Doctoral programme in Law

Read this application guide carefully, to make sure that you have the right qualifications and that you file all required documents and information when you apply.

Read this application guide carefully, to make sure that you have the right qualifications and that you file all required documents and information when you apply.

How to Apply

You must submit your application and all required documents via the interactive online application form available on 1 November.

The deadline for completing the application form and submitting references and all required documents is 31 January. Applications may be submitted until 14:00 (CET - time in Italy) on that day.

There are two distinct phases in the application process:

1. Register as early as possible

You are encouraged to register, inserting your personal and referee details as soon as possible after the application form is activated on 1 November. It is important to allow sufficient time for your referees to submit the reference letters before the deadline. Reference letters will not be accepted after the deadline of 31 January (14:00 - CET).

2. Complete and submit your application by the deadline of 31 January (14:00 - CET)

Once you have registered, you may continue to work on your application (including required documents) until the deadline. Submit the application only when you have filled in all the information correctly and have successfully uploaded the final version of the required documents. References can be submitted any time up until the deadline, before or after you submit your application.

By registering/submitting an application, you give your consent for processing the data as specified in the Privacy Statement for Application and Selection Procedures for EUI Post-Graduate Programmes and in accordance with the EUI’s Data Protection Policy outlined in the Decision of the President No. 10 of 18 February 2019 (EUI Data Protection Policy)

Degree Requirements

You must meet the minimum degree requirements set by the funding authority of the country for which you are applying. As a general rule, you should fulfil the minimum degree requirements by 31 August, but please note that this is not valid for candidates applying for some national funding programmes whose eligibility requirements include conditions regarding the degree and its time of award.

• Austria: Completion of university studies (Magister/Master’s degree)
• Belgium (Flanders): Master's degree - Belgium (Wallonie-Bruxelles): Master's degree
• Bulgaria: Master’s degree diploma with a Grade Point Average of minimum “Very good 5” or the respective equivalent from the evaluation system in the country where the degree is obtained
• Cyprus: Bachelor’s degree (ptychio)
• Denmark: Kandidatgrad eller en grad der vurderes svarende hertil. Vurderingen foretages af Uddannelses- og Forskningsstyrelsen.
• Finland: Ylempi korkeakoulututkinto/högre högskoleexamen, equivalent foreign degree
• France: Grade de Master or equivalent to bac + 5
• Estonia: Master’s degree
• Germany: Completion of university studies and the qualifications required to study for a doctorate
• Greece: Higher education degree (ISCED 6), master’s degree or equivalent (ISCED 7), or currently registered at a master’s degree programme (the title must be submitted by the beginning of September)
• Ireland: Honours degree (min. 2.1); preference to those with a Master's degree
• Italy: Laurea (vecchio ordinamento); laurea specialistica / laurea magistrale (nuovo ordinamento) or equivalent
• Malta: Master’s degree equivalent to Level 7 on the Malta Qualifications Framework
• Latvia: Magistra grads vai magistra grada limenim pielidzinata izglitiba (Master's degree or education equal to a Master's degree)
• Luxembourg: Master's degree or equivalent
• Netherlands: Doctoraal examen or Master's degree
• Norway: Master’s degree or equivalent degree
• Poland: Master’s degree (magister or an equivalent degree)
• Portugal: Higher education habilitations needed to study for a doctorate.
• Romania: Candidates should have an undergraduate degree + a master's degree (usually 3 + 2 years) or an equivalent qualification needed to study for a doctorate.
• Slovakia: Master's degree or equivalent.
• Slovenia: Master's degree or equivalent degree.
• Spain: Título de máster o equivalente.
• Sweden: General entry requirements (According to the Swedish Higher Education Ordinance). A person meets the general entry requirements for third-cycle courses and study programmes if he or she: 1. has been awarded a second-cycle qualification. 2. has satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the second-cycle, or 3. has acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad. The higher education institution may permit an exemption from the general entry requirements for an individual applicant, if there are special grounds. Ordinance (2010:1064)
• Switzerland: Completion of university studies (Master's degree of at least 90 ECTS)
• EUI Special Doctoral Fellowships: Master or equivalent degree in an academic discipline relevant to the doctoral programme of the selected EUI Department and to the research proposal
• Other countries: Diploma equivalent to the minimum qualification needed to study for a doctorate in a given country

Language Requirements

The expected level of English proficiency is level C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). Applicants are required to submit an English international language certificate to demonstrate their level.

