Is earning a doctorate the right thing for you?
Do you have a passion for science, are you curious and inventive, and would you like to work in an internationally competitive environment? Then earning a doctorate is the right thing for you! At VUB, you have the opportunity to do full-time research in an academic context for at least 4 years. Doing a PhD is a long-term endeavour, but the experience you gain and the skills you learn are decisive for the rest of your career.
A PhD candidate needs to be invited by a promotor to start their application.
Read below to learn more the application procedure.
The application procedure
Get ready for your application by preparing all required documents and writing your research plan together with your promotor.
After writing a research plan together, your promotor will send you an invitation to apply for a PhD programme. Click on the link in the mail to add the necessary information and documents to your application.
Your application will then be evaluated by your faculty and student administration.
Keep in mind that this process will take time.
By uploading the correct documents and starting your diploma verification as soon as possible, you can help make this evaluation procedure run smoother.
In addition to completing the application procedure to enrol as a doctoral student, you must also be registered as a staff member in the TEO HR system. This also applies if you are an unpaid doctoral researcher at VUB.
Your promotor initiates the process in TEO. You will then receive an email from ‘SAP Cloud’ with the subject line ‘Welcome to VUB’. Via this email, you can complete your personal details and submit the required documents. If you are paid directly by VUB, you must also upload your proof of enrolment.
More information about this process is available on this page.
If you have not received this email, please contact your promotor.
PhD promotors can find information about this application procedure here.
Application deadline
You can start your PhD research anytime in the academic year but keep the deadlines below in mind when starting your application.
Deadlines to apply and register in the current academic year
If you're planning to register as a PhD candidate during the academic year for the ongoing academic year:
- Deadline to apply: You must respond to the invitation of your promotor and complete your application by 31 May.
- Evaluation period: The faculty and student administration will then review your application within one month.
- Deadline to register: If your application is approved, you must sign your student registration contract to complete your registration by 30 June.
Starting your PhD in the summer of the current academic year?
If you want to start as a PhD candidate in June, July, August, or September, you can only apply for the upcoming academic year.
For example, if your PhD contract starts 15 July 2026; you will need to apply for the academic year 2026-2027.
Even though your application will be for the forthcoming academic year, your registration will be considered valid for the current academic year during the summer months.
This means that you can start your PhD research already in June, July August or September without waiting for the official start of the academic year.
Registered, what now?
Once you are enrolled as a doctoral student, you can activate your VUB account. This account gives you access to various VUB applications, e-tools, the wearePhD startpage and other portals.
Remember to also complete your registration in the TEO HR system. Your promotor initiates this process, after which you will receive an email with the subject line ‘Welcome to VUB’. Via this email, you can complete your personal details and submit the required documents, including your proof of enrolment where applicable.
You will also be asked to pay tuition fees. As a doctoral researcher, you must re-enrol every academic year. However, you only pay tuition fees in the first and final year of your doctorate.
After these steps you are ready to start your research and doctoral training programme.
Joint PhD
The VUB can award so-called joint PhDs. A joint PhD, or ‘cotutelle de thèse' in French, is a doctorate that’s prepared in collaboration with two universities. The research is done under supervision of a promotor in each institution and at the end of the successful project you will be awarded a PhD degree by both universities.
