FAQ Doctoral programmes (PhD)

The results of the assessment of the candidates’ academic degrees and certifications are published in the information sheet for each doctoral programme.

Scores from the admissions interviews are provided to the candidates directly from the committees the day of the exam, and the general ranking lists of candidates eligible for admission are posted to the online Final Doctoral Candidate Rankings in the days following the interviews.

Italian students can present a self-certification with a list of exams taken and corresponding grades and credits. Graduates must provide their degree grade and date of graduation.

Ask your university for a specific certificate showing the statistical distribution of the exam grades, as indicated in the Diploma Supplement.

Students who have studied abroad must certify all this information by presenting a certificate issued by the university of provenance.

Since admission to the doctoral programmes involves the evaluation of your entire university career you will be required to provide certificates for both degrees. 

The Diploma Supplement is an official document that provides additional details on a student’s qualifications, issued on completion of a university or higher education institute qualification.

The certificate describes the nature, level, context, content and status of the studies undertaken and completed by the student according to a standardized model developed on the initiative of the European Commission, the Council of Europe and UNESCO/CEPES to overcome all the obstacles to the adequate use and recognition of qualifications.

You only need to go to the International Students Office if:

• you obtained a degree abroad, in order to hand in the documents indicated in the enrolment procedure

• you decline the scholarship, in order to hand in/send the receipt to the Doctoral Programmes Office.

If the above do not apply, you will not need to hand in any hard copies of documents, but just upload them during the online enrolment procedure.

The examination dates are specified in the university website.

Each doctoral programme has its own procedures for conducting the exams. Please contact the relevant department for information.

Applicants for admission to a doctoral research programme must hold a Master’s degree or equivalent qualification according to law. Applicants with a qualification obtained abroad must hold a Master of Science, a Master of Art, or an equivalent qualification.

Individual doctoral programmes may require applicants to have specific degrees. In this case, these will be indicated in the call for applications.  

The general ranking lists of candidates eligible for admission to the doctoral programme are published on the University website and may be consulted via the online services in the days following the interviews.

The yearly fee for a doctoral programme admission and attendance fee is € 980, including accident insurance premium and stamp duty.

Payment of the fee (excluding €156 for regional tax and expenses reimbursement) is exempted for:  

• PhD students who are beneficiaries of doctoral scholarships granted by the University of Milan
• beneficiaries of scholarships from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• beneficiaries of scholarships from the regional education incentive programme (Diritto allo Studio)
• PhD students without a scholarship

The sum of €156 is deducted directly from the scholarship payable to the winners of the competition. All the others must make payment when they enrol online.

The payment of the fee for PhD students who benefit from scholarships made available by other universities or institutions (specified in the call for applications) is covered by the relevant funding body.

The procedures and deadlines for enrolling are set out in the call for applications. If a candidate withdraws, the rights of the candidate taking his/her place and the deadlines for enrolling are sent directly to the email address they provided at the admission stage.

You cannot benefit from a doctoral scholarship and a research fellowship at the same time.
If you hold a research fellowship from the University of Milan, or from a partner institution, and you have been admitted onto a doctoral programme with a scholarship, you can choose whether to accept the scholarship and reject the fellowship or vice-versa.

Should you reject the scholarship for the entire duration of the doctoral programme, this will enable another candidate to use it. If you reject it for one year only, you will continue to be the holder of the scholarship even if you do not use it, and you must indicate your decision every year, at the time of renewal.

The scholarship is awarded on merit based on a candidate’s position in the ranking list after the competition has ended.

In order to initiate the procedure for payment of the doctoral scholarship students must complete during the online enrolment procedure the questionnaire regarding the working position and indicate the IBAN code. 

If the scholarship awarded is funded by an external body, the research project will need to be agreed with the body, as well as with the coordinator of the doctoral research programme.

Students who withdraw from the doctoral programme are not entitled to reimbursement of any enrolment fees already paid.

If you are the beneficiary of a scholarship and you withdraw from the doctoral programme within three months of it starting, you are required to return any payments already made to you.

There are currently some agreements in place with a number of countries that accept enrolment on doctoral programmes on a co-supervision basis.
In these cases, the qualification obtained will be valid in Italy as well as in the country with which the agreement has been made.  

To propose a new agreement, contact the coordinator of the chosen doctoral programme first, and then the permanent Training Office who will instigate the process and draw up the agreement.

For some years, 1international doctoral programmes have been running thanks to specific agreements with foreign countries, details of which can be found in the international section of the portal.

In order to enrol in a PhD programme, you must have a B2 level in English, or in another foreign language as set forth by the call for applications.

Candidates will be required to prove their language skills by submitting any of the certificates accepted by the University, as listed in the call for applications. The certificate must have been obtained no more than three years (two for TOEFL) prior to enrolment. 

The following candidates will be waived from the language certificate requirement:

• Those who have obtained, or will obtain by the date of enrolment, a Master's degree with an English major in any of the degree classes listed in the call for applications;
• Those who have obtained, or will obtain by the date of enrolment, a Master's degree in a study programme taught entirely in English;
• Students of the University of Milan who have obtained an English language statement of B2 level from the University Language Centre - SLAM as part of their degree programme. The statement must have been issued no more than four years prior to enrolment.