Formal steps for beginning your doctorate

Structured doctoral programmes often advertise their doctoral positions (both paid and unpaid) online and in academic journals. Applicants take part in a multilevel selection process that may include contact with possible supervisors and the discussion of possible doctoral topics. If you have been accepted by a structured doctoral program, the doctoral agreement may have been completed during the application and acceptance process. You should ask the coordinator of your program if this is true in your case
 

Please read the following page with a comprehensive list of structured doctoral programs in Heidelberg:
► List of structured doctoral programs
► Current programs

• application form “Antrag auf Annahme als Doktorand” (this form is available in the Dean’s Office of the faculty or on many of the faculties’ websites),
• letter of acceptance from the doctoral supervisor and/or doctoral agreement (see step 2),
• proof of a completed university degree (as a rule, certified copies of the university diploma),
• topic and short summary of the doctoral project,
• curriculum vitae,
• declaration regarding past or current doctoral studies,
• if applicable, proof of language proficiency.

The letter of admission (Annahme als Doktorand) grants you official status at the University and gives you access to University services. It also allows you to apply to the University and to enroll as a doctoral candidate.

Even if you have been admitted to a structured doctoral program, you must nevertheless be granted admission to the appropriate University faculty. In many but certainly not all cases, this application is taken care of by your chosen program. Therefore, you should ask your program coordinator ahead of time about the procedures applicable to your program.

Contact persons at the Dean's Offices
The staff members responsible for doctoral studies in the Dean’s Offices of the faculties are listed here:
► Contact persons at the Dean's Offices

The first step towards enrollment is to apply for and be granted admission to the university. The admission procedure takes place online in the heiCO system.

Before you begin with the application procedure, please make sure that you have the following documents ready because you will need to upload them as part of your application:

• photo in passport format
• copy of your passport/national ID card
• a scan in PDF format (not larger than 10MB) of your secondary school leaving certificate (e.g. Abitur, high school diploma, GCE, baccalaureat, Attestat, Matura, Lise Diplomasi, Apolyterion, Maturität etc.)  and a certified translation of this document into either German or English if it was not originally issued in German or English
• a scan in PDF format (not larger than 10MB) of the degree diploma of the degree that qualifies you for doctoral training. For most doctoral candidates, this is your master's degree diploma. In exceptional cases, this may be your bachelor's degree diploma. If this document was not originally issued in either German or English, you must also provide a certified translation of the document into either German or English. For European doctoral candidates, please upload your degree diploma, not your diploma supplement
  • • Applicants from China: Please note! For all school and university diplomas and transcripts, applicants from China must submit certified copies and translations that are issued by an official notary whose office is affiliated with the Chinese Ministry of Justice. Other forms of certification/translation (for example certification by means of a red star stamp) will not be accepted unless the applicant also submits an original APS certificate. In either case, for final enrollment (step 6) only actual certified copies will be accepted - not photocopies or print outs of certified copies.
• if applicable, a certifcate of exmatriculation (Exmatrikulationsbescheinigung). This document is required if you have been enrolled in the past at a university in Germany (not Heidelberg University).  If you have never been enrolled at a German university, you do not need this.
• if applicable, a certificate of periods of study (Studienverlaufsbescheinigung). This document is required if you have been enrolled in the past at a German university (not Heidelberg University). It is a list of the semesters of your enrollment. It is not a transcript of records. The Studienverlaufsbescheinigung and the Exmatrikulationsbescheinigung are available, even retroactively, from the student administration of your German university. If you have never been enrolled at a German university, you do not need this.
• "confirmation of admission" form specifically for enrollment, issued by your faculty (Annahme als Doktorand)
  • The form issued by your faculty must bear a signature and the seal of the faculty.
  • The admission form cannot be older than 6 months.
  • Some faculties (such as Bioscience, Physics and Astronomy, Modern Languages and Philosophy) may use a different admission form specifically for enrollment; however, it must always bear a signature and the seal of the faculty. If you have questions, please contact our office.
• your Uni ID.  If you do not know your Uni ID (two-letter, three-number code), please contact the Zentrales Doktorandenbüro at zdb@uni-heidelberg.de.

Once you have these items available, please go to the

heiCo Website

and click on “APPLICATION: Go directly to the online application here” . You will be required to create and then confirm a user account. After your user account is set up, you can log in and begin the application process in the system.

Please note:

• For “Type of studies” please choose “Doctoral Programme”
• For “Degree Programme” please select the subject that your Faculty indicated on your “Annahme als Doktorand*in”
• For "Entrance Semester" please select "1". Choosing a semester other than "1" will cause a problem with your final enrollment.
• In the personal data section, make sure to enter your nationality. Do not leave this blank or enter "unknown" because this will mean that the student administration cannot find and process your application in their system.

