ADMISSION REGULATIONS FOR THE DOCTORAL SCHOOL OF THE INSTITUTE OF IMMUNOLOGY AND EXPERIMENTAL THERAPY
OF THE POLISH ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
Adopted by the Resolutions of the Scientific Council of the Ludwik Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy of the Polish Academy of Sciences, dated 29 April 2025 and 9 October 2025 – effective from 9 March 2026
The Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy of the Polish Academy of Sciences (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Institute’) operates a Doctoral School (hereinafter referred to as ‘the School’) offering an education programme in the disciplines of Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences. Admission to the School is conducted either through the regular admission procedure or a special admission procedure.
Par. 1 (Regular Admission)
- The call for applications to the Doctoral School may be announced twice a year, corresponding to the start of the four-year doctoral programme:
a. for the winter term (i.e., from 1 October);
b. for the summer term (i.e., from 1 February or 1 March). - Applicants must hold, or be about to obtain before the start of studies, a Master’s degree, a Master of Science in Engineering degree, or an equivalent qualification in biology, biotechnology, bioinformatics, medicine, pharmacy, chemistry, or a related field.
- Exceptionally, applicants who do not meet the requirements specified in Par. 1(2) hereof may be considered for admission if they demonstrate outstanding scientific achievements and have completed at least a Bachelor’s degree or a three-year long-cycle Master’s programme in the fields listed above. Admission in such cases requires the applicant’s request and approval by the School Council.
- Admission to the School is conducted though a competition by the Admission Committee appointed by the School Council. The primary criterion for admission is the applicant’s position the ranking list, determined based on the admission score obtained. The number of admitted applicants is limited by the number of available places, as determined by the Head of the Institute, and by the minimum admission score set by the Committee.
- Admission procedures commence with the publication of a call for applications by the Head of the School on the School’s website. The call specifies the place for submitting applications and the schedule of interviews. It must be published at least 60 days prior to the application deadline.
- No later than 30 days before the application deadline, a list of proposed supervisors and available doctoral research topics is published. For research projects providing doctoral scholarships, additional requirements may be specified, such as participation in a supplementary selection process.
- Applications must be submitted by the prescribed deadline in one of the following forms:
a) electronically – to sd.iitd@hirszfeld.pl (preferred method);
b) in person – at the Main Secretariat of the Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, ul. Weigla 12, Wrocław, between 9.00 am and 3.00 pm. - Applications must include the following documents, in either Polish or English:
a) a completed application form (available on the School’s website);
b) diplomas: secondary school leaving certificate, Bachelor’s (or Bachelor of Science in Engineering) degree, and Master’s degree (if already awarded), subject to the conditions defined in Par. 1(9) hereof;
c) for applicants not meeting standard requirements specified in Par. 1(3) hereof:
● a copy of the Bachelor’s degree certificate or confirmation of completion of a three-year long-cycle Master’s degree programme;
● a request to the School Council for admission, including a description of the applicant’s outstanding scientific achievement;
d) a certified copy or transcript of the full academic record of first- and second-cycle studies (or long-cycle Master’s studies), or a diploma supplement including grades from the entire course of study, or official transcripts of records for all years of study issued by the Dean’s Office, together with the calculated grade point average;
e) proof of English language proficiency at B2 level or higher, in the form of a certificate, or a statement in the diploma supplement confirming that an English language course was successfully completed during the programme of study, or a certificate confirming that English was the language of instruction during their degree programme; such proof is not required from applicants who are nationals of countries where English is an official language;
f) a personal statement in which the applicant indicates two to three research topics from the list referred to Par. 1(6) hereof;
g) additional documents demonstrating research aptitude, such as publications, conference presentations, completed courses or postgraduate studies, language certificates, participation in scientific societies, or science outreach activities etc.;
h) for applicants applying to projects referred to in Par. 1(6) hereof, an application for admission to the relevant project(s) and any additional required documents. - For applicants who obtained their Master’s degree at an institution outside the European Union, the documents (diploma and supplement) must be legalised by the competent Polish consular authority or bear an apostille issued by the competent institution in the country where the degree was awarded.
