscape. We invite you to take part in our online survey and share your valuable experiences and opinions. Duration: 7-10 min.

Please start the survey at the end of your visit.

Research stays and visits

A research stay in Germany can last from one month to a few years and is usually tied to a specific research project and a collaborating institute.

It can enable you to  realise your own research project  at a university or a non-university research institute or may be organised within the framework of  an international  partnership.  In any event, it will increase your experience and expand your horizons.

These temporary research stays receive funding – especially within the framework of  international collaborations  and through the  award of prizes or grants .

DAAD/Volker Lannert

This overview shows you which funding organisations support international guest researchers during their stay in Germany:

How do I find a host institution?

Short research visits or stays by international scholars are basically possible at all universities and research institutions. The prerequisites are  contact with the host institution  and its willingness to accept the visiting researcher.

You can search for contact persons at German higher education institutions using our overview of research organisations or by using different databases:

Overviews and databases

International university cooperation The German Rectors’ Conference offers a database that contains information on 35,000 international collaborations  with German universities. You will also find the profiles, postal and Internet addresses of higher education institutions in Germany here. www.international-university-partnerships.de

Research directory of 29,000 institutes GERiT – German Research Institutions – is a website containing information on approx. 29,000 research institutions in Germany. GERiT allows the user to search easily by location or subject. It provides all the information needed to choose an institution at which to research, study or do a doctorate. www.gerit.org

Research organisations  Where can I conduct research? Scientists and researchers are welcome guests and cooperation partners not only at universities, but also at non-university research institutes. More information

Can I receive financial support for my research stay?

German institutions have a great interest in international cooperation. Stays of international researchers in Germany are  funded with special research grants  irrespective of whether they involve visits to a non-university research facility, a German higher education institution or a research-oriented company. Here you will find more information:

Can you win people over with your expertise, experience and research ideas? German research funding organisations award prizes and fellowships to support international researchers.

DAAD/Sigrid Gombert

Visiting Researchers Program

International research cooperation enriches the work and life of our Institute. Our Visiting Researchers Program is one of the ways in which we aim to encourage an active exchange between scholars in Germany and abroad. The program is designed for researchers working in the fields of economic sociology or comparative/international political economy, who are invited to spend between two and twelve months at the MPIfG.

The Helmholtz Visiting Researcher Grant offers doctoral students and postdocs the opportunity to do a fully-funded short-term research stay at one of the 18 Helmholtz centers. The program is promoted by HIDA, the Helmholtz Information and Data Science Academy.

The aim of the program is to enable new research collaborations, to foster knowledge exchange, and to explore new or emerging research topics in the field of information and data sciences. The program addresses researchers in both academia and in industry whose research has a strong link to the (applied) information and data sciences. It offers researchers the opportunity to get to know the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers.

HIDA is tasked to support the mission of the Helmholtz Association – solving the major challenges facing society, science and the economy by conducting top-level research in strategic programs within six research fields: Energy, Earth & Environment, Health, Aeronautics, Space and Transport, Matter, and Information.

Who can apply?

Requirements for applicants include the following:

• master's degree with at least 3 years of research experience or PhD/doctorate; doctoral students and postdocs of all nationalities are eligible to apply
• project with a strong link to the (applied) data and information sciences
• Applications will be accepted from German or international research organisations, universities or the private sector.

What form does funding take?

The main scholarship benefits are as follows:

• funding of short-term research stays with a duration of 1 to 3 months
• depending on academic level, grant holders will receive approximately 2,800 euros per month to cover living costs
• additional allowances for travel, family etc. might apply
• access to state-of-the-art scientific infrastructures at Germany’s largest scientific organisation

more information here

The upcoming application deadline is 15 March 2022.  The following application deadline will be in mid-October 2022. (There are two application deadlines per year.)

Visiting PhD researchers

PhD researchers enrolled at other universities may stay three months or longer at the Hertie School as visiting PhD researchers. 

If you are planning to come to us as a visiting PhD, the first step is to identify and find a member of the Hertie School Faculty  who is willing to supervise and support you during your stay at the school. Afterwards, please send your application to the PhD Team; find more information below. 

Visiting PhD researchers are welcome to participate in the academic activities of the Hertie School (research colloquia and events). They may also participate in a variety of PhD methods and skills trainings offered during their stay, if places are available.

