How to apply for a PhD if you come from an EU member country or have EU equivalent status

• you are a citizen of an EU member country: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Hungary;
• you have dual citizenship, one of which is in the European Union.

• you are a citizen of one of these countries: Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and the Republic of San Marino.

You are a citizen of a non-EU country, but you have one of the following residence permits, issued by the Italian Government (non-EU students with EU equivalent status):

• EU permit for long-term residents (previously, EC residence permit for long-term residents or residence card);
• for employment, self-employment or investors;
• for family reasons;
• for political asylum and subsidiary protection;
• for religious reasons;
• for special cases (articles 18, 18 bis and 22(12-quater) of Italian Legislative Decree No. 286 of 25 July 1998);
• for calamities (article 20 bis of Italian Legislative Decree No. 286 of 25 July 1998);
• for an act of particular civic valour (article 42 bis of Italian Legislative Decree No. 286 of 25 July 1998);
• for special protection (art. 32(3) of Italian Legislative Decree no. 25 of 28 January 2008); Except in the case of entry into Italy for work purposes, any visa issued and the mere request for a first issue of one of the residence permits indicated do not confer EU equivalent status. Contact the International Desk to check your situation;
• residence card for UK citizens (article 50 of the Treaty on the European Union; article 18.4 EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement). Pending such a document, UK citizens may submit a certificate issued by their town council of residence, proving that they registered with the civil registry office before 31 December 2020;
• for temporary protection (Italian Prime Ministerial Decree of 28 March 2022). The residence permit for temporary protection is temporary and at the moment Italian law does not provide for the possibility of converting it into a student permit;
• you are a citizen of a non-EU country, but you have been a resident in Italy for at least one year and you hold a degree obtained in Italy, which gives you access to the degree programme of choice (non-EU students with EU equivalent status);
• you are a citizen of a non-EU country, you have obtained the qualification giving access to your chosen programme in Italy, and you hold a valid residence permit for study purposes;
• you or a member of your family are part of the staff serving in foreign Diplomatic Missions or in international organisations based in Italy and you hold a Diplomatic Identity Card issued by MAECI (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation) or a 'Mission' Residence Permit. The 'Mission' permit cannot be converted into a 'Student' permit.

You are eligible for a PhD if you already hold, or will hold before the start of the PhD programme, one of the following Italian qualifications:

• Laurea Magistrale (Italian second-cycle degree programme);
• Laurea Magistrale a ciclo unico (Italian single-cycle degree programme);
• Laurea Specialistica (Italian second-cycle degree programme);
• Laurea vecchio ordinamento (pre-1999 reform);
• Similar second-level academic qualification issued by institutions forming part of AFAM (Advanced Artistic and Musical Training);
• Foreign qualification recognised as eligible for access to PhDs, based on the principles enshrined in applicable international conventions.

If you have a foreign qualification:

• check that it gives access to a PhD in the country where you obtained it. You can contact the institution that issued the qualification or consult online databases such as those of the ENIC-NARIC centres;
• plan ahead because, in case of admission, you may have to translate and document the value and authenticity of your qualification: the time required may depend on the country where you obtained it.

You will have to take part in a call for applications that comes out between May and September and will be based on the evaluation of qualifications, a research project (if any) and an oral test.

The first call for applications for the admission to the PhD programmes a.y. 2025/26 is now online. Deadline 3 April 2025.

Steps to follow:

• Look at the list of PhD programmes available and choose the one you are interested in;
• Carefully read:
• the call for applications;
• the PhD overview;
• the language requirements;
• the deadlines;
• the documents required to take part in the entrance test (indicated in art. 3 of the call) and any additional/other assessable documents that may increase your score for admission to the oral test (indicated in the PhD file).

Find all the information in the overview of your chosen PhD

Simultaneous enrolment in several programmes

In the same academic year, it is possible to enrol simultaneously in:

• a PhD programme and another programme (Professional Master's programme, specialisation school, degree programme);
• two PhDs, only if one is at an Italian university and the other at a foreign university.

