Application Process
In order to enroll in the doctoral school, you must have a PhD advisor who agrees to supervise the thesis, a research project, and sufficient funding, which must be provided either by an external agency or by the research group or by the doctoral school itself. The funding from French institutions can not be lower than the French nationally defined amount for doctoral candidates (monthly net amount about 1422 €). In cases where the funding is lower than this amount, the research group is required to find additional funding to reach the required limit.
Before the student’s application, the PhD proposal has to be uploaded on the proposal submission pages by the advisor.
Whatever the planned funding source, you have to:
- Fill in the online application form, and choose the pre-proposed PhD project. You will then receive an e-mail containing a personal link.
- Provide the following documents electronically (in PDF format):
- ID card or passport
- CV (resume)
- Transcript of your master's courses, including grades
- If you have your own funding (other than ED’s CD), the financing plan and supporting documents for your envisioned source of funding.
- The (possible) letters of recommendation and confidential appreciations will be directly uploaded by their authors. The most relevant referees are the advisors of your possible previous research interships.
- If you have your own funding (other than CD ED, CDSN, CDSX or CSC) and if you apply to a PhD project in University Paris-Saclay, you have to be interviewed (10 minutes presentation + 5 minutes of questions) by an admission committee of at least 2 senior researchers from the ED (the thesis supervisor cannot be one of these 2 persons). This interview has to be organized by your supervisor. A report should be filled by the committee (the form can be downloaded here: PV d'audition), and sent by email to