• How to apply

Please send the following as one pdf document to phd-applications[at]hertie-school[dot]org :

• Letter of motivation, including: proposed dates of visit, reason for visit, your research topic, and external funding (if applicable);
• Name of the Hertie School faculty member who supports the visit;
• Research proposal or outline of dissertation;
• MA transcript and degrees, PhD transcript;
• Proof of current enrolment as a doctoral researcher.

All documents must be provided in English.

The Hertie School faculty member should send a letter in support of your visit to the above-mentioned email address.

When to apply

Applications are accepted throughout the year and will be processed on a rolling basis. We kindly ask for your patience while we review your application documents.

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Visiting PhD students from abroad

Visiting PhD students are foreign or Italian doctoral students enrolled at foreign universities invited to UniBo departments to carry out a mobility period, outside international cooperation agreements or projects the University of Bologna takes part in. The following information does not apply to PhD students enrolled at the University of Bologna or to mobility students under cotutelle agreements or within international agreements or projects (i.e. Erasmus+).

If your destination is Bologna, contact the International Desk for help with incoming procedures. For other destinations, contact the International Relations Office of the relative  campus :  Cesena ,  Forlì ,  Ravenna ,  Rimini .

Visa issuing procedures take a long time and you should start the procedure well in advance (at least 3 months).

Before arriving in Italy

Eu citizens.

If you are a citizen of one of the European Union countries or of Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and San Marino, you must:

• check that your identity document is valid for the entire duration of your stay in Italy;
• have appropriate health care coverage valid in Italy ( EHIC  card and/or private insurance ).

Non-EU Citizens

You must check if you need a visa on the  Visa for Italy  website by selecting “Study – Exchange and mobility programme” as the reason for your stay.

If you need a visa, you have to:

• pre-enrol online via the  Universitaly portal   (step 6) . In the application you must indicate: - “Specify the reason for the visa application”: I want to spend a mobility period for study/traineeship (e.g. Erasmus); - “Course information”: Institution: Università degli Studi di Bologna, Course type: Corso/i singolo/i – Single course(s), Course name: in the text field you must describe your position at the University of Bologna, e.g.: Visiting PhD (and your contact professor at Unibo).
• apply for a visa . Contact the relevant Italian Embassy well in advance to check the specific documents required for a visa for study purposes. Usually you need to submit: - passport or valid travel document expiring at least three months following the requested visa; - a letter of invitation from the department at the University of Bologna hosting you; - the summary of your Universitaly pre-enrolment application validated by the University of Bologna; - a document demonstrating suitable means of financial support; - demonstration of accommodation (hotel booking, declaration of hosting signed by an EU citizen or non-EU citizen with an Italian residence permit); - if you are not entitled to health care in Italy by virtue of agreements in force with your home country, a health insurance policy for medical care and hospital treatment. Read more on  Medical Assistance for Foreign Students .

Visitors with a D-type study visa may apply for a residence permit. While your residence permit for study purposes is valid, you may work for up to 20 hours a week. These hours are cumulative over fifty-two weeks, with a maximum limit of 1,040 hours (for more information, see art 14 comma 4, DPR n. 394/1999).

After your arrival in Italy

Upon arrival, you will need to check-in at your hosting department. Bring an ID with you: your passport or, only if you are a EU citizen, your Identity Card. Check on the Department website or ask your contact professor for the contact of the competent administrative staff. Your registration will be done through a “Visiting” application.

In order to check-in, your mobility period must already be registered by your academic contact and approved by the Department Director.

At check-in you will get a username and a password to access the online services of the University of Bologna and your Arrival Statement, which you will then use to apply for your residence permit (see below).

If you need a badge, after check-in please inform the Department staff or your contact professor; they will request it following the procedure specified on the intranet.

You will need to provide them with a passport size photo, with a .jpg extension and max size of 300KB; the photo must comply with the same rules that apply to valid ID photos.

Once the request has been approved, you will receive an e-mail with a QR CODE and the instructions to follow to collect your  badge at one of the self-service machines .

Accident insurance

As an exchange student, after check-in, you are insured against accidents that may occur on the university premises or any other place in which studies and research activities authorized by the University are performed.

