Admission

Such positions become available through research awards held by members of the teaching and research staff at the university. The university publishes these vacancies throughout the academic year on the internet and elsewhere. For the latest information, please see: PhD positions.

The call for applications for the annual intake of PhDs usually falls in January each year. You must make a formal application via the channels stipulated in the advertisement. If you are successful you will join a team of researchers working on a research project under the supervision and leadership of an individual member of staff. Needless to say, these PhD positions, which attract a stipend, are hugely competitive.

These PhD places concern candidates that hold a scholarship either outside or within the EU/EEA. If you (expect to) hold a scholarship, or if you need a letter of support for an application for a scholarship, then you must make a formal application to study for a PhD. It is only when we receive your application, together with the necessary paperwork, that you are deemed to have made a formal application to study for a PhD at the GSH.

Scholarship holders are expected to pay a fee to the University of Groningen. Tuition fees for PhD study are € 10.000,- per year. Depending on the academic merit of the application and the nature of your income, the University of Groningen may offer a whole or partial fee-waiver.

Some PhD places are awarded to those wishing to pursue a self-funded (or third party-funded) track of either a part- or full-time study. This group of potential applicants are advised to contact a possible supervisor before making a formal application. Depending on the academic merit of the application and the nature of your income, the University of Groningen may offer a whole or partial fee-waiver. Please see the Guidelines in order to make an application.

If you make a formal application to study for a PhD at the University of Groningen you must provide the documentation we require. We reject applications which are not fully documented. Before submitting your application you must identify and contact a suitable supervisor (with ius promovendi) yourself.

Your CV

Alongside information about your educational background and your research and publications, the CV should contain full personal details including your full postal address, date and place of birth and (for applicants outside the Netherlands) a copy of the photopage of your passport and visa. You should also mention a current email address.

A letter of motivation

You must submit a letter of motivation in which you outline why you wish to undertake research within the GSCF. In such a letter, you should attempt to answer the questions of how the PhD study fits into your career plans, why Leeuwarden is the right place for you to conduct this research (keeping in mind that we prefer applications to pursue research in our stronger areas), and why you are the right person to undertake research on that topic. Letters of motivation should be short: 650 words maximum.

Research proposal

A research proposal, specifying your research topic or theme, should be included in your application. We find it essential that candidates and supervisors agree on the general direction of a project from the beginning. Therefore, please identify a suitable supervisor and imbed him/her in your research proposal. Contact a suitable supervisor prior to submitting your application. You should also include a proposed timetable of study. In your proposal, you should answer questions such as: What, precisely, is your research topic? Why are you choosing to research this topic? How do you propose to study the topic? Why is further study of this topic important (i.e. not merely desirable or possible)?

Research proposals may be up to 2000 words in length. You may include supporting documentation (i.e. documentation not formally required elsewhere in the application) if you wish, e.g. any published papers you have written (or may be in the process of writing or co-writing) or a selected bibliography. It is important to be as accurate, concise and explanatory as possible.

Academic referees

Please include letters of recommendation from two academic referees, as well as the referees' names and (email-)addresses. It is usual, and helpful, if one referee can speak for your undergraduate career and the other referee for your graduate career (i.e. study at Master’s level).

Certified copies

Please send us:

• A (certified) copy of your diploma(s) or degree certificate(s). If they are not in Dutch or English please provide an English translation. If you have not yet completed your Master’s degree, please send a statement of expected date of graduation signed by your university department, School and Faculty.

• A (certified) copy of your transcripts (list of grades). If they are not in English, Dutch, or German, please also provide a certified translation in English, Dutch, or German. If you have not yet completed your Master’s educational programme, please send temporary transcripts showing the grades you have received to date. In that case, please also send us a list of courses that are not on the temporary transcripts but that you will have to take to complete your programme.

You may send us scanned copies, to be included in your formal application. However, we may ask for paper versions to be sent.

Proof of English language proficiency

In the case of non-native users of English, a statement of competence/certification in written and spoken English must be submitted. This official documentation should include an official test result, e.g. IELTS score, TOEFL score or Cambridge Certificate. This does not apply for Dutch candidates who plan to write their thesis in Dutch. The minimum scores required are:

IELTS:

Overall score of 7.0, and no lower than 6.5 on parts.

TOEFL:

• A minimum score of at least 587 on the paper-based test is required, as well as a minimum score of 550 on the parts.
• A minimum score of at least 237 on the computer-based test is required.
• A minimum score of at least 92 on the internet-based test is required, as well as a minimum score of at least 79 on the parts.

More information on UG policy about the English language requirement can be found here.

Statements

• A statement of the academic funding agency, if any - i.e. what sort of scholarship do you hold? How long does it last? Which national or international body provides it?
• A statement of financial support. Some academic scholarships include support for living costs; some scholarships are ‘fees only’. In the last case you need to include in your application to us a statement, certifying that you are able to maintain yourself as a temporary resident in the Netherlands and that you are aware of the costs that living in the Netherlands entails. You can find out more about living costs and other practical matters on https://www.rug.nl/(...)grammes/prospective/, especially the item financial matters.

These guidelines for submitting your application apply to external candidates in the first place. If you're applying for an advertised position, please follow the format mentioned in the application form

You must submit your application electronically, with all documents combined into one pdf-file.

Please submit your application to:

University of Groningen
Faculty of Campus Fryslân
Graduate School Campus Fryslân
Dr. B.E. (Bianca) Dijkstra
Coordinator Admissions

E-mail

Cf-gs@rug.nl

Postal address

Wirdumerdijk 34
8911 CE Leeuwarden
The Netherlands

This information regards those already studying for a PhD elsewhere and who wish to work within the GSCF for a longer or shorter period of time (i.e. those who will graduate with a PhD from another institution). We welcome guest visitors upon recommendation and invitation from a suitable supervisor who will collaborate with the PhD student. Only in case of such an invitation you can be awarded a research stay at the Graduate School of Campus Fryslân. You have to contact a suitable supervisor yourself.

In such cases we ask for:

• An invitation from a suitable supervisor
• A time schedule mentioning your start- and end date
• A research proposal in which you specify why you have chosen the University of Groningen as your academic host

The University of Groningen is not liable for financial support.

Once we have received the paperwork we need you are considered to have made a formal application to study for a PhD. Your application will be assessed by the Graduate School. When we can provide a positive advice, your case is then submitted to Faculty Board of Campus Fryslân for final approval. You will be required to complete a Training and Supervision Plan with your supervisor.