For internal PhD candidates (those with an employment contract as PhD candidate), it is important to distinguish between the start of the employment contract and formal admission to the Graduate School.

Appointment as a PhD candidate at the university does not automatically imply enrolment in the Graduate School. The PhD track at FGGA officially starts only once the candidate has been formally admitted. Prospective internal candidates are therefore advised to contact the Graduate School Office directly to receive guidance on the admission procedure and the steps they need to take.

Once you have found a supervisor and you meet the general requirements for admission set out in the Leiden University PhD Regulations, you can apply to the Graduate School of Governance and Global Affairs. All PhD candidates must be admitted to the Graduate School. Please take into account the following:

PhD application and admission procedure

First, you need to fill in the PhD application and upload the required documents (see below) by logging on to the PhD Applicant Login in LUCRIS/Converis Graduate School Management module. For further information and to receive login details, contact graduateschool@fgga.leidenuniv.nl

Required documents:

• Confirmation of the willingness of the supervisor to supervise you during your PhD research. A confirmation via e-mail (from the supervisor to you) does suffice. 
• Documents relating to your prior education (e.g. diplomas and transcripts).
• Curriculum Vitae (CV).
• Research proposal.
• Evidence of your proficiency in English can be uploaded as well, but this is not mandatory. Your supervisor will assess this.
• For all external PhD candidates, the ‘Agreement Form External Candidates’ must be submitted to the Graduate School Office, signed by all parties involved (including the Institute Board). 

You are advised to submit your complete application to the Graduate School at least two months before the intended start date of your PhD project. This refers to the moment when all required documents have been uploaded and your application is formally submitted via the LUCRIS/Converis Graduate School Management module. Please note that the Graduate School cannot take any further steps until your application is complete and formally submitted.

If you will need a visa and/or residence permit, please submit your complete application at least three months before the starting date of your project.

Agreement form external PhD candidates

When applying for an external PhD trajectory, the Graduate School of Governance and Global Affairs requires a fully completed and duly signed agreement form external PhD candidates, including proof of funding (if applicable) and the signatures of all parties involved.

This form serves to record the agreements regarding guidance during and costs for the PhD trajectory. In addition, this agreement form needs to be signed by the Institute Board of the institute to which your supervisor belongs.

To have the form signed by the institute Board please mail it to:

• Institute of Security and Global Affairs: isga.instituteboard@fgga.leidenuniv.nl
• Leiden University College: collegeboard@luc.leidenuniv.nl
• Institute of public administration: secretarisbsk@fgga.leidenuniv.nl

If the form is complete and signed by all, the supervisor should send the form to graduateschool@fgga.leidenuniv.nl.