For more information read about the  insurance service  of the University of Bologna.

Residing in Italy: EU Citizens

You can register in the registry office of the Municipality where you live. Read the instructions on the website of the Municipality.

If you live in the Municipality of Bologna and your stay in Italy is temporary (you are resident abroad), check how to apply for temporary residence at the Municipality of Bologna . Alternatively, check how to apply for residency at the Municipality of Bologna.

Residing in Italy: non-EU Citizens

Declaration of presence

If you intend to stay in Italy for less than 90 days, you do not need to apply for a residence permit, but you must go to the Questura within 8 days for the Declaration of presence (if not exempted). Read the general information on how to make the Declaration of presence for exchange students. Attention: in contrast to what is stated, as a visiting PhD student you check-in at the hosting Department.

Residence permit

If you have a D-type visa for study purposes and intend to stay in Italy for more than 90 days, you must apply for a residence permit within 8 working days of your arrival in Italy. Read the information about how to apply for a  residence permit  for exchange students.

Attention: in contrast to what is stated, as a visiting PhD student you will check-in at your hosting department instead of at the International Relations Office.

For information and to book a free appointment with an immigration support service, you can write to [email protected]. The staff of the immigration support service will provide you with an application kit (including the envelope, required forms and payment slip), and will assist you free of charge in filling out the application for the issue or renewal of the residence permit.

At the end of the mobility period

Before leaving, don’t forget to check out at the same office where you checked in. You will get a Certificate of Departure, confirming the start and end dates of your mobility period at the University of Bologna. Detailed certifications for the activities carried out may be issued by your contact professor.

CONTACTS FOR INTERNATIONAL STAFF, PROFESSORS AND RESEARCHERS

Information for: PhD candidates (with visa or resident permit for research); visiting PhD students; visiting researchers, fellows; visiting professors; visiting scholars

Via Filippo Re 4 - 40126 Bologna (Italy)

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In this section

• Entry requirements
• Funded opportunities
• Sources of funding
• Postgraduate research fees
• Student profiles
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• Supervision

Visiting PhD students

• What is a research degree?
• Terms and conditions
• Wellcome Trust Doctoral Training Programme
• Leicestershire Healthcare Inequalities Improvement
• Return to the start of the menu

Postgraduate research

If you want to start your PhD here studies are the University of Leicester please refer to the Research Degree subject pages .

If you are currently a PhD student at another university and want to come to the University of Leicester to undertake a small piece of research which supports the PhD at your PhD at home university you can apply for a place as a visiting student for a period of up to 1 year by following the advice below:

In the first instance, you should look for a potential supervisor who is willing to host your visit. Make contact with the supervisor by email and discuss the research you would like to do here as a visiting student. If the supervisor is willing to consider hosting you please submit a formal application as detailed below.

Refer to the supervisor research interests  on relevant subject pages  to look for potential supervisors. 

When you have found a suitable supervisor please submit your application online using the links below.

Please select the application date closest to your preferred start date - click on the link to access the online application portal.

• January 2024
• September 2024
• January 2025

Submit your online application and include

• The name of the academic member of staff who will supervise your visit 
• Your proposed visit dates/duration
• A short proposal of the research you would like to conduct and include the proposed start date and end date of your visit
• A reference from your current PhD supervisor, which confirms your current student status, permission to study abroad and suitability for undertaking research at the University of Leicester
• Evidence of English proficiency, if available
• Copy of your most recent degree certificate and transcript e.g. Bachelor/Master’s
• State how you intend to fund your visit

If accepted the PGR Admissions Office will send you a formal offer letter which will confirm all the details about your visit. 

Bench fees will be at the discretion of the supervisor depending on the costs of research to be undertaken and will be included in any offer we may make.

Please be aware any letters provided direct by supervisors to support funding applications are not a formal offer of a place you still need to submit a formal application.

Visa requirements

Visits of up to 6 months.

• ATAS clearance will be required for most science based research - we will send you a research statement and advise on how to apply with your offer letter if applicable
• Evidence of English proficiency may be required by the academic department
• Standard Visitor Visa will be required if you live outside of the UK
• Note you cannot extend this visa and you cannot bring dependents with you.

