Admission & Enrollment

The way into our structured doctoral training program is a three-step process:

1. You need to make sure to meet the admission requirements.
2. You need to be admitted into the GSLS - this can happen at any time of the year.
3. You need to enroll at our university - this can only happen in Sept/Oct or March/April of each year.

Admission to the Graduate School of Life Sciences (GSLS)

You can apply for admission to the GSLS at any time of the year. However, admission is only possible before or at the start of your doctoral research project.

To join our Doctoral Training Program, you must meet the following requirements:

• Have a primary supervisor
• Acquire funding (ideally for at least three years)
• Meet the academic admission criteria

1. Finding a Primary Supervisor

Your primary supervisor is the principal investigator (PI) who chairs your thesis committee and guides you through your PhD. They provide a suitable research environment and typically fund most, if not all, of your project. Your supervisor must be a GSLS member.

How to Find a Supervisor

• Contact GSLS members directly: A list of members can be found here..
• Browse our research section: Identify groups that match your research interests.
• Check open positions: Available PhD projects are listed on our open position page.

2. Securing Funding

You need sufficient funding to cover your living costs and research expenses. Funding sources include:

• Your supervisor’s grant: Some supervisors offer funded positions within their research projects.
• External fellowships: Different organizations provide doctoral scholarships.

Self-funding benefits: If you secure your own funding, you have greater independence and flexibility in choosing your research group.

3. Meeting the Admission Requirements

Academic Qualifications

To be eligible, you must hold one of the following degrees:

• M.Sc. (or German diploma) with experimental thesis work in:
  • Biochemistry, Biology, Biomedicine, Chemistry, Food Chemistry, Physics, Psychology (with a natural sciences focus)
  • If your degree is in a related subject, please contact our office for clarification.
• Erste Staatsprüfung (State Examination) in Biology, Chemistry, or Physics, or Zweiter Prüfungsabschnitt der Pharmazeutischen Prüfung.
• MD (Dr. med.) with additional coursework in Begleitstudiengang Experimentelle Medizin (or equivalent).

International Degrees

• Not all foreign degrees are considered equivalent to the required German degrees.
• The International Office assesses degree equivalency. Due to staff shortages, the International Office is experiencing delays in processing applications.
• If you would like to have your certificates evaluated independently, you are welcome to contact the ZAB (Central Office for Foreign Education).
• Applicants from India, Vietnam, or China must present an APS certificate.

Language Requirements

You must have strong active knowledge of English or German.

The GSLS office will check your documents for compliance. We advise you to contact Katharina Bötsch prior to time consuming and/or costly activities.

Application Process for the GSLS

Step 1: Fulfill Basic Requirements

Before starting your application to the GSLS, you must:

• Have a confirmed primary supervisor
• Secure the necessary funding for your doctoral studies

Step 2: Pre-Application via Open Campus

1. Create an account on our online platform Open Campus to access the pre-application form. You can find the homepage of Open Campus here.
2. Complete the pre-application form in Open Campus.
3. After submission, a PDF document for your primary supervisor will be generated.
4. Print the PDF, have it signed by your primary supervisor, and upload it back to Open Campus.

Once your pre-application is received and reviewed by the GSLS office, you will be granted access to the full application form in Open Campus. You will receive an email notification when this happens.

Step 3: Full Application Form

In the full application form, you will be required to provide details about:

• Your previous academic background
• Your planned doctoral project
• Your Thesis Committee

Important: Your Thesis Committee must be complete before submitting the application form.

Thesis Committee Requirements

Your Thesis Committee must meet the following GSLS regulations:

1. At least three supervisors
2. Primary and secondary supervisors must be GSLS members from different departments
3. At least one supervisor (first or second) must:

• Be a GSLS member from a natural science faculty of the University of Würzburg
• Be habilitated or hold a permanent professorship

At least three different departments should be represented. You may include an external supervisor (e.g., a collaboration partner)

For guidance on committee composition, contact the GSLS office .

Final Admission to the GSLS

After submitting your completed full application, the GSLS will review your documents and contact you.

To finalize your admission, you must:

1. Schedule an appointment with Katharina Bötsch.
2. Bring the following original documents:

• Degree certificates and academic transcripts
• Highest school diploma (secondary school certificate)
• Signed, up-to-date Curriculum Vitae, including details of your PhD position and start date

Upon completion, you will receive your official admission letter, which admits you immediately to the GSLS and allows you to enroll at the University of Würzburg in the Life Sciences program.

With your letter of admission, you can enroll with our university at the student registration office (Studentenkanzlei). While admission to the GSLS is possible at any time, you can only enroll in the university during the following time periods: March/April & September/October

The Graduate School of Life Sciences expects you to enroll in the next available enrollment period after your admission, and you must be enrolled in the university for at least 6 semesters.

For information on enrollment, please visit: Enrollment Information.

German nationals as well as foreign nationals holding a German higher education entrance qualification will be able to enrol via the web portal of the University of Würzburg. Applicants from EU countries other than Germany as well as other foreign nationals will have to contact the International Office of the University.

to the application portal