Questions about finding a PhD
Short answers for PhD applicants. Rules change: always read the official call.
Where can I find open PhD positions in Europe?
Most European PhD positions are published as job ads by universities and research institutes, and on national job boards: AcademicTransfer (Netherlands), jobs.ac.uk and FindAPhD (United Kingdom), Jobbnorge (Norway), Arbetsförmedlingen and university sites (Sweden), EURAXESS (all of Europe), and the career pages of institutes such as Max Planck, Fraunhofer and EPFL.
PhD Atlas collects these calls from 56 public sources every 12 hours and lists them in one place: PhD positions in Europe. You can also browse by country, for example the Netherlands, Germany or Sweden.
What is a funded or fully funded PhD?
A funded PhD pays for your research and your living costs. In Europe this is often a salary with an employment contract (for example in the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Switzerland) or a tax-free stipend plus tuition fees (common in the United Kingdom). In the United States, a fully funded PhD program usually covers tuition, a yearly stipend and health insurance, often in return for teaching or research work.
See the list of funded PhD positions that are open now.
Are PhD students paid in Europe?
In many European countries, yes. PhD candidates in the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Switzerland and Austria are often university employees with a salary. In Germany many PhD positions are paid research assistant contracts, often part-time. In the United Kingdom most funded PhDs pay a stipend. The amount and the conditions are in each official call.
Can non-EU citizens apply for PhD positions in Europe?
Yes. Most European PhD positions are open to all nationalities. But some calls are only for EU or EEA citizens, some scholarships list the countries they accept, and some UK studentships are only for home students. You also need a residence permit for doctoral study or research in the host country.
PhD Atlas reads the nationality rules in each call and shows a note for your passport: eligible, check eligibility, or not eligible.
Can students from Iran or other sanctioned countries apply for PhD positions abroad?
Yes, many PhD positions are open to them. But applicants from countries under international sanctions, such as Iran, often meet extra limits: some calls or scholarships exclude their nationality, some universities do extra security or export-control checks for research in sensitive technical fields, and some countries have stricter visa rules or entry bans. Money transfers for application fees can also be difficult.
PhD Atlas shows the nationality conditions that are written in each call, so you can see early if a position is open to you. The rules change often: always read the official call and the current embassy rules, and ask the institution if you are not sure.
How does PhD Atlas work?
You add your CV one time. The collection agent reads public PhD job feeds every 12 hours. The matching agent compares each open call with your research interests, methods and degree, and gives a fit score from 0 to 100 with one line on why it fits. The eligibility check reads the call's rules and the visa rules for your nationality. New matches can come to you by email, daily or weekly.
Is PhD Atlas free? Does an AI read my CV?
PhD Atlas is free during the public beta. Your CV is not sent to any outside AI service: the matching runs on our own servers. The chat assistant is a separate AI service: it receives the messages you type, so do not paste your CV into it. An AI service also reads the public text of job ads. In Account you can download your profile and matches, or delete your account, at any time. See the privacy notice.
How are US PhD programs different from European PhD positions?
In the United States you usually apply to a PhD program, not to one project. Most programs admit students once a year, for the fall semester, with deadlines between December and January. Most programs give full funding. In Europe you usually apply to one advertised position with a fixed project and supervisor, and calls open all year. See the US PhD programs for Fall 2027 with their deadlines.
When should I apply for a PhD?
For US programs, prepare in the summer and autumn and apply by December or January for entry the next fall. In Europe, positions open all year: many calls stay open for only four to eight weeks, so check new calls every week or use email alerts.
How do I find a PhD supervisor?
Read recent papers in your field and note who wrote them. Look at the group pages of those researchers for open positions. Write a short email that connects your experience to their current work, and attach your CV. Many advertised European positions already name the supervisor in the call, so you can apply directly.