Application, selection, and admission to doctoral studies

Doctoral positions need to be publicly announced according to the law, the application needs to be open to anyone, and the selection process should be transparent.

The common procedure is quite straightforward: the university announces a position, which may be tied to the funding of a particular group or project or may be tied to the university’s funding, applications are accepted until a certain date (usually a few weeks), then some candidates are interviewed and a decision is made. 

Selection and admission should be objective, with the most qualified candidate chosen for the position, and transparent. To be admitted to doctoral or licentiate studies you have to fulfill both the requirements for basic eligibility (admission to third-cycle education) and specific eligibility (admission to a specific programme).  The requirements vary but usually the basic requirement is that you should have a master’s education or equivalent knowledge – it does not need to be acquired in Sweden. 

The decision to admit you is taken by the university, not the supervisor. 

There are, however, different situations. If financing of the doctoral student position will come from outside the university, through a scholarship or through the doctoral student being employed by another entity, the position might only be open to those who can secure the financing. For example, on a joint project between a company and a university, there may be doctoral student positions opened only to those already at the company. In the case of scholarships, there may be positions open only to those who qualify for the scholarship. 

In all cases, the decision to admit you is taken by the university, and it is the university’s responsibility to check that there will be adequate financing for you for the entire duration of the studies, that you will be able to devote enough time to your studies , and that you will have the necessary resources.

Once you are admitted, you are admitted to a program at the university, not to a group, or to a supervisor’s project. 

After being admitted, you should receive an official decision of admission from your department or university. 

Of course, your supervisor or prospective supervisor, or members of the research group where you plan to study may write to you about being admitted, but the admission is a decision by the university – an email or letter from a professor is not a legally binding document guaranteeing your admission. 

You should ask the university for a letter of admission if you do not receive one. You will need such a document if you apply for a residence permit for example, or when registering with Swedish authorities. You can also ask for a copy of your contract from your employer or an agreement from the scholarship’s source – such a document may also be useful for registering with the authorities.