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I applied for a scholarship waiting for its result. I also found a part-time teaching job. I am a bit confused about this process because all the other Ph.D. programs I applied for required me to submit an application that could either be rejected or accepted. I will need a document certifying my acceptance into a university if I get its scholarship. But I can't figure out whether having a supervisor by itself guarantees admission and the application I will submit is just a bureaucratic process, or I might be rejected for some reason. I need to know this since I have to either sign a contract for my part-time job or accept offers from other universities.

user867078
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  • Yes, somewhat! It certainly explains my experience. I did talk to the supervisor many times and wrote a prohect with time lines and so on. He told me that when I need the document for the scholarship they will emit it. I am just stressing that this will take long enough that when I get it I can't reclaim the scholarship anymore. – user867078 Jun 04 '22 at 17:06
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    There are some formal requirements you need to fulfill, e.g. you commonly need to have a master's or similar degree, have the right to study in that country (i.e. citizenship or the right visa) and in theory the university could decline you if you are "unworthy" of having an academic title by e.g. having committed serious academic fraud (think faking data for published papers, accepting large bribes as a TA and so on, the stuff that would get a PhD revoked if found out later). Otherwise, if you get a professor to sign the paperwork for supervising, you are in. – mlk Jun 04 '22 at 17:18
  • @mlk: however, (the supervisor will want to know that OP has a MSc in a sufficiently close field), but formal requirement like "not being unworthy" or even having a supervisor will in my experience be checked with the paperwork for submitting the thesis. Before that, the university often doesn't care much about who's attempting a PhD. More things are checked if OP wants to sign up as student, though - but there may not be any requirement to do so if they don't want to. There's often not even a strict requirement to have a professor until you want to hand in. – cbeleites unhappy with SX Jun 04 '22 at 19:11
  • If I want to sign up as a student will this work as a regular application process then? Because I already sent my grades and certificates and cv to my supervisor. I just want to make sure I can have the required paperwork before moving and starting my job. – user867078 Jun 04 '22 at 20:03
  • @user867078 Think of it less as an application and more like a registration with the university. There shouldn't be any deadlines or decision periods, only some forms and paperwork to fill out, possibly some minor fees to pay and then maybe a few day wait until they mail you a student id. Also, knowing German universities, they might ask for every academic certificate, including your high-school degree. – mlk Jun 04 '22 at 20:12
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    @mlk: I'd be a bit careful with the claim that there are no deadlines. When I recently started a position at university of Wuppertal and took a PhD student, I had to learn that they will only accept enrollment of PhD students at the beginning of each semester. – Jochen Glueck Jun 05 '22 at 06:55
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    @JochenGlueck You might be right about that. It was not a problem for me, but every university's bureaucracy is different and in my case it might have also been no problem because I was already enrolled as a master's student in the same place. But you bring up another good point, this is something the supervisor has an interest in happening correctly and possibly an ability to help with. – mlk Jun 05 '22 at 07:05
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    Is there anything which speaks against doing the admission process before you get the scholarship? AFAIK in Germany there is no need to prove funding if you enroll for a PhD - it is entirely up to you how you fund your PhD. – user151413 Jun 05 '22 at 20:40
  • The only thing is that I am still enrolled at another university, finishing in a month or so. At the university they told It's a very simple process and that when I want to start I just have to fill in the form. Maybe Im just overthinking this but my main problem is that I have other offers, though this phd and the project for it is absolutely my prefered one from all the offers I have. Because this is very new to me Im afraid that when the time comes to go there there will be an admissions process I was not notified about and then they reject me and I lost my other offers. – user867078 Jun 06 '22 at 13:03
  • From what I understand when I fill in the paperwork it is to enroll at the university. And I will only start in september, so I still have plenty of time. – user867078 Jun 06 '22 at 13:20
  • But soon I will have to accept or reject the other offers. And I would reject them if I knew this is something that is already definitive. – user867078 Jun 06 '22 at 13:45
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    The advisor can, and probably will, tell you of any required steps or put you in touch with someone who can, and who can also give you timeframes and deadlines. Ask. Only the institution can give you a definitive answer. – Buffy Jun 06 '22 at 15:26

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