IMPRS Application Portal

The application portal is CLOSED.
During application calls, you can find the link to the APPLICATION FORM in the grey box below.

APPLICATION DEADLINE

Closing date for 2026 applications was Saturday, 10 January 2026, 23:59 CET.
Interviews and pre-interview information meetings will be held in the week starting Monday, March 16. We will contact candidates for interview in due time.  

Please read the CHECKLISTS carefully before you apply. 

APPLICATION PORTAL

The application portal is CLOSED. During application calls, you can find the link to the application form in the grey box.

All applications for our IMPRS must be submitted via the online application form. Please note that we can only consider applications that are complete.

Recommended Internet browsers for filling in the form:

• Google Chrome
• Mozilla Firefox

CHECKLISTS

(1) Application form

We advise you to prepare your answers and the documents to upload in advance. Please download the PDF “Application Form: Instructions” to guide you through the application form:

The application language is English.

TIP: Several fields in the application form require a more detailed answer. It is a good idea to prepare these answers in a separate document before filling in the online form.  

Several fields also require that you inform yourself before you can prepare your answer. You will be asked to name IMPRS faculty members whose research is of interest to you and whose research groups you would like to join should you be a successful candidate. Faculty members of our IMPRS can be found at: IMPRS Faculty. Please inform yourself about their research and their availability as supervisors for PhD projects before applying.

Advisory notes

By applying to our IMPRS, you confirm that you have written the application yourself.

Do not try to copy/paste published text pieces, as we will control for plagiarism. Plagiarism will immediately remove your application from further consideration.

It is not permitted to use AI to generate content for your application. If you use AI to enhance aspects of your application (language, layout), you must indicate so. 

It is not required to contact IMPRS faculty members whose groups you would like to join before you submit your application. Please refrain from contacting our IMPRS faculty members and their group members by email or phone during the application and selection phase.

(2) Documents to upload

The online application form contains 7 UPLOAD fields for documents. Required documents are indicated in bold.

1. Degree documents for your current studies or most recent degree. | Note: If you have not yet completed your current study course, please upload a preliminary transcript that shows the courses you have completed so far and the grades you achieved. If you have completed the course and already have a degree certificate, please upload the certificate AND the transcript in one PDF.
2. Degree documents for previously completed study course /degree. | Note: Upload the certificate AND transcript in one PDF.
3. English language test score report. | Note: The working language of our IMPRS is English. We recommend (but do not require) that you include a copy of an English test (TOEFL, IELTS, Cambridge Certificate) in your application. If you have taken a test but receive the results after the application deadline, you can send us your results after submitting your application.
4. GRE General Test score report.
5. Indian GATE Exam score report.
6. CV. | Note: In your CV, you can give us more detailed information on your university studies, your research experience (for example, relevant internships or work experience, the thesis projects during your Bachelor and Master studies) and other information that tells us about your academic and study record (for example, external courses or workshops, conference attendance, transferable skills training).
7. Personal or Motivation statement.  | Note: The personal statement is similar to the cover letter you would write in a written application. We would like to hear about your research interests, your background and career goals. With your motivation statement you can tell us why specifically you would like to join our doctoral programme and convince us that you are an ideal candidate.

IMPORTANT

All degree documents and certificates (UPLOADS 1. and 2.) must be in English or German. If they are not in either language, please submit a copy of the original document and a translation into English. Candidates who are accepted into the programme will have to show the original documents and, if applicable, certified translations into English when they register with the University.

All other documents must be in English.

All documents must be uploaded as PDF. Please try to optimize your PDF for size before uploading. Do not upload other formats than PDF, e.g. Word documents or ZIP archives.

Make sure that you give your documents systematic file names, for example: your name_CV, your name_BSc degree, etc.

For further information and tips, see: IMPRS Application Call and Selection Process & Tips.

^ up to APPLICATION PORTAL

APPLICATION PROCEDURE - What happens after I have applied?

We will evaluate all applications in a two-step procedure after the application call has closed. At the end, we will have a shortlist of candidates whom we invite to our selection interviews.
We usually contact referees after the application call has closed. However, please note that we may contact your referees for a reference at an earlier time.

More information about the evaluation and selection procedure and tips for the application and interviews can be found at Selection Process & Tips.

We look forward to receiving your application - Good luck!