Eligibility, Admission and Tuition

The Graduate School is open to applicants from all countries. Fellowships are granted solely on the basis of academic excellence, regardless of the applicant's origin. The programme is tuition-free. The university charges an enrolment fee of approx. EUR 200 per semester. This fee is used to finance student services like housing, discounted public transportation etc.

Equal opportunity policy

The Graduate School is committed to an equal opportunity policy. We therefore welcome and encourage the application of qualified female candidates.

Candidate Profile

• Applicants should hold a Master's or other degree comparable to a German University Diploma or Master in Biology or Biochemistry, and preferentially be under 27 years of age.
• Exceptional candidates holding a Bachelor's degree may also be considered.
• Applicants should be able to document excellent performance in their education.
• The programme language is English; sufficient command of the language is thus required for acceptance. Taking a formal, standardised test (e.g., the TOEFL) is not mandatory, but language proficiency will be assessed during the evaluation procedure.
• Knowledge of German is not required for acceptance (but will of course prove useful in everyday life). The Graduate School organises German language courses for its international students.

Fellowships

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The International Graduate School in Genetics and Functional Genomics offers up to ten studentships per year. The tax-free fellowships (EUR 1100 per month) are initially granted for the duration of the rotation period. On satisfactory performance, they are extended to a total of three years and raised to EUR 1400 per month. Additional funds are available for travel for collaboration or scientific meetings, and for invitation of speakers at an international level to Cologne.

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