How to apply to doctoral programmes

This page briefly introduces the application process in its individual stages. When applying to doctoral studies, it is very important to prepare carefully for the application process.

Read this page for general instructions on how to prepare. Then check the programme-specific instructions on the admissions page of your chosen programme. Finally, read the more detailed instructions on how to demonstrate language skills, submit the application enclosures and fill the application form.
Admission periods

Academic year 2023-2024

  • 3-16 April 2024 (only some doctoral programmes)
  • 15-25 July 2024 (only graduates of University of Helsinki, only some doctoral programmes)

Academic year 2024-2025

  • 4-17 September 2024 (all doctoral programmes), all required enclosures must be submitted by 3 October 2024
  • 6-19 November 2024 (only some doctoral programmes), all required enclosures must be submitted by 4 December 2024
  • 8-21 January 2025 (only some doctoral programmes), all required enclosures must be submitted by 6 February 2025
  • 2-15 April 2025 (only some doctoral programmes), all required enclosures must be submitted by 6 May 2025
  • 21-31 July 2025 (only graduates of University of Helsinki, only some doctoral programmes), all required enclosures must be submitted by 14 August 2025

Each admission period opens at 8 AM local Finnish time, and closes at 3 PM local Finnish time. The application enclosures for each admission period must be submitted on the date given above, by 3 PM local Finnish time.

Preparing for applying

You must have completed a Finnish second-cycle (master’s) degree or a foreign degree that makes you eligible for doctoral education in the country where the degree was completed. You must also demonstrate that you have academic level language skills.

The University of Helsinki will verify your eligibility for doctoral education from the documents you have submitted

If you have ever been granted a study right for a doctoral degree at the University of Helsinki, but your studies have been interrupted, find out whether you can be readmitted to the old study right or whether you need to apply for a new one.

Visit the doctoral programme websites to read their descriptions, teaching programmes and activities. Once you have found an interesting programme that matches your research topic and background, browse the research profiles of the programme’s supervisors. 

If you already have a supervisor, you can also discuss your programme options with them.

Start looking for a supervisor well in advance, that is, months before the application round begins. When contacting a potential supervisor be professional and prepare carefully, as many supervisors receive up to hundreds of messages. 

Check your programme's possible requirements for supervisors as they differ from programme to programme. Many doctoral programmes require that you have one or two supervisors at the time of submitting your application. Also note that some programmes require that you have a coordinating academic and a thesis committee already when applying.

The University of Helsinki’s Research Portal is a good starting point when looking for potential supervisors. The portal’s Research Units section contains faculty-specific lists of principal investigators.

Many research groups also have websites of their own where you can find out more about them.

A research proposal is the most important part of your application. Start preparing it in good time and, if possible, discuss it in advance with your planned supervisor(s). 

The research proposal is written on the application form in specific fields with a limited number of characters. Free-form research proposals will not be accepted.

A study plan is a preliminary plan of the studies you will complete as part of your degree. The study plan must be drawn up in a way that makes it possible for you to complete the studies in four years of full-time study. Further information on the degree requirements of different doctoral programmes is available in the Studies service.

A right to pursue a doctoral degree at the University of Helsinki does not include funding. 

You are requested to submit a funding plan as part of your application.

There are no tuition fees for PhD students.

You have to demonstrate your academic level language proficiency in either Finnish, Swedish or English. Sufficient language skills are part of the eligibility criteria.

To ensure you have the time to complete a language test, if necessary, familiarise yourself with the language requirements well in advance of applying. 

You can demonstrate your language proficiency in any of the three languages regardless of the language in which you intend to write your doctoral thesis.

You must attach your educational documents to the application form in PDF format for academic evaluation. In addition, you may also need to separately submit officially certified documents, either in paper or electronic format.

Please carefully read and follow the more detailed instructions for attachments.

If you fail to submit the documents as instructed and by the deadline, your application will no go to academic evaluation and will be rejected.

If you submit your documents in paper format, check whether any country-specific requirements apply to your documents. Special requirements override general requirements.

Also check if your programme has any programme specific enclosures, such as supervisors' supporting statement. 

Many doctoral programmes are multi- or cross-disciplinary, making it possible to pursue degrees awarded by a number of faculties. Check the admission instructions for your programme to see which degrees are available, and consider which one is suitable for your educational background and your chosen research topic.

Applying

You can only apply by filling in the online application form during the application period. The application can be written in Finnish, Swedish or English. Check the programme-specific requirements – some doctoral programmes require an English-language research proposal.

Reserve plenty of time for completing the application. The application cannot be saved as a draft, but you can edit it during the application period. To be able to save the application, there must be at least one character in every mandatory answer field.

We recommend preparing the application in a separate file and then copying the answers to the application form during the application period.

Submit the required certificates of your previous studies and language proficiency by the deadline for submitting attachments.If all the enclosures have not been submitted as required, your application will not proceed to academic evaluation and will be rejected.

Also remember to submit programme-specific attachments, if any. 

After submitting your application in the Studyinfo service, you will receive a confirmation by email. The processing of applications and related decision-making takes a few months. 

If your application is in order, we will not contact you before communicating on the admission decision.

  • The decisions for July 2024 application round will be communicated by 23 August 2024 at the latest, the study place must be accepted by 6 September 2024 at the latest. The study right starts on 2 September 2024.

 

  • The decisions for September 2024 application round will be communicated by 21 November 2024 at the latest, the study place must be accepted by 5 December 2024 at the latest. The study right starts on 1 January 2025.
  • The decisions for November 2024 application round will be communicated by 22 January 2025 at the latest, the study place must be accepted by 5 February 2025 at the latest. The study right starts on 1 March 2025.
  • The decisions for January 2025 application round will be communicated by 27 March 2025 at the latest, the study place must be accepted by 10 April 2025 at the latest. The study right starts on 1 May 2025.
  • The decisions for April 2025 application round will be communicated by 19 June 2025 at the latest, the study place must be accepted by 3 July 2025 at the latest. The study right starts on 1 August 2025.
  • The decisions for July 2025 application round will be communicated by 29 August 2025 at the latest, the study place must be accepted by 12 September 2025 at the latest. The study right starts on 1 September 2025.
Further information and important links

If you have read all the instructions, and you still have questions on applying for doctoral studies, please contact admission services: phd-admissions@helsinki.fi

If you want to know more about the different doctoral programmes, the research plan, or supervisors, please contact the programme directly. Contact information can be found on the doctoral programmes’ web sites.