Visits of more than 6 months

• ATAS clearance will be required for most science based research.  If you are required to obtain ATAS clearance we will send you the information you need to apply with your offer letter.
• Please refer to our entry requirements for acceptable evidence of English proficiency for the department you will be visiting.
• Student Visa will be required. 
• We will send you information about how to apply for your CAS for your visa once your offer is unconditional, and, where applicable, the ATAS clearance certificate has been obtained. 

For further advice, please contact PGR Admissions on  [email protected] .

Search term

A research visit in the u.s..

Olga Ihl-Deviv'e , PhD at the Accounting and Information Management department, had the pleasure to visit our colleagues at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill. This is her inspiring experience:

“All you've got to do is decide to go and the hardest part is over"

 Tony Wheeler

One of the greatest perks of working in academia is probably the flexibility to work and conduct your research from anywhere in the world. Given this work flexibility bundled with the increasing importance of collaborations and networks in academia, Maastricht University School of Business and Economics encourages junior researchers to conduct research visits abroad. Even though I was used to studying and working abroad during my pre-PhD time, and I was well aware how important exposure to international working and learning environments is, it was still not easy for me to let my beloved office mates, supervisors, colleagues and family, all in all, my comfort zone behind. Yet, all my worries and concerns disappeared upon my arrival in the US and the very warm welcome of faculty members.   

In the scope of my research visit, and thanks to the generous support of Professor Wayne Landsman, I spent five months at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill, one of the best schools for Accounting in the entire country. I participated in PhD seminars, symposia, and worked on creating a sustainable network for future research.  

For PhD seminars, world-renowned professors invest quite a decent amount of time to discuss some seminal and novel research papers with PhD students on a weekly basis. I was lucky enough to be able to participate in such seminars with professor Wayne Landsman on capital markets research, professor Robert Bushman on accounting and real effects, and Professor Edward Maydew on tax. I was delighted to see how much time professors invest in PhD students to provide them with an opportunity to learn and interact not only with fellow PhD students but also with other faculty members. Even if some of the topics were familiar to me, the in-class discussions and the level of detail brought very different and new perspectives into the so familiar research areas. I was able to learn a lot, was challenged quite often, and managed to close some of my knowledge gaps (even though Robert Bushman’s derivations of the q-theory in the setting of capital allocation and accounting recognition of economic losses still represent a bit of a challenge and headache to me :).

My research stay ended with UNC’s tax doctoral consortium, a popular conference with a limited amount of spots for audience that fill up within seconds. For someone without any tax accounting background, guest speakers, local and invited faculty members made tax accounting very accessible and comprehensible. Our in-class discussions have widened my knowledge horizon and more importantly my research areas of interest (thanks to Ed Maydew and Scott Dyreng I finally grasped the importance of taxes, which even have an impact on the timing of birth). During my research visit, I learnt that life of an academic is like riding a bicycle - to keep your balance you must keep moving. To move forward and build a successful career in academia, we need to embrace our own personal challenges, be it learning new programming languages, research techniques or new research areas, and collaborate - there is so much that we can learn from each other!

My research visit at UNC at Chapel Hill provided me with a great opportunity to learn and grow, expand my network and set-up new collaborations, all of which is crucial for an early career academic.

Go to the  Department of Accounting and Information Management .