• Candidates who speak English as a first language or who have written their thesis in English for completion of a degree from a university programme entirely taught in English are exempt from submitting a certificate of English proficiency.
• Candidates who submit a certificate with a test score below the threshold indicated hereunder are not automatically rejected; if they are pre-selected, they will be asked to take an English language assessment test with the EUI.
• Candidates who are unable to provide a certificate by 31 January must attach a personal declaration to the application form stating the reason for this. Exemption from the requirement to submit an English international language certificate may be granted in the case of extenuating circumstances. Where the certificate of English proficiency is missing, and the candidates are pre-selected, they will be asked to take an English language assessment test with the EUI.

Note on EUI English language assessment tests: If the results of the test fall below the expected level of English proficiency, the candidate may nevertheless be conditionally admitted but will have to follow English Academic Literacies courses during the programme. Sufficient progress in English language skills will be a criterion for admission to the second year. The candidate may also be required to follow further English language courses before starting their studies at the EUI.

The following international certificates of English proficiency are recognised by the EUI:

*Candidates are requested to submit the TOEFL Test Taker Score Report to their application. In addition, if they wish to also send the scores via ETS, the EUI code is 9408. The special TOEFL Home Edition Test is accepted.

The certificate of English proficiency must be attached to the candidate’s application form and submitted by 31 January.

Other EUI Working Languages

Applicants who need to be proficient for their specific research project in another working language(s) of the EUI (French, German, Italian and Spanish), which is not their native language, will be asked to take a spoken and written test when invited for interview.

See also: Language Tests

Required Documents

Before starting your online submission, prepare the required documents:

• One or two-page CV. You are encouraged not to include any pictures in your CV.
• Research Proposal of 2500 words (See below)
• Degree transcript(s) issued by your university listing the exams/courses taken at university, grades/marks awarded and (if applicable) the final degree result. You should also attach your degree transcript(s) from previous degree(s). Do not attach or send supplementary documents that are not strictly requested, such as traineeship diplomas, etc.
• International English language certificate (See above).
• Copy of an identity document (such as a passport or ID card) - JPG format. If you hold dual nationality, you should attach a copy of a second passport/ID card proving your second nationality. The copy of your ID document(s) will only be processed by the EUI Administration and the relevant funding authority(ies), and it will not be distributed to the EUI Departmental selection committee.

Note that attachments must be PDF using standard international fonts (max size 1MB), if not otherwise indicated. Do NOT use macros, special characters, password-protected attachments, or electronic signatures.

The EUI reserves the right to verify the authenticity and validity of the certificates and documents you provide. If your information or documents are found to be unverified or not authentic, you will be disqualified.

Research Proposal

Applicants are selected for interviews on the basis of their academic record and their research proposal. Your research proposal shows that you are ready to write a PhD dissertation that can be supervised at the EUI. The proposal must be written in English or French and must be no longer than 2500 words (including footnotes, references and bibliography). Longer proposals may be excluded from further consideration.

The proposal should outline the project that you wish to pursue in your PhD dissertation. It should demonstrate command of the state of the art in the field (with references to the literature) and of research methodology within the discipline, formulate a research question and include a short bibliography. Where appropriate, it should also include the theory or hypotheses that will be examined or a description of the empirical content and sources of the research project.

The policy of the EUI is not to offer individual guidance and advice on dissertation proposals. You should not contact potential supervisors and ask them to support your application or to provide you with advice. You should instead read the information on research themes supervised by the department and by individual professors. In the application form and in your research proposal, you can indicate one or more professors who you think could supervise your dissertation.

Please also consider the following points when framing your research proposal for studies in the Law Department.

