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Assessment procedure

When the Graduate School of Arts announces a PhD scholarship/fellowshio, it is the assessment committees that decide which applications are to be considered for the scholarship/fellowship.

The selection process is based on standard academic assessment criteria, with emphasis on assessing the applicant’s academic qualifications and the scholarly strengths and weaknesses of the proposed PhD project. 

In assessing the applicant’s personal qualifications, the committee considers the applicant’s previous academic progress, examination marks, special qualifications essential for completing the proposed research project (for instance, language skills and familiarity with particular theories and methods), as well as other experiences or competencies that would support the successful completion of the doctoral degree. The committee also considers the applicant’s scholarly publications and experiences at research and higher education institutions abroad. In the assessment of the PhD project, emphasis is placed on the scholarly originality of the project, its methodological and theoretical consistency, the possible contributions of the project to the scholarly development of the particular academic field, and an evaluation of the feasibility of the applicant completing the project within the prescribed time frame. Also important is an assessment of the possible integration of the project into the existing active research environments within the particular research field, including specific institutional recruitment needs.


Open call
Initially the applications will be assessed by one of the eight standing expert assessment committees, after which a number of applications will be sent to the Admission Committee. The Admission Committee then recommends a number of candidates to the Dean, who makes the final decision.

There is one expert assessment committee for each of the eight PhD programmes. See the list of assessment committees here.

Specific call
Applicants will be assessed by an assessment committee consisting of at least three members (the PhD programme director, an expert member of the standing assessment committee, and the author of the call proposal). The name of the recommended candidate (or candidates) will be sent to Head of Graduate School and Vice-Dean for Research and Talent Development, who makes the final decision.


Application form
You can find the link for the application facility in each call (open and specific calls). See the section called “Application” in the call.


Deadlines
See this page for deadlines during the assessment of the applications.