FAQ

Prospective doctoral students must first apply to their chosen programme following the announcement of the Call for Enrolment in Doctoral Programmes, which is typically published in February or March. After the selection process is completed, applicants are informed of the results. Successful candidates finalize their enrolment at the relevant faculty or academy in September.

The University of Ljubljana offers 22 doctoral degree programmes, delivered across 23 faculties and 3 academies. Please note that each programme has different admission requirements, application deadlines, and tuition fees. It is therefore essential to consult the specific programme you are interested in for detailed and up-to-date information. 

Call for enrolment is published here. Complete and submit your application through the eVŠ online portal.

Application deadlines are defined in the Call for Enrolment in Doctoral Degree Programmes each year and vary by programme, so please refer to the specific programme's website for accurate details. In general, application deadlines typically fall between June and September.

Once you have submitted the application and the selection process is complete, you will be informed whether you have been accepted into your chosen programme. If accepted, you will need to complete your enrolment at the relevant faculty or academy in September and begin your studies in October. Additional information about the enrolment process will be provided by your faculty or academy.

The application process is the same as for non-interdisciplinary programmes and involves completing and submitting your application through the eVŠ online portal. If accepted, you will receive detailed enrolment instructions, including which institution to enrol in and how to proceed. In some interdisciplinary programmes, doctoral students enrol at a single institution regardless of their chosen field of study, while in others, the enrolment institution depends on the specific study field.

Completion of prior studies is not required at the time of application for a PhD programme; however, it is a prerequisite for enrolment. Supporting documents confirming the completion of a Master’s degree must be submitted through the eVŠ portal, unless the relevant faculty or academy provides different instructions.

It is recommended to have an agreement with your supervisor when applying, though it is not mandatory. However, if you are accepted into the programme, you must have a supervisor in place by the time of enrolment (typically in September).

You should select a potential supervisor based on your research interests. Lists of potential supervisors are available on this website. Obtaining the supervisor’s consent is mandatory for enrolment.

If you already have the supervisor’s consent and a brief concept of your research work, you can upload them during the application process via the eVŠ portal. If you are accepted into the programme and have not submitted these documents during the application, you will be required to provide them at the time of enrolment (typically in September). When developing the concept of research work, be sure to consult your supervisor.

We recommend contacting the faculty or academy where you wish to enrol for detailed guidance on the criteria and procedures for transferring between study programmes, where you will be informed whether and to which extent your previously completed study obligations can be recognized.

Important information: If your tuition fee was co-funded in accordance with the Decree for the co-funding of doctoral studies, you are no longer eligible for co-funding if you transfer to a new programme. To learn more about co-funding, see the relevant question regarding the Co-funding Scheme.

While enrolment in a doctoral programme at the University of Ljubljana is not a paid position, there are several funding options available. The university offers opportunities such as the "Young Researchers" scheme, which fully covers both tuition and salary, and the "Co-funding" scheme, which partially covers tuition. Additionally, other options for employment and tuition coverage exist, such as working with a research programme or through programmes like the Marie Skłodowska-Curie scheme. Information about these opportunities can be found on the websites of the faculties or academies, individual lab websites, and the University of Ljubljana's website.

You can also explore scholarship opportunities through the Public Scholarship, Development, Disability and Maintenance Fund of the Republic of Slovenia. For more information, you can contact them directly at gp@sklad-kadri.si.

Young Researchers are PhD students with fixed-term employment contracts (for a maximum of 4 years) at Universi­ty of Ljubljana faculties/academies. Through this scheme, doctoral tuition fees are fully covered, and the student's employer provides the necessary material resources for conducting research. In addition, participants receive a salary of around €1,240 net per month, plus transportation and lunch allowances, in accordance with Slovene legislation.

Detailed information about the Young Researchers scheme can be found on the provided website. Please note that prospective Young Researchers must apply to two separate calls. Candidates must apply to the Call for Young Researchers (usually announced in March). They must also apply to the Call for Enrolment in the Doctoral Study Programme (usually announced in February or March).

This scheme is available to both Slovenian citizens and international students.

The Co-funding scheme allows for partial coverage of your tuition fees by the University of Ljubljana. The percentage of co-funding is determined for each academic year and is announced after enrolment, typically in December. More detailed information about co-funding is found here.

This scheme is available to both Slovenian citizens and international students if they meet the requirements.

Doctoral study programmes are offered in Slovene, and for international candidates, also in English. Candidates are expected to have a command of Slovene or English that allows them to successfully meet the programme's academic requirements (at least at a B2 level).

21 PhD programmes last four years, and one lasts three years. Beyond the programme’s intended length, the actual duration of doctoral studies also depends on the student's progress in conducting research and completing the dissertation.

After enrolling in the first year of doctoral studies, the student – together with their supervisor – creates an individualized study curriculum. The latter is based on the doctoral study curriculum and includes core and (external) elective courses, doctoral seminars, and research work, all of which are assigned ECTS credits.

