Doctoral Studies

• Available PhD degree programmes at each UT faculty 
• Information for prospective PhD degree students
• Information for current PhD degree students at UT
• How to make s short research visit to UT
• Available scholarships for PhD degree and short-term studies

Why choose the University of Tartu for your PhD?

The University of Tartu is Estonia's leading research and development institution. Nearly 1200 doctoral students are studying and conducting research at the University each year. There is a wide range of doctoral programmes within different branches of science: Humanities, Social Sciences, Medicine, Natural and Exact Sciences.

Outstanding research

• Over 2000 scientific articles are published annually by university researchers.

• The University of Tartu exceeds the world’s 1% impact threshold of citations in Clinical Medicine, Plant & Animal Science, Environmental Sciences and Ecology (according to ISI Web of Science).

• The University of Tartu participates in six out of seven national Centres of Excellence for research, providing an outstanding environment for doctoral studies.

Excellent support for PhD studies

• Ca.100 doctoral degrees defended at the University of Tartu annually, or two-thirds of the total number in Estonia.

• Substantial financial support for PhD students at national and university levels: tuition is free of charge for all PhD students; additionally all PhD students receive either the national doctoral allowance (currently ca. €400/month) or some other kind of financial aid.

• Doctoral schools at the University of Tartu facilitate special projects, foster international collaboration and bring extra funding and support for PhD studies, including international seminars and practical skills training.

• Half of Estonia’s national R&D budget goes to the University of Tartu. Total financing of R&D at the university reached 42 mln EUR in 2008.

Great place to live

• Historic university town nestled on the banks of the River Emajõgi.

• Intellectual capital of Estonia, with a rich cultural calendar.

• UNICEF awarded Tartu with the title of “Child Friendly City” in 2004: Tartu is safe, green and welcoming.

• Centre for innovation and technology transfer

• The Institute of Technology at the University of Tartu facilitates knowledge transfer into the economy.