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Speaker 1: please stop letting your PhD supervisor dictate your project or your thesis topic. The thing is, is that these supervisors tend to choose something that interests them. The topic tends to be related to their current research, and in my experience, they're getting worse and worse at selecting a PhD or thesis topic. They either choose a project that's far too narrow or far too broad, they're not very good at looking at cross-disciplinary stuff, that's what I wanna say. So what you've gotta do is choose your own research project with your supervisor, I think that's very, very important. And the first thing you need to look at is novelty. Novelty is, has this been done before, and is it new? Now don't overthink this, it doesn't have to be amazing, it doesn't have to change the world, it just has to be a little bit new. So, go check out my other video after this video, obviously, where I talk about how to find a research gap, but importantly, it's about finding that thing that no one else has done that contributes to the field. Easier said than done, I know, but there is no shortcut to just reading the literature, the current state of the field, and coming up with your own questions, and being like, I wonder if this has been done, I wonder if this has been done. Trying questions larger. Larger. Trying questions smaller. Oh, a new tiny question. So all of those things need to be considered when choosing the novelty, or looking at the novelty of your research question. The first thing I like to do is use semantic search, so I head over to tools like this. I head over to illicit.com and I ask a research question, and I see what's come up. So, if I've got a question in my mind, like, are aardvarks good at dancing, I can go there and find the aardvark's dancing abilities. Research has shown that certain dance moves can influence perceptions of dancing ability, and that blah blah, so there we are, you can see that further research is needed to determine if aardvarks are good at dancing, so there we are. There is a research gap. It's not an important research gap, and no one wants it in the world, but that's how you do it. Another kind of tool that I can go over to is consensus, and ask the same question, or a similar question. Let's see if, there we are. So, this is the sort of question I'm interested in, apparently, and it's this sort of search that you need to go through over and over again. Start reading papers, review papers in your field. Start looking at very specific questions to see if they've been answered, and then you'll start to build up this kind of sixth sense as to what is new, what is novel, what's interesting, and to be honest with you, these days, a lot of the most novel and interesting questions are found at the interface of different fields, which is why relying solely on your supervisor can be a bit dangerous, because they like to stay in their own little box, and they don't like to go outside of it. I've seen it firsthand. So, that is how you do it. So, let's have a look. Something new, yes. Unique contribution, yes. Research gap, yes. That's what you first need to look at, but that's not the only thing you need to look at. This, arguably, is more important. There's your transition. The second thing to consider about a great research topic is, is it relevant? Does it matter? Who benefits from you answering this research question? One place I like to go when I'm unsure of the current state of a field, or if I just want to get a little bit of inspiration on what's hot, like a hot new topic, because that's what we really want, is I head over to something like SCI News or Science Alert. These are written by science journalists, and journalists have a really great way of framing exciting topics and finding out what is new, current, and interesting to the general population. I'm not saying this is the only way you should select a research topic, but I like my research topic to be at least a little bit interesting to the general population. So, if I go to Science Alert, for example, and I type in bats, then we can see, okay, what sort of stuff is being asked about bats? I can go here. Bats and humans are closer than ever, and the risks have never been. The secret to avoiding the next pandemic. Okay, so now we're looking at bats and pandemics. So, that clearly was interesting to people during COVID, and then we've got huge bats used to walk around in New Zealand, and four limbs. That's interesting. I'll open up that. So, this is where I can find interesting, relevant, new research that the general public are arguably more interested in than something that's really blue sky. Now, I'm not saying that the blue sky research is not important. What I'm saying is this is a great way of finding out if something is relevant to the population at the moment, and it is a really nice way to find out if your research field is going to be valued. Valued by people outside of academia, but also inside of academia. Money flows to where the hot topics are. That's why you see all these researchers trying to mold their research into the latest thing, whether it's 3D printed food, whether or not it's flexible organic photovoltaics like it was years ago. That is why people shift topics, like professors shift topics, because they're finding where the money is. If you find a hot topic that's relevant and is easy to kind of answer the question, why is it important, and who does this benefit, the money starts flowing to you like a river. Oh, I'm getting my mouth money. So, if you want longevity in research after your PhD or thesis, that is something very important to consider. The third thing that's really important is, is it feasible? A lot of the times, PhD supervisors forget that you should actually think about doing this in two or three years, because their career's been going for ages. They're dinosaurs of the academic world. They don't care about one or two years, but you do, because that's all you really have to do your PhD in. Now, you'll think that I just said one or two years as like a slip up. I didn't, because there is so much failure in a PhD that about a year of any PhD is just failure, going backwards, trying things again. So, when you're thinking about feasibility, you need to think, what project can I do in two years? That is really the feasibility marker, because there's so much failure, there's so much wasted time and effort, that if you were to only work on successful things during your PhD, they'd probably only take about one and a half to two years. So, you need to really change that frame of reference and not say, oh, what can I do in like five years or three years? What can you do in two years or three years? That is really the most important question that you've got to answer. So, is it feasible in terms of the data that you can get access to? Are you accessing data or are you creating your own things? If you're creating your own data, have you got access to the equipment and the expertise that you need? You've also got ethics approval. Is it feasible to do your project with all of the paperwork that you have to go through? Consider that before you even start your research project. And then, also, time. Don't choose something that's super narrow that you can do in like a weekend, obviously. That's not a PhD or a thesis. But don't choose something that you think is gonna take 10 years. Your research supervisor is working on stuff that takes 10 years and his PhD students are little tiny steps along the way. What little tiny step can you do in about two years? That's a good rule of thumb. So, play about with the size and scope of the research project. Make it narrow, narrow, narrow, narrow, and then go, oh, that's a bit too narrow. Make it larger, larger, larger, larger, and go, oh, no, I wouldn't be able to do that in two years. And then, somewhere in the middle is the good sweet spot. And remember that every research project fails multiple times and it is about sort of like readjusting your focus and what you're doing. So, don't make it too narrow that when stuff fails, you're just at a dead end and you're like, oh, no, this is terrible, and you've got nowhere to go. You always want options, options, options, options, options. That's the best sort of like scope of a research project. The last thing I want you to know is that these projects aren't made on their own. You shouldn't come up with a research project on your own, sat at the computer. Talk to people, talk to your research supervisor, talk to other people in the field, talk to other PhD students, postdocs in the group that you want to go into. The best research projects have been pressure tested by many, many people before they even started. So, that's why you can't rely on just your supervisor or just you to come up with a good research project. Have it sort of like pressure tested by a few people, ask questions, and then that will help refine the idea and ultimately lead to better foundations for your research thesis or your dissertation. There we are. If you like this video, you should go check out this room. I talk about five tips for choosing a PhD research topic. I think you'll love it. Thank you.