Find out more

Tuition fees

Matriculation and annual enrolment in PhD programmes requires payment of a regional fee for the right to higher education, stamp duty and an insurance premium, currently equal to € 157.04 in total (€ 140 regional fee, € 16 stamp duty and € 1.04 insurance premium).

Payment of fees is also mandatory for positions without a scholarship. If you enrol for a PhD under international agreements that provide for the reimbursement of fees, you will have to pay the enrolment fee and then contact the institution with which the agreement was signed for the reimbursement.

Scholarships

Find out about the Italian and international scholarships and funding opportunities that could facilitate your studies from a financial standpoint.

Move well in advance to find a place to live in the city where you are going to study.

Discover the support services available

If you come from a EU member country from your arrival in Italy and throughout your stay you must have health coverage.

You have several options.

EHIC Card

If you have a valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) from your EU country of origin, you can receive all medically necessary health services.

To obtain said services, you can go directly to a doctor or a public or affiliated health facility and show your EHIC card. The assistance is direct and therefore nothing is due, except for the payment of a possible contribution ("ticket") which is at your expense and is non-refundable.

With the EHIC Card you can go directly to a general practitioner (GP also known as a family doctor) chosen from the list of affiliated doctors in Bologna, or from the list of affiliated doctors in other Campuses.

With the EHIC Card you cannot access treatments "scheduled abroad", i.e. foreseeable (e.g. non-urgent dental treatments, spa treatments, etc.).

Certificate of entitlement (e.g. E106, E109...)

If you have a certificate of entitlement other than the EHIC, when you arrive in Italy, submit it to a “Sportello Unico AUSL (CUP)”, which will check whether you can register with the Italian National Health Service (SSN) to obtain full healthcare under the same conditions as Italian citizens.

Private insurance or registration with the Italian National Health Service (SSN)

In the event that you do not have an EHIC Card or a Certificate of Entitlement, you must take out a private health insurance valid in Italy or register with the Italian National Health Service (SSN), where applicable, when you arrive in Italy.

If you have a private health insurance, you can go to any general practitioner. In case you need a specialist medical examination, you can directly choose which doctor to contact, possibly getting advice from a general practitioner. 
Private health policies:

• do not allow registration with the Italian National Health Service (SSN) or the choice of a general practitioner;
• usually require the user to pay the expenses and then ask for reimbursement from the insurance company.

When purchasing a policy, carefully check the terms and limits of reimbursements. Remember that the health costs to be advanced could be very high, for example in the case of hospitalization. It is advisable to check in advance, by contacting your insurance company, whether the type of benefit you need is refundable.

Qualifications

Only qualifications that are uploaded by the deadline for admission are assessed.

For qualifications obtained at public and private Italian universities (where permitted), a signed self-certification must be attached.
For qualifications obtained at universities in EU or non-EU countries, the certificate, the transcript of records of the Bachelor's and Master's Degree or the Diploma Supplement (if available) must be enclosed.

Read here for more information if you have a foreign qualification

Curriculum vitae

The CV format required is indicated in the PhD overview.

Other documents

Please refer to the PhD call for all the documents to be submitted.

For the first call for applications a.y. 2025/26, the application must be submitted by 3 April 2025.

To apply for admission, use the university credentials name.surname@unibo.it or alternatively your SPID digital identity on Studenti Online.

University email account @unibo.it 

Create your credentials to access Studenti Online, your personal profile where you can find information on your university career and carry out all the paperwork, including enrolment in the programme.

If you have participated even once in a selection procedure or attended a programme at the University of Bologna, you already have your credentials. If you have forgotten your password you can reset it using the credentials recovery service, also using your SPID or CIE digital identity.

How to apply

• Log in to Studenti Online using you SPID credentials
• Click on 'Application for Admission', then on 'PhD' and 'Continue'
• Select the PhD programme you wish to apply for and click on 'Continue'
• Fill in the application and attach the mandatory additional documents
• If you have a certified disability, request the necessary adaptations
• Pay the selection registration fee of €5 via the PagoPA system. Read the instructions for using PagoPA [.pdf 314 KB]
• Click on Send Request

Applications completed but not sent by the deadline will not be admitted to the selection.