- Upon receipt of applications, the Head of the School verifies compliance with the formal requirements and forwards the documents to the Admission Committee.
- Interviews are conducted at the Institute, or remotely if the applicant’s location prevents in-person attendance. The interview schedule and the list of applications that do not meet the formal requirements are published on the School’s website at least seven days prior to the interviews.
- The interview consists of:
a) a 10-minute presentation in English, during which the applicant presents their Master’s thesis, previous scientific achievements, motivation, and research interests;
b) a discussion in Polish or English assessing knowledge of the chosen discipline, particularly regarding the selected doctoral project. - After the interviews, the Admission Committee prepares a ranking list based on points awarded (0–20) according to the following criteria:
a) assessment of the applicant’s previous academic record and achievements based on the submitted documents (0–5 points);
b) assessment of the applicant’s presentation (0–5 points);
c) assessment of the applicant’s knowledge in the chosen discipline (0–10 points). - The Committee determines the minimum points required for admission. The ranking list, including the admission thresholds and the list of admitted applicants, are published on the School’s website and the Institute’s Public Information Bulletin no later than seven days after the interviews.
- Applicants are notified of the outcome of the admission process by the Head of the School.
- Admission is confirmed by inclusion on the list of doctoral students by the Head of the School. In the case of international students, an additional administrative decision is issued by the Director of the Institute.
- Rejection is communicated by means of an administrative decision issued by the Head of the School or, in the case of international applicants, by the Director of the Institute. Applicants may request reconsideration within 14 days of receiving the decision.
- The Admission Committee recommends a supervisor for each admitted applicant to the School Council.
- Applicants admitted without a Master’s degree at the time of application must submit the diploma (or confirmation of degree completion) prior to the formal oath ceremony, in compliance with Par. 1(9) hereof. Failure to comply will result in removal from the list of doctoral students.
- If a place becomes vacant before the start of studies, the Head of the School may offer admission to the next applicant on the ranking list who has achieved at least the minimum required number of points.
- If the available places are not fully filled, a supplementary admission may be conducted in accordance with the same rules as regular admission. The supplementary call for applications is published no later than 20 days before the application deadline.
Par. 2 (Special Admission)
- The call for applications to the Doctoral School may be announced by the Head of the School in circumstances or in response to needs that fall outside the regular admission schedule, in particular:
a) when the Institute has funding available within a research project to support a doctoral scholarship;
b) when it is necessary for an applicant to begin their studies outside the standard start of the term;
c) when a multi-stage selection process is required, for example within networks of doctoral schools or institutions jointly implementing a doctoral training initiative, including projects co-funded by external institutions. - Special admission follows the same principles as regular admission (Par. 1 hereof), with the modifications outlined in this section. Applicants must also provide a statement from the project supervisor confirming that they meet the fundamental requirements of the project.
- The call for applications specifies the application deadline (minimum 20 days), proposed doctoral research topics, and any special requirements that applicants must fulfil.
- If no applications meet the formal requirements, the application deadline may be extended, and the Head of the School shall announce the extension on the School’s website.
- Interviews must take place no later than 60 days after the application deadline. The interview schedule is published at least seven days prior to the first interview.
- The composition of the Admission Committee or the scoring system may be modified with the consent of the Head of the School to comply with the rules of the funding institution providing the doctoral scholarship. The Head of the School may allow a representative of the funding institution to attend the Committee meetings as an observer, if this is a condition of the funding.
- For special admission, the project supervisor (or an authorised representative) joins the Admission Committee. After the interview, the Committee awards the applicant points on a scale of 0–24, which includes the scoring criteria from Par. 1(13) hereof, plus up to 4 additional points awarded by the project supervisor or authorised representative based on the applicant’s suitability for performing project tasks.
- Applicants admitted under special admission may be required to sign a scholarship agreement if mandated by the funding institution.
- The appeals procedure for special admission may be restricted if the funding conditions set by the external institution do not allow for appeals.