1. Identify a research question that you wish to explore. The research question can guide you in identifying the main topics for your research and can also be used to explain why, in your view, the present literature does not address the issue in a satisfactory manner. The research question should also be the basis for you explaining the salience and importance of that question today.
2. Do not be overly ambitious in your research plans. A thesis is normally approximately 120,000 words (a 200 page book) so you cannot write a successful thesis on a wide theme, you will necessarily need to focus your research. Both at the interview and during your supervision, you will be advised on how to refine your research and focus it, but it helps if, at the preliminary stage, you demonstrate a capacity for selecting and delimiting a research topic.
3. Specify your methodology. In law, many theses are based on reading primary sources (cases, statutes, treaties) and consulting secondary sources. This kind of black letter law research is welcomed, although, during your studies, you will be exposed to other types of methodologies (e.g. using law and economics). If you feel more comfortable in presenting a project in the black letter law tradition then the methodology component in your research project can be relatively short. Of course, the method you choose should reflect the kind of research question you have in mind.
4. In terms of resources, the library has an excellent collection of monographs and journals, as well as primary materials from most EU jurisdictions and pertaining to public international law. If you are shortlisted for an interview, the library will check the availability of resources based on your research proposal. Still, it will be helpful if you consider certain specific material necessary for your research so that you can spell this out so that we can ensure the library has the materials you need.

The research proposal should also meet the requirements established by the EUI Guidelines for the Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence for Research (PDF). In particular, candidates should refrain from using Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) autonomously to write substantial or integral parts of the document. When using Gen AI to produce novel content, they must acknowledge and reference the parts of the content that have been AI-generated.

Please also note that you will be required to write a Short Abstract of your research proposal (max 1000 characters) directly on the online applications form.

Applicants should register two academic referees in the online application form and ensure their reference letters are submitted online (directly by the referees) by the application deadline of 31 January. References will not be accepted after the deadline.

Note for Candidates

Your referees will be contacted and will be allowed to submit the reference only after you have completed and registered the first step of the online application form, including the names and contact details of the referees. To receive the references in time by the deadline of 31 January, you should register the referee details as soon as possible. This is possible at any time, and you do not yet need to submit the final version of your application at that time.

Applicants to the Department of History and Civilization, Law and Political and Social Sciences must register two referees.

When you register your referees' contact details in the online application form, an email requesting a reference on your behalf - featuring an online submission link and relevant instructions - is automatically sent to the referees. Nevertheless, it is your responsibility to contact referees directly to inform them of your request, verify that they have received the email request, and ensure that they submit the reference by the 31 January deadline. You can check the status of the submission of each reference letter directly on the online application form. Referees cannot consult your online application details (except your name and the programme you applied for). Reference letters can be submitted by the registered referees (before the deadline) even after you have submitted your application.

References must be submitted by academic referees (i.e., Professors, Lecturers, etc.) who are in a position to give an academic evaluation of your research, intellectual qualities, ability and potential.

Letters of reference from current full-time or part-time EUI professors are not accepted except:

• where the application is from a researcher already registered for an EUI degree (i.e. transfer from LL.M. to Ph.D. or from MRes to Ph.D.)
• where the professor is a member of a different EUI department to the one where the candidate is applying and who can comment on the academic qualities of the candidate

Note for Referees

At the moment when the candidate has registered the referee details, you, as the referee, will receive an automated e-mail with access details for submitting your reference letter through a dedicated online portal. The system guarantees full confidentiality of the documents submitted which are not accessible to candidates. Candidates can, however, directly verify the status of the submission of the reference letter on their application form.

• You should give your opinion of the candidate's intellectual ability, knowledge in his/her field, motivation for research, capacity to work in a group, and oral and written expression.
• Please note that only PDF documents (maximum file size limit is 2.00 MB) can be submitted. Please do not send password-protected or secured files.
• You may use your own reference format.
• Do not send a hard copy.
• You may write in a language other than English, but English will guarantee the widest possible reading.

If you have any problems submitting the file or require assistance, please do not hesitate to contact the Admissions Office at the following dedicated e-mail address: [email protected]

References are accepted until 31 January. Kindly note that the EUI encourages candidates to apply and register their referees as early as possible: the EUI post-graduate application process is open from early November to 31 January.