Applying for a Doctoral Program

Start Your Application

Manage Your Application

A Doctorate is the highest academic degree awarded by universities in most fields of study. It involves several years of rigorous research, culminating in a dissertation that contributes new knowledge to the field. Doctoral candidates work closely with a faculty advisor to explore and answer complex questions, often pushing the boundaries of what is known.

Applying to a doctoral program is like applying for a job. This process requires more diligence and patience than applying for a Master’s degree. To stand out from a competitive pool of candidates, you must prepare a strong application that includes your academic achievements, any related research experience, and a clear statement of your research interests and goals. Be sure to demonstrate your passion, fit for the program, and your interest in RIT.

Explore our doctoral programs

How to Apply for a Doctoral Program

For details on the exact application requirements for your program, visit the Application Details section on your degree page and thoroughly review the graduate application instructions page .

• Most doctoral programs have an application deadline of January 15 and admit to Fall terms only, but be sure to verify the application deadline for your program and start terms before applying. Many programs will accept applications on a rolling basis after the priority deadline has passed until all spots are filled. For tips on completing your application, view our Ph.D. Application 101 recording . 
• Early applicants may see a “Hold for Program Deadline/Review Date” on the checklist in their portal. This an administrative hold that prevents applications from going for review until after December 15th. You will be notified when your file is sent to the review committee by email.
• Choose the Right Doctoral Program:  Review individual doctoral program pages carefully to learn the curriculum, research focus areas, facility profiles, and facilities to determine if the program is a good fit for you and to ensure that your interests and background align with the degree. The application will allow you to enter up to three choices in order of preference.
• Research Your Faculty Interests: Identify faculty members whose research aligns with your interests. Matching your research area with potential advisors strengthens your application and helps ensure a good fit. It is not necessary to secure a faculty advisor in order to submit your application. Learn more about researching faculty and areas of interest
• Craft Your Statement of Purpose for Research: This requirement should clearly convey your research interests, indicate what faculty member(s) you would like to work with, your experience, and why you want to pursue a doctorate at RIT. Each program may have specific guidelines, so be sure to address them. There is no minimum or maximum length. If you listed more than one program choice in your application it is suggested that you prepare separate statements for each program (doctoral and/or master’s). You may upload all three at the time you submit your application, or wait for a decision on your first choice program.  View program-specific criteria
• Choose Strong References: Make sure you choose the right people to submit letters of recommendation and give them plenty of time so they can prepare their support letter in advance. References should speak to your ability and promise to become a successful independent researcher. Professors, research supervisors, or professional mentors make ideal choices.
• Update Your CV/Resume: Ensure your CV or resume is current and highlights relevant academic achievements, research experience, publications, and professional skills.
• Verify Admission Requirements: Double-check all admission requirements and application details for your chosen program. Ensure you have all necessary materials, including transcripts, test scores, and any additional documents. You do not need to submit financial documents as part of your doctoral application. Focus on preparing a strong academic and research-focused application to showcase your qualifications and readiness for doctoral study.
• Understand Decision Timing: The review process typically starts in late January and may take several weeks to a few months. Be patient as the committee evaluates your application and aligns faculty advisors with candidates in matching research areas where funding is available. You may be invited to interview if faculty would like to know more about you. Interviews are not required. Admission decisions are first communicated in mid-March and continue until the class is full. If you are not admitted to your first choice program, allow additional time for review for second and third choices. RIT does not simultaneously review for multiple programs. 
• Replying to an Offer of Admission: Accepted candidates must respond to their doctoral degree offers by April 15 or the date indicated on your admit letter and in their portal. If you decide to accept your offer, you are expected to honor your commitment to enroll at RIT as a doctoral student. This ensures a smooth transition into your program and reflects your professionalism and reliability. 