Then proceed to fill out the rest of the online application. For assistance in filling out the online application, please refer to the following manuals found in the heiCO Download Center:

• General guide to the online application and enrollment process (Please be aware that this guide was primarily written for bachelor's applicants so not all information will pertain to you.)
• Guide for completing information about university degrees

After you have submitted a complete application online and it has been processed, the system will let you know that you can continue with the enrollment process. There is more information on this at "Step 6: Enrollment" .

IMPORTANT! You will not automatically receive a letter of admission (Zulassungsbescheid) to the university in the heiCO system. For most doctoral candidates, this letter is not necessary and is not required in order to proceed with enrollment. However, if you need this letter for a visa application, please let us know. We will help you to make sure that the letter can be generated for you.

Please be aware that you can upload normal copies of all of your educational documents during the application process. However, for your final enrollment, you will be required to submit a certified copy (and, if applicable a certified translation) of your most recent university degree that qualifies you for doctoral training (generally your master's degree).

If you have not yet received the letter of admission from your faculty (Annahme als Doktorand), you may apply and enroll with the status "in preparation for doctoral studies” (Vorbereitung für die Promotion).

You may remain enrolled with this status for a maximum of two semesters. Within the two semesters, you are expected to obtain the admission to your faculty (Annahme als Doktorand) and then you must change your enrollment status (see below).

 The admission procedure takes place online in the heiCO system.

Before you begin with the application procedure, please make sure that you have the following documents ready because you will need to upload them as part of your application:

• One single PDF (not larger than 10MB) that contains all of the following:
  • your bachelor's degree diploma(s) and transcripts of records (lists of courses and grades) for each semester or year of study and certified translations of these documents into either German or English if they were not originally issued in German or English
  • your master's degree diploma(s) and transcripts of records (lists of courses and grades) for each semester or year of study and certified translations of these documents into either German or English if they were not originally issued in German or English
  • a recent letter of acceptance from your supervisor. This letter should be on the letterhead of Heidelberg University or of the Heidelberg University hospital and must:
    • confirm that you will be pursuing doctoral studies at Heidelberg University and indicate the research group in which you will be working,
    • indicate which professor at Heidelberg University will be acting as your doctoral supervisor,
    • indicate the approximate time period of your doctoral studies.
    • If your supervisor works primarily at an external organization such as the DKFZ, MPI etc and does not have university letterhead,they should confirm in the letter which university faculty they belong to
      • Applicants from China: Please note! For all school and university diplomas and transcripts, applicants from China must submit certified copies and translations that are issued by an official notary whose office is affiliated with the Chinese Ministry of Justice. Other forms of certification/translation (for example certification by means of a red star stamp) will not be accepted unless the applicant also submits an original APS certificate. In either case, only actual certified copies will be accepted - not photocopies or print outs of certified copies.
• your secondary school leaving certificate (e.g. Abitur, high school diploma, GCE, baccalaureat, Attestat, Matura, Lise Diplomasi, Apolyterion, Maturität etc.) including transcripts of records (lists of courses and grades) and certified translations of these documents into either German or English if they were not originally issued in German or English
• if applicable, your university entrance examination results and certified translation of this document into either German or English if it was not originally issued in German or English

Once you have these items available, please go to the heiCO website and click on “APPLICATION: Go directly to the online application here” . You will be required to create and then confirm a user account. After your user account is set up, you can log in and begin the application process in the system.

Please note:

• For “Type of studies” please choose “other study” and for "intended degree" choose "Vorbereitungskurse (Promotion)"
• For “Degree Programme” please select the subject in which you will do your doctoral training
• For "Entrance Semester" please select "1". Choosing a semester other than "1" will cause a problem with your final enrollment.
• In the personal data section, make sure to enter your nationality. Do not leave this blank or enter "uknown" because this will mean that the student administration cannot find and process your application.

Then proceed to fill out the rest of the online application. For assistance in filling out the online application, please refer to the following manuals found in the heiCO Download Center:

• General guide to the online application and enrollment process (Please be aware that this guide was primarily written for bachelor's applicants so not all information will pertain to you.)
• Guide for completing information about university degrees

After you have submitted a complete application online, it will be processed by the student administration and you will be notified through the heiCO system about your admission status. After the Zulassungsbescheid (admission notification) is issued in the system, you can proceed with your enrollment. See "Step 6: Enrollment" for more information.

Please be aware that you can upload normal copies of all of your educational documents during the application process. However, for your final enrollment, you will be required to submit certified copies of your school and university diplomas and transcripts as well as of your passport.

• access to services provided by the student services organisation Studierendenwerk, such as housing in the student dormitories, the multifunctional student ID card, child care services, legal and psychological counselling etc.,
• complete accident insurance coverage (for more information about insurance see our website).

After you have completed the procedure in Step 5 and received the admission notification from the University in your heiCO account, you can proceed with the enrollment in heiCO.

Enrollment is not completed online - it involves both online information AND the submission of physical documents! Please be aware that if a certified copy is required, it must be submitted as a physical document! It is not possible to submit a certified copy by uploading it.

