Candidates wishing to obtain a doctorate must be judged formally eligible for the doctoral programme by the Admissions Office. They must have a Master issued by a Swiss university or Swiss university of applied sciences.
Additional requirements
Candidates must also satisfy the following requirements:
- Agreement of a professor to act as thesis supervisor;
- Agreement of the Faculty.
These agreements are validated by the signature on the PhD form.
| Online enrolment and preparation of your application Access to the online enrolment and the list of the documents you have to upload. Do not forget to take note of all the information mentioned in the next tab. You have obtained or will obtain a Master degree at UNIL and wish to pursue your studies with a doctorate |
How to enrol at UNIL
Keep to the specific deadlines regarding your application
Candidates must submit and validate their application online within the deadline:
Autumn semester 2024/2025:
before 31 July 2024
Spring semester 2025:
before 30 November 2024
The prospective PhD student must also send the two copies of the completed and signed PhD form (attestation de thèse) to his/her thesis director. The link to the form is provided in the online application and in the email acknowledging receipt sent immediately after the confirmation by the candidate (to be printed out by him/her).
The thesis director signs and forwards the form to the Doctoral School or the Dean’s Office, who stamps and signs the document before returning it to the Admissions Office by 15 October 2024 (autumn semester 2024/2025) or 28 February 2025 (spring semester 2025). It is therefore important for the candidate to forward the PhD form to the thesis director without delay.
Duration of registration
Doctoral students must be registered at UNIL from the beginning to the end of their doctorate, until their thesis is registered by the Bibliothèque Cantonale et Universitaire.
If registration of the thesis takes place after 15 October, the PhD student must remain registered for the Autumn semester. If it takes place after 28 February, the PhD student must remain registered for the Spring semester.
Processing of your application in Doctorate
What happens once you have validated your online enrolment and uploaded the required documents.
Online enrolment and preparation of your application
Access to the online enrolment and list of the documents you have to upload.
Register for the Service courses (“cours satellite”) or the Cours de vacances for non-French speakers
If you wish to take French courses beside or before your regular studies.