Researching Faculty Advisors and/or Research Interest Areas

Identifying a potential faculty research advisor(s) and research interest areas in your Statement of Purpose for Research is important. It is not necessary to secure a faculty advisor(s) in order to submit your application.

Here are avenues for your research:

Align Research Interests

Ensure your research interests align with those of potential advisors. This alignment is crucial for a productive and supportive mentoring relationship. Review faculty members' recent publications and current projects to understand their focus areas. Visit the program page to learn about the current research for your program.

Use RIT’s “Find an Expert” Tool

Utilize RIT’s Find an Expert tool to identify faculty members with specific expertise. This resource can help you narrow down potential advisors based on your research interests. You may also want to use Google Scholar and search for RIT faculty.

Explore RIT’s Faculty Directory

Start by exploring the RIT Faculty Directory to find faculty members whose research aligns with your interests. This directory provides detailed profiles, including research areas, publications, and contact information.

Explore our Research Centers and Institutes:

RIT is home to a diverse array of research centers and institutes that drive innovation across various fields. These centers provide state-of-the-art facilities and collaborative environments to support groundbreaking research. Explore our extensive list of research centers and institutes

Reach Out to Potential Advisors

Once you’ve identified potential advisors, you may choose to reach out to them with a well-crafted email. This is not required but encouraged. Introduce yourself, briefly explain your research interests, and express why you’re interested in their work. Attach your CV and any relevant documents. Be respectful of their time and follow up if you don’t hear back within a couple of weeks. Do pay attention if it is documented that a faculty advisor is not taking on new students.

Funding Sources for Doctoral Students

Doctoral students typically receive full tuition and an RIT Graduate Research Assistantship (GRA) or Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA) that will pay a stipend for the academic year. There is not a separate application process for scholarship and assistantship consideration

Assistantships and Stipends

Research and teaching assistantships provide valuable experience and come with stipends that help cover living expenses during the school year, such as room and board. 

Summer Support Some programs are able to offer stipend support during the summer. Eligibility for summer funding will be determined by the graduate advisor and/or program director. 

Funding Throughout Program Funding throughout your doctoral program will depend on your satisfactory academic and research performance. Students are expected to fulfill their assistantship duties responsibly and make satisfactory progress towards their degree. It is expected that starting your second year, funding will be provided from your college either through a Teaching Assistantship or by your graduate advisor from external funds.

Student Fees Full-time students are responsible for both Student Activity and Student Health Services fees. In addition, RIT expects that all students will have health care insurance. Learn more about student fees

Timing and Distribution of Stipends

Graduate Research Assistants and Graduate Teaching Assistants receive a semi-monthly stipend payment starting a few weeks after the initial enrollment term. For U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents, no taxes are withheld at the time the payment is made. However, students are encouraged to file estimated tax payments quarterly. Detailed information about the timing and distribution of stipends will be provided by your academic department. 

Financial Document Submission

Doctoral applicants are not required to submit financial documents as part of the application process. Focus on showcasing your academic and research potential without the added stress of financial documentation. If you are admitted, you will receive funding notification with your admission offer and international students who require a student visa will be assisted through the I-20 process.

