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 PhD admission competition

 All PhD courses are open to Italian and non-Italian students

Faculty of Sciences


Call for admission to) Ph.D. positions at the Scuola Normale Superiore for the academic year 2025-2026 (41st cycle) 

The application process is available on line at at this link.

Selections will take place in two sessions.

Deadlines for the second session

  • applications submissions: no later than 11:59 pm (CEST) of 19 June 2025 
  • outcome of the assessment of qualifications: within 8 July 2025
  • oral interviews: from 15 to 31 July 2025
  • final ranking list: within 31 July 2025

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, 6th March 2025;
  • those who will obtain a master's degree in Italy or an equivalent qualification in a non-Italian university by 31 October 2025;
  • 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.

Places

Course

Places

Chemistry

3

Quantum Technology and Nanoscience

4

  • one of which on a specific topic and site funded by IIT*

Neuroscience

2

*The award of this scholarship is subject to the finalization and signing of the funding agreement for the position between the SNS and the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT).


Faculty of Humanities


Call for admission to) Ph.D. positions at the Scuola Normale Superiore for the academic year 2025-2026 (41st cycle)

The application process will be available at this link starting from 10 March 2025

Selections will take place in one unique session.

Deadlines

  • applications submissions: no later than 11:59 (CEST) of 17 April 2025
  • outcome of the assessment of qualifications: within 19 May 2025
  • oral interviews: starting from 27 May 2025
  • final ranking list: within 30 June 2025

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 17 April 2025;
  • those who will obtain a master's degree in Italy or an equivalent qualification in a non-Italian university by 31 October 2025;
  • 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.

Places

Course

Places

Philosophy

5

Italian studies and modern philology

5

Classics

6

History

6

-of which n. 1 place in cooperation with the University of Catania

History of Art

6

Romance and Italian Philology in the Digital Turn (FROID)

7

of which

  • n. 1 place to be funded using the resources of the FOE DARIAH 2023 project- CUP B83C23007600001 (CNR-OVI)
  • n. 1 place in cooperation with Fondazione Franceschini 
  • n. 1 place in cooperation with Università per stranieri di Siena
  • n. 1 place in cooperation with Università di Napoli Federico II 
  • n. 1 place in cooperation with Scuola Superiore Meridionale 

 


Faculty of Political and Sciences


Call for admission to) Ph.D. positions at the Scuola Normale Superiore for the academic year 2025-2026 (41st cycle) 

The application process is available on line at this link.

Selections will take place in two sessions.

Deadlines for the second session

  • applications submissions: no later than 11:59pm (CEST) of 25 August 2025
  • outcome of the assessment of qualifications: within 8 September 2025
  • oral interviews: from 15 to 26 September 2025
  • final ranking list: within 26 September 2025

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, 13th March 2025;
  • those who will obtain a master's degree in Italy or an equivalent qualification in a non-Italian university by 31 October 2025;
  • 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.

Places

Course

Places

Political Science and sociology

9

  •  1 scholarship of which funded by 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, provied 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 - 41° 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 and for Political and social Sciences, art. 4.12 of the Call for the faculty of Humanities).

Below there 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 15th November 2025.

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