Fully-funded four-year PhD in Political and Social Sciences

Fully-funded four-year PhD programmes

The European University Institute (EUI) offers well-structured doctoral programmes allowing you to develop your intellectual curiosity and enabling original research. Approximately 150 scholarships are available every year, covering tuition fees and providing a monthly grant.

An EUI PhD is more than writing a dissertation

Our culturally diverse academic community allows you to study alongside approximately 900 scholars hailing from 80 countries.

Our inclusive, dynamic multi-lingual environment means you work predominantly in English, while the use of other languages is encouraged and supported.

The call for applications opens in November, for admission the following September. Please apply online by 31 January.

About the EUI Department of Political and Social Sciences

The EUI Department of Political and Social Sciences explores political and social change within and beyond Europe.

1. Study the important issues of our time that the social sciences are uniquely suited to – PhD opportunities across politics and comparative politics, political theory, international relations, and sociology.
2. Enter an interdisciplinary world – by uniting key fields within political and social sciences, our researchers and our research projects interact on an unprecedented level.
3. Collaborate with distinguished scholars and policy-makers – present and discuss your ideas with the world-class experts who regularly visit our Department.
4. Discover your intellectual dynamism – our PhD programmes provide close supervision to build your knowledge, alongside the freedom to undertake independent research.
5. Connect globally – our graduates work within academia, European and national-level government institutions, international organisations and the private sector.

Develop your intellectual curiosity

Our active faculty, and strong cohort of PhD researchers and post-doctoral scholars, create a stimulating environment for study. By covering key fields across the political and social sciences within one department, we enable cross-disciplinary research conversations to take place, meaning ideas and research findings are easily shared and discussed further.

While our experienced staff offer close supervision, you also enjoy academic freedom and time for your own independent research. In addition, our researchers benefit from interacting with the academics, practitioners and other leaders in their field, who are regular visitors to our Department and who can offer advice and thoughts on your work.

Connect globally

EUI alumni form an international professional network. Our alumni hold positions in academia (65%), international organisations (9%), other research institutions (6%), the private sector (6%), law firms (3%), national organisations (3%), national central banks (3%), European Central Bank (1%)*.

* Alumni Destination Survey 2021

Funding notes

All EUI PhD programmes are fully funded. Applications are welcome from suitably qualified candidates who meet the given eligibility criteria. Please visit our website for further details.