Submitting Your Application for Doctoral Studies
To apply for the doctoral studies, submit your application and scanned copies of the required documents by logging in to the VU online applicant service system. On this page, you’ll find all the information you need to know when applying for doctoral studies.
1. Submit Your Application
To take part in the doctoral admission competition, submit your application and scanned copies of the required documents by logging in to the VU online applicant service system.
You can edit your application before the deadline. It will be automatically submitted on the last day for document submission.
Recognition of qualifications obtained abroad is carried out by the University. Please send the required documents for qualification recognition by email to drs@cr.vu.lt. Applicants may also independently apply for recognition of foreign qualifications through the Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education.
2. Add the required attachments
List of documents you must submit:
- an application addressed to the Rector;
- a copy of the passport or any other valid identification card;
- copies of the Master’s diploma or of a higher education diploma comparable to it and their supplements;
- Curriculum Vitae;
- a completed questionnaire with a photo;
- a research project;
- a list of research works and their copies, conference presentations, works awarded at academic competitions (if there is any);
- recommendations by two academic referees from the topic of the relevant field of science (please note that some scientific fields require that one of the recommendations be written by a potential supervisor; you can check the selection criteria to see if this requirement applies to you);
- a certificate proving the level of English (not lower than B2; approval is required if the master's thesis was written in a language other than English).
Applicants also have to submit a consent to the processing of personal data at the University.
A copy of the certificate on the recognition of higher education qualifications obtained abroad also might be asked to submit. Other important documents, such as a certificate of completion of various courses or examinations passed at the doctoral level, are welcome too.
All documents issued in a language other than English, Russian or Lithuanian should be supplemented with an official translation.
Doctoral committees can require to submit additional documents which are not provided for in Vilnius University Regulations on Doctoral Studies.
3. Pay the entrance fee
Admission fee – 50 EUR for citizens of Lithuania and EU countries, 100 EUR for citizens of other countries.
The admission fee may be paid by another person on behalf of the applicant. In such cases, the payment reference must include the applicant’s full name, year of birth, and the purpose of payment.
Applicants who did not enroll in the doctoral program during the main admission period and are participating in the additional admission must submit new applications for doctoral studies; however, the admission fee does not need to be paid again.
4. Attend the motivation interview (and submit your research project)
All applicants must participate in the motivation interview for admission to the doctoral program with the admission committee of the relevant field of science.
If specified in the selection criteria for the respective field of science, applicants must submit a research project.
The research project requirements (if applicable), as well as the date and time of the motivation interview, are announced on the websites of the respective departments.
5. Wait for the admission results
Preliminary and final competition results are published in the ISAS system. This information is also sent to the email address provided in the application.
6. Sign the study contract
Applicants are considered admitted to doctoral studies once they sign a study contract with Vilnius University and are officially enrolled by the Rector’s order.
Contracts are signed through bank identification. If you are unable to sign the doctoral study contract using bank identification, please contact us by email at drs@cr.vu.lt.
When signing the contract, no additional documents (e.g., an application addressed to the Rector) need to be uploaded, provided that all required documents were submitted with the initial application.
If invited candidates do not sign the contract, the invitation to study at VU becomes invalid. Vacant places will be offered to candidates with the highest competition scores who were not previously invited, based on the decision of the doctoral committee for the respective field of science.
Attention! We recommend saving the signed contract on your computer or mobile device, as access to it will not be available later.
You’ve signed the study contract – what’s next?
Have you signed the contract and will soon begin your doctoral studies at Vilnius University? Everything you need to know, do, and how to properly prepare for your studies can be found in the Guide for Doctoral Students.