International PhD Students

The universities in the Øresund Region welcome international PhD students both as guest students and as full degree students.

Guest students

If you are enrolled as a PhD student at a university outside of the Øresund Region, you may apply to become a PhD guest student at one of the universities in the Øresund University Network. It is quite common for PhD students to spend part of their PhD studies at a university abroad, and it can be very stimulating to experience a new research and study environment other than the one you are used to at your home university. If you wish to apply for enrolment as a PhD guest student at one of the universities in the Øresund Region, you should contact the relevant university and in some cases the relevant faculty directly. You can find links to the main PhD-pages of Øresund University Network members here, and see an overview of PhD programmes here.You may have to pay tuition fees as a PhD guest student. For more information about this, contact the relevant institution.

Full degree students

International students can apply for a full PhD study programme at one of the universities in the Øresund Region. In Denmark PhD scholarships are fully funded and you receive a salary. In Sweden this is also very often the case in Sweden, but for more information about funding in relation to postgraduate studies in Sweden you are advised to read this page as a start. PhD students are normally attached to a specific department at a university and have one or more supervisors to guide them in their studies, but are expected to carry out independent research. Studying a full PhD programme is challenging and students work hard and put great effort into fulfilling the high academic standards demanded of them. A PhD programme consists of writing a thesis and completing a number of courses; in Denmark PhD students are also expected to teach courses in their area of study.

Application for a PhD programme

In Denmark, as a minimum requirement, applicants should hold a Danish master’s degree, an MSc/MA degree or equivalent, and a PhD programme lasts for three years.

In Sweden, applicants are normally required to hold a Swedish Bachelor’s degree and a year of studies at masters level, and a PhD programme lasts at least four years.

Universities show their available PhDs on their websites or via the media. The specific academic and language requirements for a PhD programme may vary even from department to department. Therefore, if you are interested in applying for a PhD programme at a department or faculty at a university in the Øresund Region, you should contact the relevant institution directly and enquire about applying for enrolment in a PhD programme.

You can find more information about doctoral studies in Sweden here and about doctoral studies in Denmark here.