After the request has been sent, the file will have the following status: "Request sent: the request was sent successfully". You can check the status of your application on Studenti Online. You will not be notified by e-mail about the successful submission of your application.

Qualifications

The assessment of qualifications is published on Studenti Online as of the date indicated on the overview of the PhD you applied for.

Assessment sub-criteria (any additional assessment criteria decided by the Committees prior to the tests) may be published on the PhD page even after the call for applications has closed.

Test schedule

The test schedule is published as of the date indicated on the overview of the PhD you applied for.

To check whether the oral test for the programme you have applied for will be held in person or electronically, please consult the PhD overview (choose your preferred PhD programme, click on 'More information', and click on 'PhD overview'). In any case, you can apply to take the oral electronically via the Microsoft Teams platform, in accordance with the procedures described in the individual PhD programme overviews.

The test schedule and the link to the virtual Teams classroom, if you have requested one or if the PhD programme for which you have applied provides for the tests to be held electronically, are published on Studenti Online a few days before the tests are due to take place (click on 'See details' and check the .pdf files attached at the bottom of the page. Remember to log in to Microsoft Teams with your university credentials name.surname@studio.unibo.it).

Test procedure

If you have a disability and want to make use of an adapted entrance test, please read the call of the PhD of interest for information on how to apply.

Test results

The results of each test are published on Studenti Online.

If you have any questions regarding the tests, please contact the Examination Committee using the contact details given on the page dedicated to the individual PhD programme (choose the PhD programme of interest, click on 'More information', click on the 'Call Committee').

Final ranking

After the end of the tests, following official checks and approval by the Rector, the final ranking is published on the page dedicated to the individual PhD programme (choose the PhD programme of interest and click on 'More information'). At the time the ranking is published, the dates for the matriculation of successful candidates are announced on the PhD programme page.

If you won a position in a PhD call:

• log into Studenti Online using your credentials name.surname@studio.unibo.it;
• click on 'Matriculation' and follow the procedure, confirming or amending the data already present, filling in the required declarations, uploading a copy of a valid identity document and the following documents:
• if you already have one, the tax code issued by the Italian Revenue Agency;
• only if you obtained your qualification granting access to the PhD in a foreign country and after the closing date of the call for applications, the certificate indicating: the name of the university that awarded the qualification, the date it was awarded, the type of qualification and the final grade;
• only if you obtained your second-level qualification in a non-EU country and you have not already submitted the documents when applying for admission: documents certifying the qualification’s authenticity and equivalence to a second-cycle academic qualification (e.g. Diploma Supplement, Dichiarazione di Valore/Declaration of Value issued by the Italian diplomatic authority in the country where the qualification was obtained, proof of authenticity and comparability issued by organisations such as ENIC-NARIC);
• only if you apply for joint attendance between a PhD and a medical specialisation school, the specialised training programme signed by the director of the specialisation school;
• pay the registration fee via the PagoPA system: log in to your personal page on Studenti Online and access 'My payments'. To make the payment, click on the Pago PA icon next to the amount to be paid, and using your name.surname@studio.unibo.it credentials or your SPID digital identity, pay the registration fee by credit/debit card, or any other payment method among those proposed. For further information, please visit the PagoPA website.

Once matriculation is complete, wait for an e-mail from the coordinator before commencing work. At the first Academic Board meeting, you will be assigned a research project and supervisor. You will also be shown the teaching schedule and the deadlines you will be required to follow throughout the year.

Conditional matriculation

If you have not yet obtained your PhD qualification at the time of matriculation, your matriculation will be conditional. Under all circumstances, the qualification must be obtained before the programme starts, by no later than 31/10/2024. In order to finalise registration, send aform.udottricerca@unibo.it:

• a self-certification (or certificate, in the case of qualifications obtained in EU and non-EU countries or at non-public university institutions) indicating:
• the name of the University that issued the qualification;
• the date of being awarded the qualification and the type of qualification, such as a Laurea Magistrale/Laurea Specialistica (Italian second-cycle degree programme), Laurea vecchio ordinamento (pre-1999 reform), or an equivalent degree;
• the final grade;
• a scan of a valid photo ID document.

