Doctoral programme
If you have been admitted to doctoral studies, we will explain the steps you need to take to enrol or register for doctoral studies at Humboldt-Universit?t zu Berlin. In addition, we will answer the most frequently asked questions in connection with re-registration and de-registration.
Consultation hour
Wednesdays 09:00 am - 10:00 am
Phone: (+49) 30 2093-70330
Admission to doctoral studies
If you would like to do a doctorate, please contact the doctoral office of the faculty where you would like to do your doctorate directly. An application for admission to doctoral studies is not subject to any fixed deadlines and can be submitted at any time during the semester. You should submit your application for admission exclusively to the relevant doctoral office of the faculty. It should contain all the documents mentioned.
If you have a foreign university entrance qualification, an equivalence check of your degrees or certificates with the German education system will be carried out before admission. This is coordinated internally between the Faculty's Doctoral Studies Office and the Student Services Department. Therefore, do not send any documents to the Enrolment Office for Doctoral Candidates before you have been admitted to a faculty.
What happens after admission?
- Please submit the application for enrolment for doctoral studies or, if you are employed at Humboldt-Universit?t, the application for registration for doctoral studies with all the necessary documents to the Enrolment Office as soon as possible, but no later than four weeks after admission. The four-week deadline for enrolment/registration after receipt of admission is deemed to have been met if the application is received by the Enrolment Office within this period.
- Either send your documents by post or drop them in the mailbox at the Student Service Centre in the main building of Humboldt-Universit?t zu Berlin. Digitally submitted applications cannot be used for enrolment or registration.
| Postal address | Mailbox |
|---|---|
Humboldt-Universit?t zu Berlin Student Service Centre Unter den Linden 6 10099 Berlin | Unter den Linden 6, 10117 Berlin Opening hours: Mon - Fri 8am - 7pm |
Antrag auf Immatrikulation zur Promotion - Stand: 06.02.2024
Antrag auf Registrierung zur Promotion - Stand: 09.12.2022
Bescheinigung über die Verl?ngerung der Regelbearbeitungszeit der Promotion
Promotionsverl?ngerung
Questions and answers about enrolment
You can apply for enrolment for doctoral studies after you have received approval from the Dean's Office/Doctoral Committee of your faculty.
Enrolled doctoral candidates receive student status, a student HU account and have the opportunity to create a campus card and activate the semester ticket. The semester fee must be paid for enrolment.
Enrolment for doctoral studies is possible even if you are not employed by HU. If you are employed at HU, you have two options: you can enrol or register for the doctorate for the maximum duration of your employment. If you register, you will not receive student status or a student HU account and will not be able to receive the Campus Card. There are no fees for registration.
| Enrolment for doctoral studies (possible with and without employment at Humboldt-Universit?t) | Registration for doctoral studies (only possible for the duration of the employment relationship with Humboldt-Universit?t) | |
| Semester fees | Yes | no |
| Campus Card | yes | not possible |
| Semester ticket | yes | not possible |
| HU student account | yes | not possible |
If you have been admitted to the doctoral programme, please apply for enrolment within four weeks of receiving your admission and submit the following documents:
- Application for enrolment for doctoral studies incl. information on your educational biography[PDF]
- Single copy of the letter of admission from the Dean's Office/PhD Committee
- Proof of the semester fee paid (information on the amount of the semester fee and the bank details required for the transfer can be found below under "Which semester fee do I have to transfer for my enrolment for doctoral studies?")
- Certificate of exmatriculation from the last German university you attended as a single copy (not required if you have never been enrolled at a university in Germany)
- 1st university entrance qualification (usually Abitur) as a single copy
- Single copy of previous university degree certificates (domestic and/or foreign)
- Proof of a scholarship (if applicable)
Please refer to the "Feedback" page for information on the current costs.
If you are employed at Humboldt-Universit?t zu Berlin and do not wish to enrol, you must register for the doctorate within four weeks of receiving admission. Please submit the following documents for registration:
- Application for registration for doctoral studies incl. information on your educational biography[PDF]
- Single copy of the letter of admission from the Dean's Office/PhD Committee
- Proof of employment at HU, stating the start and end of the employment relationship (e.g. a copy of the employment contract)
- Certificate of exmatriculation from the last German university attended as a single copy (not applicable if you have never been enrolled at a university in Germany)
- 1st university entrance qualification (usually Abitur) as a single copy
- Single copy of previous university degree certificates (domestic and/or foreign)
Please note that the Enrolment Office does not send confirmation of receipt of your documents. The application deadline is deemed to have been met if your documents for enrolment or registration have reached the Enrolment Office within one month of admission to doctoral studies.
Once your application has been received by the Enrolment Office, your documents will be carefully checked. If any documents are missing, we will inform you by e-mail or post and, if necessary, set a deadline for you to submit them.
Once your documents have been received in full, you will be informed of your enrolment/registration by e-mail. In addition, you will receive instructions on what further steps you need to take (for enrolment as a doctoral student: e.g. to create the Campus Card (student ID) or activate the student HU account).
Please note that the processing of your application for enrolment or registration for doctoral studies usually takes at least two weeks after receipt of your complete documents. There may be longer processing times at the beginning of the semester.
Yes, re-registration for the next semester is necessary so that you can retain your status as a doctoral student and complete your doctoral project. To do this, you must transfer the semester fee in the required amount within the re-registration period. Please note the information on the main deadlines for re-registration in your HU student account and on the "Re-registration" page.
If there are appropriate reasons, you can also apply for a leave of absence[PDF] as part of an existing enrolment for doctoral studies. For further information on leave of absence, please refer to our page "Leave of absence semester".
Please note, however, that the leave of absence has no influence on the standard processing time for the doctorate or that the standard processing time for the doctorate is not automatically extended with a leave of absence.
Please complete the "Certificate on the extension of the standard processing time for the doctorate"[PDF] and have it signed by your supervisor. Then submit the form to the relevant doctoral office at your faculty. Please note that further documents may have to be submitted to the doctoral office for the decision regarding the extension of your standard processing time. Please enquire about the procedure directly at your doctoral office.
Once the faculty's doctoral committee has approved the extension of your standard processing time for the doctorate, the doctoral office will forward the signed form to the enrolment office.
As registration for doctoral studies is only possible for the maximum duration of your employment at HU, you must enrol after the end of your employment. Please submit the application for enrolment for doctoral studies to the Enrolment Office. In addition, please submit proof of payment of the semester fee and an informal letter informing us that you are currently registered for the doctorate.
If you do not re-register for the coming semester (e.g. do not transfer the required semester fee), you will be automatically de-registered. If you wish to be de-registered before the end of the semester, please submit the application for de-registration[PDF] to the Enrolment Office for Doctoral Candidates.
Please enquire at your faculty's doctoral office whether enrolment is necessary for the defence and proceed accordingly. If the standard processing time for your doctorate has expired, you have submitted your thesis and enrolment is necessary in the coming semester, please ask the doctoral office to confirm this informally to the enrolment office. We will re-enrol you once we have received this confirmation from the Doctoral Studies Office and the semester fee has been paid.