Application process:

I. Complete the application for admission. Please note that the Supervision Agreement (which is provided after filling the online application) must only be completed and signed after admission.

External applicants should use this application for admission form. If you have been enrolled at the University of Göttingen before, please login via eCampus to access the pre-filled form.

Please have the following documents ready to upload them:
- Master's and Bachelor's certificates and transcripts
- Statement by (prospective) supervisor (see here (pdf) for futher information)
- English proficiency certificates (min. level C1, i.e. IELTS 6.5, TOEFL iBT 110),
- short abstract of your PhD thesis (1/2 to 1 A4-page) (only required for applicants to Molecular Biology of Cells, Cellular and Molecular Physiology of the Brain and Systems Neuroscience)
- optionally: certificates of other relevant examinations (e.g. GRE, reference letters, if available)

If your documents are in a language other than German or English, you will need to include copies of an official translation (into German or English) as well.

II. The GGNB office will check the formal requirements for admission upon receipt of the application for admission:

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

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

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

III. Screening:
The admission board will screen the application reg. the qualification of the candidate and the thematic fit of the prospective PhD project.

IV. Presentation:
After successful screening by the admission board, soon after starting the thesis project, the candidate will present his/her project in front of the admission panel who will decide on the admission to the doctoral program.

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

For information on the enrollment procedure, see information provided by the Registrar's Office.

The enrolment fee of approx. 400 EUR has to be paid every semester. Doctoral students who receive a scholarship from public German funding schemes (e.g. DAAD) may pay a reduced fee (by approx. 75 EUR) upon presentation of their official scholarship confirmation to the Registrar's Office when handing in their documents for enrolment.
Applicants will be informed about the status of their application approx. 3-4 weeks after the receipt of their application.

If you have any further questions, please contact Michaela Wasmuth-Kroker (ggnb@gwdg.de), or for the IMPRS Physics of Biological and Complex Systems, Frauke Bergmann (imprs-pbcs@gwdg.de), or for Molecular Medicine, Dr. Werner Albig (sekretariat.molmed@med.uni-goettingen.de).