Faculty of Sciences
Call for admission to) Ph.D. positions at the Scuola Normale Superiore for the academic year 2026-2027 (42nd cycle)
Second session
The application process will be available at this link starting from May 22 2026 at 10.00 a.m. (CEST)
Deadlines:
- applications submissions: no later than 11:59 (CEST) of 22 June 2026
- outcome of the assessment of qualifications: within 6 July 2026
- oral interviews: from 13 to 31 July 2026
- final ranking list: within 31 July 2026
Prerequisites
The following candidates, regardless of their citizenship, can apply:
- those who have a master's degree or an equivalent non-Italian qualification, attained no earlier than five years prior to the deadline for the first session of the call, that is, 19 February 2026;
- those who will obtain a master's degree in Italy or an equivalent qualification in a non-Italian university by 31 October 2026;
- those who are not in possession of a Ph.D. qualification issued by an Italian or non-italian university, and in any case have not benefited from a scholarship to attend a Ph.D. programme in Italy.
Positions
| Corurse | Number of positions |
|---|---|
| Chemistry | 3 |
| Quantum Technology and Nanoscience | 5 one of which in cooperation with Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT)* |
| Neuroscience | 3 |
* scholarship with a specific topic
Faculty of Humanities
Call for 5 places on the joint Ph.D. program in Romance and Italian Philology in the Digital Turn (FROID)
| Application | ||
| n. 4 positions | funded by the University of Bergamo, Scuola Superiore Meridionale, Ezio Franceschini Foundation (ONLUS) and the University of Napoli Federico II | https://sns.esse3.cineca.it/Root.do |
| n. 2 positions | funded by the Scuola Normale Superiore on the resources of the project HORIZON-MSCA-2026-DN-01 "European Arthurs, Medieval To Modern”- EUARTHURS - Grant Agreement n. 101226326 on the topics: 1) La tradizione del Roman de Tristan in Italia |
Deadlines:
- applications submissions: by 12:00 pm (CEST) of 15 May 2026
- reference letter submissions: by 12:00 pm (CEST) of 22 May 2026
- outcome of the assessment of qualifications: by 29th May 2026
- oral interviews: from 9th June 2026
- final ranking list: by 30th June 2026
Faculty of Humanities
Call for admission to) Ph.D. positions at the Scuola Normale Superiore for the academic year 2026-2027 (42nd cycle)
The application process will be available at this link starting from March, 10th 2026
Selections will take place in one unique session.
Deadlines
- applications submissions: no later than 12:00 p.m. (CEST) of 13 April 2026
- outcome of the assessment of qualifications: within 19 May 2026
- oral interviews: from 26 May to 8 July 2026
- final ranking list: within 8 July 2026
Prerequisites
The following candidates, regardless of their citizenship, can apply:
- those who have a master's degree or an equivalent non-Italian qualification, attained no earlier than five years prior to 10 April 2026;
- those who will obtain a master's degree in Italy or an equivalent qualification in a non-Italian university by 31 October 2026;
- those who are not in possession of a Ph.D. qualification issued by an Italian or non-italian university, and in any case have not benefited from a scholarship to attend a Ph.D. programme in Italy.
Positions
| Corurse | Number of positions |
|---|---|
| Philosophy | 6 |
| Modern Literature | 5 |
| Classics | 7 one of which on the specific topic "Autobiographical poems by Gregory of Nazianzus: edition and commentary"* |
| History | 6 of which n.1 in cooperation with the University of Catania |
| History of Art | 5 |
* Scholarship with a specific topic
Faculty of Political and Social Sciences
Call for admission to) Ph.D. positions at the Scuola Normale Superiore for the academic year 2026-2027 (42nd cycle)
Second session
The application process will be available at this link starting from May 25 2026 at 12.00 p.m. (CEST)
Deadlines:
- applications submissions: no later than 11:59pm (CEST) of 3 August 2026
- outcome of the assessment of qualifications: within 1 September 2026
- oral interviews: from 8 September to 18 September 2026
- final ranking list: within 18 September 2026
Prerequisites
The following candidates, regardless of their citizenship, can apply:
- those who have a master's degree or an equivalent non-Italian qualification, attained no earlier than five years prior to the deadline for the first session of the call, that is, 12 March 2026;
- those who will obtain a master's degree in Italy or an equivalent qualification in a non-Italian university by 31 October 2026;
- those who are not in possession of a Ph.D. qualification issued by an Italian or non-italian university, and in any case have not benefited from a scholarship to attend a Ph.D. programme in Italy.
Positions
| Course | Number of positions |
| Political Science and Sociology | 6 of which n.1 in cooperation with the University of Catania |
All doctoral programmes are open to both Italian and non-Italian students. Admission to the doctoral programs will be based on the academic evaluation of the candidates and interviews.
All students admitted to our doctoral programmes receive a scholarship, which includes financial support for accommodation. Students are also entitled to free meals at the School's canteen.
No registration fees are required, and the School refunds the regional student tax.
All students are entitled to additional funding for their research activities, in Italy and abroad.
For each PhD course, a place is reserved for candidates who graduated in foreign universities, provided they obtained a qualification valid to access the competition..
Additional places in collaboration with external institutions or from research projects may be made available for the calls before the application deadline set for each competition.
REFUND OF TRAVEL EXPENSES - ORAL INTERVIEW - 42° cycle PhD - ADMISSION COMPETITION
All candidates involved in the oral interview in presence for the PhD admission competition can request reimbursement of travel expenses (art. 4.11 of the Call for the Faculty of Sciences, art. 4.10 of the Call for the Faculty of Political and social Sciences, art. 4.12 of the Call for the faculty of Humanities).
Below is the form to request refund of travel expenses to have sat the oral interview. The deadline for submitting the request, attaching the original travel documentation, is 16th November 2026.