These are the EDBB Program specific application guidelines
Eligible candidates must have a Masters Degree or equivalent. Candidates with a four-year Bachelors Degree may be considered as well (depending on the undergraduate institution and performance there); these students may be admitted with special requirements, depending on their background.
You can indicate on your application form which labs and/or Professors you are interested in. Furthermore, please feel free to contact the Professor(s) of interest as well to see directly with them if they have any open positions, as it’s always good to have a personal contact and as new PhD opportunities become available throughout the year.
We recommend that EDBB candidates provide us with the results of their GRE test.
Much more than an English test, the general GRE test evaluates your general skills. This is helpful to the evaluators as without it, it is difficult to have a proper basis for comparison in the selection process. If you are NOT planning on taking the GRE, please mention this in your application, as well as the reason for this.
The TOEFL test is recommended for students who have not followed more than three years of study in English.
For details on the GRE as well as the TOEFL tests, please check their websites directly.
April 15th & November 1st
The application process includes an online candidature completed with 3 reference letters and academic records.
You can also view the Frequently Asked Questions
All required documents, including the referee evaluations, must be received before the application deadline (April 15th or November 1st). Therefore, please contact your 3 referees enough in advance before the application deadline and validate your application well before the deadline. In doing so, request letters are automatically sent to them via email.
If you have questions: [email protected]
In order to facilitate the matching process, we STRONGLY recommend that you contact by email the head of the lab(s) you are interested in before or while you apply. You will find some keywords about the research areas of our affiliated thesis directors on the EDBB Program Members page.
STEP 1 – EDBB review commission
The applications will be reviewed by the EDBB Program Commission members on a competitive basis. Some applications will be rejected at this stage.
STEP 2 – EDBB Zoom selections
A second selection will take place where the candidates will be invited to present their Master work in front of a review panel via Zoom before being invited to our Hiring Days. The review panel will then decide on their admissibility to the program.
STEP 3 – EDBB Hiring Days (held in January and June)
Should you pass the first 2 selection steps, you will be be given one year to find a host laboratory. For this, you will be invited to attend the EDBB Hiring Days at EPFL campus approx. 10-12 weeks after the application deadline.
Hiring Days program:
Day 1 – half day of general information about EPFL, the School of Life Sciences and EDBB, as well as the presentations of the PhD positions offered.
Days 2 & 3 – Individual interviews with Professors hiring & Lab visits – students usually visit several labs, based on their interests and on the availability of the Professors. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet other EPFL PhD students as well.
The majority of housing, food and travel costs are covered by the program.
- EDBB Zoom selections: November 21st (morning) & November 22nd (morning)
- EDBB Hiring Days: January 22th – 24th, 2025