If you apply based on a qualification obtained in a non-EU country but fail to submit, together with your application for admission or matriculation, a document to certify the qualification’s authenticity and equivalence to a second-cycle academic qualification (e.g. Diploma Supplement, Dichiarazione di Valore/Declaration of Value issued by the Italian diplomatic authority in the country where the qualification was obtained, proof of authenticity and comparability issued by organisations such as ENIC-NARIC), you will have to provide said documentation following matriculation (and in any case within three months of the start of the programme).

Winners who apply to jointly attend a medical specialisation school and a PhD programme are also subject to conditional matriculation. The condition will be lifted once the Academic Board of the PhD programme and the Board of the medical specialisation school officially authorise the joint attendance.

Matriculation of clearing candidates

Following any change in the ranking list, a notice will be sent to the successful clearing candidates at name.surname@studio.unibo.it with an indication of the matriculation deadlines. Clearing candidates who do not matriculate by the deadline provided will be deemed as having tacitly rejected the offer.

Extra places

Extra places may be awarded to eligible candidates in the ranking:

• who have been awarded a scholarship funded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) or by Institutions in their own country of birth, citizenship, residence or domicile;
• covered by PhD Apprenticeship Agreements and outside the positions available under the call for applications;
• PhD students selected under the Innovative Training Networks (ITN) - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions and the China Scholarship Council call. 

If your Embassy or Consulate did not issue you with an Italian tax code before you arrived in Italy, contact the Italian Revenue Agency or  contact us for help. 

You will need the Italian tax code to register with the Italian National Health Service (SSN).

I have a certificate of entitlement (e.g. E106, E109...)

If you come from a EU member country and you have a certificate of entitlement other than the EHIC, submit it to a Local Health Authority Desk (CUP) in  Bologna or Romagna depending on the city where you are going to study.

Ask at the desk if and how you can register with the Italian National Health Service (SSN) depending on the certificate you have, in order to obtain full health care under the same conditions as Italian citizens.

Registering with the Italian National Health Service (SSN)

If you come from a EU member country:

• if your stay is for study reasons, check with a Sportello Unico (CUP) if you can register with the SSN. To register voluntarily in the SSN as a student you must be resident in Italy and pay an annual lump sum fee of minimum €700.
  Registration with the SSN is carried out for a calendar year, from 1 January to 31 December, and it is not possible to pay reduced quotas for shorter periods;
• if you are an employed or self-employed worker and you pay taxes in Italy you are entitled to compulsory and free registration with the National Health Service (SSN) and to the choice of a general practitioner (GP). Check at a “Sportello Unico AUSL (CUP)” how to register with the SSN;
• if you hold official residence in Italy for at least 5 years, you may apply from your Municipality of residence for an "Attestato di Soggiorno Permanente" (Certificate of Permanent Residence) which entitles you to compulsory and free registration with the Italian National Health Service (SSN) and to the choice of a general practitioner (GP) for an indefinite period. Check at a “Sportello Unico AUSL (CUP)” how to register with the SSN.

If you have won a PhD position covered by a scholarship, to authorise payment of your scholarship you will have to email to the PhD Unit, at aform.udottricerca@unibo.it, a copy of your Italian tax code, issued by the Italian Revenue Agency.

You will also have to enter on Studenti Online the details of the bank account on which you wish to receive the payment. The scholarship winner must be the holder or joint-holder of the account (which can be Italian or foreign).

Contact the PhD Unit to find out in advance the deadlines for submitting the required material so that you can receive your scholarship right from the first month.

Registering with the civil registry office

If you are a citizen of an EU member country,  after three months of residence in Italy, you can register with the registry office of the municipality where you live. Visit your municipality's website for instructions on how to:

• apply for temporary registration, while keeping your primary residence outside of Italy (see, for example, instructions for the municipalities of Bologna, Cesena, Forlì, Ravenna o Rimini),

or

• transfer your residency to Italy (see, for example, instructions for the municipalities of Bologna, Forlì, Cesena, Ravenna e Rimini).

Where to find all the information

You can find all the information on the University's intranet and on your PhD’s website.