Student Support and Community

Doctoral Student Association

The Doctoral Student Association provides an inviting environment that brings students together to encourage collaborative work. Doctorate students collaborate to produce high-quality journal publications and conference presentations in a friendly and encouraging environment. The group also provides information about professional and social activities to help produce well-rounded graduate students.

Learn more about the Doctoral Student Association

RIT Graduate School

The RIT Graduate School acts as a central hub, enhancing the academic journey for graduate students by cultivating a diverse scholarly community and offering robust professional development programs. This supportive environment, backed by dedicated faculty and staff, empowers students to excel in their research, scholarship, and creative endeavors.

Learn more about the RIT Graduate School

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a doctorate and a master’s degree?

Understanding the differences between a doctorate (Ph.D.) and a master's (M.S.) degree program is crucial in making an informed decision. While a master's program typically focuses on advancing your knowledge and skills in a specific area, a doctorate emphasizes original research and developing new theories or applications.

Can I go from a Bachelor’s degree to a Doctorate? Do I need a Master’s degree first?

Yes, you can go directly from a Bachelor's degree (BS) to a Doctorate program. You are not required to get a master’s degree before pursuing a Doctorate. This pathway can be a strategic choice depending on your career goals and readiness for advanced research. 

May I have an application fee waiver?

The $65 application fee covers the management and processing of your record and admission materials. If you are unable to pay our application fee due to financial hardship, we encourage you to carefully consider the expenses associated with graduate study before applying.

Is there a set GPA requirement for being considered for a doctoral program at RIT?

Admitted doctoral students typically have a GPA of 3.0 or above. If it is lower, you will not necessarily be eliminated from consideration. You are welcome to apply. The Admissions Committee will consider your complete application when making a decision.

Do I need to provide GRE or GMAT scores ?

Requirements vary by program. Refer to your doctoral program page or the  deadlines and requirements  table for details. For programs that require test scores, we do not state minimum GRE or GMAT scores. Official scores should be sent to RIT directly from the testing agency using Institute code 2760.

What are the English language test score requirements? As an international student do I need to submit scores?

An official score report for the TOEFL, IELTS Academic, PTE Academic exam, or  RIT English Language Proficiency Test  is required of all international applicants who are not eligible for a waiver. We do not accept letters from your college or university indicating "English proficiency" or letters indicating courses were taught in English in place of official English language test scores. We do not accept Duolingo scores. See the “English Language Test Requirements” section in the  Application Materials  section of the  Application Instructions  for full details.

Do I need to have authored research papers to apply for admission to a doctoral degree?

No, you do not need published research papers to apply for a doctoral degree. A majority of admitted students do not have prior experience authoring research papers. However, admission to a doctoral degree is very competitive, and having published research papers helps strengthen your application.

How many students apply for doctoral study, and how many are admitted?

Admission to an RIT doctoral program is highly competitive. The number of applications received and the number of fully funded opportunities are limited and vary from year to year and by program.

Will the stipend fully cover living costs in the US?

The stipend should cover modest living expenses (housing and food), fees (student activity fee and health services fee), and costs for books, supplies, and some personal expenses. However, each student differs in their preferred living styles and their relative expenses. Doctoral students are permitted to take on other part-time employment so long as it does not interfere with their doctoral work (international students are only able to work on campus, for a total of 20 hours per week including their research positions). On-campus opportunities can be found through Career Connect .

Do doctoral students need to have personal finances available upon arriving at RIT?

Though our Ph.D. is fully funded, students do need to have their own funds available for travel and arrival in the US and to get settled in Rochester immediately upon entering the program. Please be sure to keep this in mind as you consider applying and your finances. If admitted, your first payment/stipend would not be until a few weeks into the program, so you will need to have a foundation of funds available for housing and other living expenses before that.

Is funding throughout the program guaranteed?

Your full tuition and assistantship stipend responsibilities will be determined by your graduate advisor and/or program director. It is our expectation that you will fulfill your duties responsibly and make satisfactory progress towards your degree. Funding in future years will depend on your satisfactory academic and research performance. It is expected that starting your second year, funding will be provided from your college either through a Teaching Assistantship or by your graduate advisor from external funds.

Our team is here to help you as you apply to RIT's doctoral programs. Do not hesitate to reach out if you have questions or need assistance.

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