The enrollment steps are

• accept the "study place offer"
• click on the button "Add Data" and follow the instructions in the subsequent message boxes
• Reminder: The certificate of exmatriculation is a "can" document for enrollment. You need to upload this document only if you were enrolled in the past at a German university. If this is your first enrollment at a German university, you do not need the certificate of exmatriculation and you can simply click on "Continue" at the bottom of the page
• After you have added all the necessary data, download the enrollment form and sign it on the last page
• Upload the signed enrollment form as requested in heiCO
• Prepare the necessary physical documents that you need to submit by postal mail. Please note that the documents are different, depending on whether you already have your admission to your Faculty (enrollment for doctoral training) or you are enrolling before you are admitted to your Faculty (enrollment in preparation for doctoral training). We have listed the documents necessary for each type of enrollment below.
• Pay the appropriate semester fee. Information about paying the fee by bank transfer is provided in heiCO. Please make sure to indicate your last name, first name, Matrikelnummer, and semester for which you are enrolling on your payment order. Without this information, the university cannot identify your payment and credit your account.

To complete your enrollment you will need to send the signed enrollment form and the necessary enrollment documents as physical documents by postal mail to the student administration at the address indicated on the enrollment form. Or, you can put the enrollment package in the mailbox outside the student administration building (Seminarstrasse 2, 69117 Heidelberg). You cannot drop your documents off in person and you cannot hand your documents in to the Graduate Academy. 

If you are enrolling "in preparation for doctoral training" (Vorbereitung Promotion):

Before your enrollment can be completed, you will need to be registered in the electronic registration system for student health insurance existing between the public health insurance system and the university. This is also true if you have private health insurance. For information about the requirements for private health insurance, please see our website Insurance and especially the section entitled "Proof of health insurance coverage for enrollment at the University".

To get registered, please take a copy of your health insurance policy and your passport to a public health insurance company (e.g. AOK, DAK but not the TK) and ask to be registered in the system. The student administration provides a letter that explains your enrollment status and registration category - giving this letter to the public health insurance company can help facilitate the registration process. If you would like a copy of the letter, please contact us in the Service Point (graduateacademy@uni-heidelberg.de ). Please be aware that, if you have private health insurance, you must complete this registration in the health insurance system within 3 months of the beginning of the semester in which you are enrolling. For the summer semester, this deadline is June 30th, for the winter semester it is December 31st.

Please be aware that it takes 3-5 working days for your registration to be visible to the student administration in the system.

The enrollment documents for doctoral training (with admission to the Faculty) should include:  

The enrollment documents for "in preparation for doctoral training" (Vorbereitung Promotion) should include:  

After receiving and processing your enrollment documents and your semester fee, the student administration will issue your enrollment in heiCO and a green checkmark will appear in the relevant category in heiCO.

Within a few days, you will also receive an email from the student administration that provides important information about the Uni ID, enrollment certificates, student ID card etc. Please read this email carefully!

If you are enrolling "in preparation for doctoral training", you will receive a second email a few days later that explains where to find your Uni ID and activiation code and how to set a new password.

Please note:

• Approximately 2-3 days after your enrollment is completed in heiCO (indicated by the green check mark) or after receiving and activating your Uni ID, you will be able to find your enrollment certificate in your heiCO account.
• You will need to pick up your student ID card in person at the Serviceportal in the university administration building (Seminarstrasse 2, 69117 Heidelberg). Please make sure to take your official picture ID (passport or national ID card) with you for identification purposes. There is more information about this in the email that you receive from the student administration (see above).

The university will use your university email address to send you important information (such as reminders about re-registration!); therefore, please remember to check this email regularly. If you need information about using your university email address, please have a look at the URZ website.  Additionally, the university will send notifications to you by postal mail to the mailing address that is in the enrollment system. You are responsible for keeping this address current in the heiCO system.

Doctoral candidates are not required to pay tuition fees at Heidelberg University. However, in order to enroll at the University, you will have to pay a semester fee that covers administrative costs, costs for student services and student representatives. The total fee for the current summer semester 2023 is  EUR186.35. For the upcoming winter semester 2023/2024 the fee will be reduced to EUR151.05 as outlined above  (winter semester 2023/2024). 

Please be aware that regardless of when you enroll during the semester, you will be required to pay the full semester fee for that semester. This is true even if you enroll late in the semester. Partial payments of the semester fee are not possible.

In order to remain enrolled at the University, you must re-register each semester by paying the fee described above. The time periods for re-registration are as follows:

• June 15 to July 15 for the winter semester,
• January 15 to February 15 for the summer semester.

If you have any questions about the amount shown or other questions about re-registration, please contact us by e-mail at rueckmeldung@uni-heidelberg.de.  Please state your full name and matriculation number as well as the key word “re-registration” in the subject line.

Detailed information about re-registration at the university is available on the university website "Re-Registration".