Online Application: How can I apply?

Please use the online application system: OAS, and follow the instructions there.
We unfortunately cannot guarantee processing of applications not in the OAS.

We ask for the following materials:

• CV
• transcript of all academic records, including all university and high school diplomas (please provide certified English, German or French translations, if your documents are in another language). Incomplete transcripts will lead to direct rejection. Informal transcripts will be temporarily accepted for application purposes.
• a brief statement explaining your motivation for pursuing a doctorate in computer science at Saarland University
• 2 letters of recommendation
  (to be sent to us directly by the referees, as prompted by the OAS; * please note that only official affiliation e-mail addresses will be considered valid; in general, we also expect at least one referee to be from the last institution you studied at
  * it is the applicant’s responsibility to inform their referees of their application and make sure that the letters reach us on time, ie. within a few days of the deadline. )
• All applicants from all countries must provide a proof of advanced proficiency in English (level C1 of the Common European Framework – TOEFL, IELTS, or Cambridge Certificate scores; see here for more detailed instructions and permissible exceptions). Please keep in mind that very good understanding and command of English will be essential for your success.
• if available, GRE scores (of course, providing very good GRE scores will greatly enhance chances of acceptance)

The next regular deadline for admission to the next summer semester beginning in April 2025 will be at the end of October 2024. You may submit your complete application materials anytime before the next deadline. Evaluation takes place in concerted selection rounds after the deadline. Please allow eight weeks for this process. All applicants will receive a decision via e-mail.

If you need an early decision for planning purposes, you may submit for the deadline a year before your desired starting semester (please specify). For example, apply by the end of October 2024 for the academic year beginning in October 2025.

The following regular application deadline will then be at the end of April 2025 for admission to the winter semester beginning in October 2025.

If you are interested in the International Max Planck Research School for Trustworthy Systems (IMPRS-TRUST) research and fellowship program, please submit your application materials there directly. Please note that you will usually need to have completed a recognized Master’s degree before being able to enter their program for doctoral candidates. Admission to the Graduate School will be processed concurrently. The same goes for the doctoral fellowship program in software systems offered by MPI-SWS for those candidates in Saarbrücken. The Graduate School at Saarland University is also one of the possible home institutions for fellows in the cs@max planck doctoral program. Each of these doctoral support programs also have an early-entry option for excellent Bachelor’s graduates in keeping with our Graduate School structures. These programs administer their own admission procedures in close collaboration with the Graduate School which is responsible for all Ph.D. candidates in Computer Science at Saarland University.

Information for Advisors

The Graduate School also allows for ad hoc admissions to allow for the strengths and flexibility of traditional recruiting pathways. The OAS should not be used for this. Materials should be sent via e-mail directly to the administrative office.