If you have questions about your curriculum, consult your supervisor. For other inquiries related to your studies, you may contact the student office at your faculty or academy.

Most organized coursework is completed during the first and second years of study. In the second year, students register and defend their doctoral dissertation proposal, which is evaluated by the Dissertation Advisory Committee (DAC). The third year is primarily devoted to independent research and dissertation preparation. In most programmes, students present the preliminary results of their research to the DAC and (co)supervisor during the fourth year. The programme concludes with the defence of the doctoral dissertation, which is also assessed by the DAC.

The Dissertation Advisory Committee (DAC) is responsible for overseeing the progress of the doctoral candidate from the registration of the dissertation proposal through to the final assessment and defence of the dissertation. It is appointed by the senate of a faculty or academy.

The DAC must include at least three assessors, selected from among higher education teachers or researchers who hold a valid academic or scientific title and have a proven track record in research, relevant to the broader field of the dissertation topic. At least one assessor must come from another university or research organization, or, in exceptional cases, from a different UL faculty or academy. While supervisors and co-supervisors may be members of the DAC, they are not permitted to participate in the assessment process.

International members of the DAC may also serve as assessors, provided they hold a valid academic or scientific title and/or have demonstrated research expertise in the broader field of the doctoral dissertation.

Yes. Students are required to submit a draft of their data management plan when applying for the defence of their doctoral dissertation proposal. This draft should be updated when the student presents the preliminary results of their research. The final version of the data management plan must be submitted along with the completed dissertation. Detailed information about the research data management plan, including a template you can use, is available here.

Yes. The conditions for completing your studies comprise also the publication or acceptance for publication of at least one original research article with your name listed as first author during the period of doctoral studies. The article must be based on the research presented in the doctoral dissertation and published or accepted for publication in a publication that is considered in the UL's habilitation criteria. If first authorship is not possible (for justified reasons), the supervisor can issue a statement confirming that the doctoral candidate’s contribution in the article is significant.

Don’t forget to include your affiliation with the University of Ljubljana in all publications related to research conducted as part of your doctoral studies.

Yes, it is mandatory to state your affiliation with the University of Ljubljana in all publications related to your doctoral studies.

If you take a break and do not enrol in the next academic year, you will lose your student status. Even without student status, you may continue fulfilling your study obligations for up to two years, unless the programme’s accreditation expires. After this two-year period, you must submit a formal request to your faculty or academy to resume or complete your studies.

In cases of justified reasons, you may request an extension of student status. Justified reasons include: extended illness, exceptional family and social circumstances, parenthood and special needs status or other recognized special status. Student status may also be extended for justified reasons in the final year of study, including during an additional (fifth) year.

Please note: Student status can only be extended if you did not suspend your studies in the previous academic year (or in the year when the extension request is submitted).

Be aware that if you lose student status or repeat a year, you also lose the right to co-funding of tuition fees for doctoral studies. However, if your student status is extended due to justified reasons, your right to co-funding remains intact.

You can withdraw from your doctoral studies by submitting a written withdrawal statement to the faculty or academy where you are enrolled. If you later decide to re-enrol in the same or a different doctoral programme, you will need to apply through the official call for enrolment into doctoral degree programme.

Information about career opportunities is available here. We highly recommend subscribing to the Career Centres newsletter, as it includes a variety of opportunities for doctoral students, such as open calls, summer schools, research visits, and workshops. You can subscribe to the newsletter here.

Yes, there are several opportunities for funding research visits abroad during your doctoral studies.

Erasmus+ programme allows doctoral students to complete part of their academic requirements, practical training or research, or to prepare their doctoral dissertation at a partner institution abroad. The period of physical mobility can range from 5 to 30 days. Please see the file in English at the bottom of this page for the current call.

Eutopia is an alliance of ten European universities and six Global partners committed to developing a new model for integrated higher education institutions through transnational cooperation. Please check the website of the alliance for information on possibilities for doctoral students.

Ad futura is a programme from the Public Scholarship, Development, Disability and Maintenance Fund of the Republic of Slovenia intended for cofinancing of scientific research mobility.

You can find a lot of useful information (including information about the Welcome day for international students) at this website.

The methods and conditions of entry into the Republic of Slovenia differ depending on whether you are citizen of a member state of the European Union or of a non-EU country. You can check this website for more information.

You can find a lot of useful information on accommodation at this website.

There is a possibility for residence in Dormitory for postgraduate students, but only for

• doctoral students who are employed as Young Researchers
• unemployed doctoral students who are foreign nationals and have obtained a scholarship from the Republic of Slovenia.

You can learn Slovene at the Centre for Slovene as a Second and Foreign Language.  The programmes of the Centre provide comprehensive specialist support for Slovene as a second or foreign language and for Slovene language, literature and culture, as well as promoting Slovene Studies internationally. Doctoral students employed at the University of Ljubljana (e.g., Young Researchers) are eligible to attend courses at the Centre free of charge. Those who are not employed at the University may apply for partial funding of these courses through the UL Doctoral School in case of available funds.