Admission and Registration

For acceptance as a Ph.D. candidate, all faculties of the Leibniz University require successful graduation from a Masters, Diploma or Magister course or a state examination (Staatsexamensprüfung). Acceptance as a Ph.D. candidate usually requires a written supervision agreement from a professor. Special requirements for acceptance are governed by the faculties' own doctoral regulations.

It is strongly recommended that you seek Ph.D. candidate status at the start of your doctoral studies in order to eliminate administrative problems and to clarify responsibilities. By accepting you as a Ph.D. candidate, the faculty recognizes that you have the right to study for a doctorate based on your qualifications thus far. In addition, the faculty undertakes to guarantee the supervision of your doctorate in case of unforeseen events.

According to the Lower Saxony Higher Education Act, Ph.D. candidates must register as studying for a doctorate (Section 9 Paragraph 2 Sentence 4 of the NHG). This also applies to Ph.D. candidates with an employee relationship to Leibniz University (e.g. research staff). The regulations of enrolment of Leibniz University regulate all the details, especially in § 2 (regulations of enrolment, August 24, 2017).

Registration as a Ph.D. candidate requires acceptance as such by a faculty of Leibniz University. If your faculty confirms that you have been officially accepted as a Ph.D. candidate, you may register with the Registration Office using the online application portal (see "Admission and enrolment"). The portal can also be found using the link list below.