Admission conditions for a Doctorate programme for candidates with a Swiss university Master

Students wishing to obtain a doctorate must be judged formally eligible for the doctoral programme by the Admissions Service. They must in particular have a Master issued by a Swiss university or Swiss university of applied sciences.

Candidates must also satisfy the following requirements:

Agreement of a professor to act as thesis supervisor;

Agreement of the Faculty.

Keep to the specific deadlines regarding your application
You have to submit your complete application to the Admissions Service :

Autumn semester 2013/2014:
before 31 July 2013

Spring semester 2014:
before 30 November 2013

The prospective PhD student must also send the copies no. 1 and 2 of the PdD form to to their thesis director. When the director has signed them, both copies must then be handed in to the Doctoral School or the Dean’s Office (precise instructions can be found on the back of these forms).

Please note: prospective PhD student must print out the copies no. 1 and 2 of the PhD form. The link to the form is given in the online application and in the email acknowledging receipt of the online application (sent immediately after the confirmation by the prospective student of his or her online application).

The faculty or school must return one of the two “attestation de thèse” forms, signed by the thesis director and the Dean’s Office, to the Admissions Service before 15 October 2013 (autumn semester 2013/2014) or 28 February 2014 (spring semester 2014). If the "attestation de thèse" form has been submitted to the Admissions Service after these deadlines, the registration will be postponed to the next semester (or, in case the late application is accepted, the prospective student will have to pay a surcharge of CHF 200.-).

It is therefore important that the candidate sends the “attestation de thèse” forms to his/her thesis director as soon as possible.

Important: doctoral students must be registered at UNIL from the beginning to the end of their doctorate (i.e. until their thesis is registered at the Bibliothèque Cantonale et Universitaire) (registration of the thesis after 15 October: enrolment required for the Autumn semester / after 28 February: enrolment required for the Spring semester).

Processing of your application in Doctorate
What happens once you have confirmed your online enrolment and sent the required documents.

Online enrolment and preparation of your application
Access to the online enrolment and list of the documents to be sent by postal mail.

Register for the Service courses (“cours d’appoint”) or the vacation courses for non-French speakers
If you wish to take French courses beside your regular studies.