CEU-funded scholarships with generous stipends are offered by the Doctoral School of Political Science, Public Policy and International Relations each year. To be eligible, apply by the scholarship application deadline.
You can learn more about admission deadlines here.
How to apply?
Please visit CEU's central admissions website to learn all the required information about how to fill out your application form and to access the application form.
Why CEU?
Central European University (CEU) is an English-language, graduate university located in Vienna, Austria and in Budapest, Hungary. The university is accredited in the United States, Austria and Hungary. Our students come from over 100 countries and our faculty from more than 40. CEU offers small, seminar-style courses and a student/faculty ratio of 7:1. To learn more about CEU, follow this link!
Why the Doctoral School?
The Doctoral Program in Political Science — operated by the Doctoral School of Political Science, Public Policy and International Relations, together with the departments of Political Science, International Relations and Public Policy — is one of the largest, most international and most competitive programs in Europe, comprising more than 30 permanent faculty members and more than 100 doctoral students from close to 40 countries. This program is taught in the Vienna CEU campus. Learn more about the program and the Doctoral School by exploring our website!
If you want to learn more about the program and admissions directly from the School Director and one of our students, you can watch a recording of the webinar we had during the CEU Virtual Open House 2021 here: Meet the Doctoral School of Political Science, Public Policy, and International Relations.
Admission to the Doctoral Program
In order to get accepted to the Doctoral Program, all applicants must meet the General CEU Admissions Requirements.
School-specific admission requirements
In addition to the General CEU Admissions Requirements, the Doctoral School of Political Science, Public Policy and International Relations requires additional documents from you in your application package. Follow this link to learn more about the specific requirements.
Financial Aid
Doctoral students are eligible to receive a full CEU Doctoral Scholarship for up to four years, covering the full cost of tuition, and a monthly stipend to assist with housing and living costs as well as health insurance
To be eligible for the CEU Doctoral Scholarship applications need to be submitted by the admission deadline, available here: Application Deadlines.
Junior faculty of select OSUN institutions can apply for the OSUN Modular Doctoral Fellowship, more information is available here.
Career Paths
This highly competitive doctoral program prepares students primarily for careers in research and/or teaching at top universities worldwide.
FAQ for PhD applicants
If you have specific questions about the application, please visit our FAQ page. For general question please contact student-info@ceu.edu.
Looking for more tips? Watch our latest Application Tips Webinar (January 2023) answering questions that you might have too to submit a successful application.
Visiting PhDs
The Doctoral Support Program (DSP) is available to graduate students registered in an accredited PhD program at another institution of higher education. During their term at CEU, students can consult with CEU faculty and have the possibility to present and discuss their work. It is available for up to 10 months. The application process is different from the PhD in Political Science application. Please see the application information here: Doctoral Support Program (DSP) for Non-CEU Students | Central European University