FAQ

We will not assess any documents prior to submission or give a forecast on your chances of entering the program.  Admission criteria are listed here: Business, Economics and Social Sciences.

There are no tuitions fees, just a small semester fee of 204.30 Euro per term (2023/24).

Students accepted into the program are guaranteed funding for the duration of the program. Its length varies from 3 years in the Social Sciences to 5 years in Economics. This might translate into a scholarship in the first year and research assistant positions in the following years.

We do not require a research proposal at the time of application. However, it is very important to show in your motivation letter that you have a clear idea about your research interests and how these meet with the current research of respective faculty member(s) you would be interested in working with.

Students do not have to find a supervisor prior to the semester start.

No. The program is taught entirely in English.

Applicants are required to upload transcripts into our online application system: official hard copy/paper transcripts are not required at the time of application.

Depending on the program you are applying to, prospective students must provide the following:

Center for Doctoral Studies in Business: GMAT (or GRE) – no exemption
Center for Doctoral Studies in Economics: GRE – no exemption
Center for Doctoral Studies in Social Studies: TOEFL or IELTS

Refer to the admission page of the respective program for more information.

Yes. Submit an official letter from your university confirming that the curriculum was taught in English.

Upload your test-taker´s copy in your online application and ask the testing service to send us the official scores.

Yes. However you must provide proof that your Master’s degree will be completed by latest 30 November of the year you're applying for the program.

Submit your most recent transcript.

Merge all PDFs into a single document and compress the merged PDF if it exceeds the size limit.

Please attach a writing sample of up to 10 pages (not more than 3500 words, bibliography excluded), e.g. a paper you have written during your studies, a representative excerpt from your thesis, or an essay on a topic related to your research interests.

Do not submit your application as long as documents are missing prior to the application deadline.

Submissions after the application deadline will not be accepted.

You are required to upload a reference issued by your employer.

We are most interested in your academic stays abroad, but will consider work experiences as well.

Ask them to check their spam folders and contact us (gess.applicationmail-uni-mannheim.de) if they do not find it there. We will resend the request to your referees.

Write an email to gess.applicationmail-uni-mannheim.de with the new contact details.

Two letters of recommendation are required from faculty or scholars who are able to assess your ability and potential for academic research and teaching. We only accept reference letters submitted via our online system.

Write an email to gess.applicationmail-uni-mannheim.de indicating clearly the correction and the section where you want the correction to be made.

Write an email to gess.applicationmail-uni-mannheim.de describing the error as detailed as possible. Attach a screen shot if possible. Our IT-support will contact you once the issue is fixed.

The first meeting with a potential new supervisor can be stressful and it's important to prepare for it as you would for any job interview. Take the time to have a look at the person’s web page as you might find some answers already there.

There is no fixed format, and every supervisor will have their unique interview style. Many questions will most surely revolve around research, but the interview doesn't just serve the supervisor to interview potential doctoral candidates. It is also your opportunity to interview the professor in order to find out if you are both a good fit for each other.

Consider asking some of the following (list not exhaustive):

What opportunities do I have to learn by active involvement in your projects?

How would you describe your supervision style?

How often do you meet with your doctoral students?

How many doctoral students are you currently supervising?

How many years does a PhD project normally take?

At how many academic conferences do doctoral students, on average, present?

Where does your team typically aim to publish their research, especially the PhD research in your team?

I would be interested in contacting a couple of doctoral students at your chair, how can this be organized?

Ask the questions based on your expectations e.g., do you prefer a more 'hands-off' supervision, or rather weekly meetings? This is important in order to find out if your expectations match those of the potential supervisor.

Some supervisors might extend offers based only on the application without holding an interview. If you know the professor already and are happy with the offer, then you are in a great position.

If this is not the case, consider getting in contact with the potential supervisor asking for a brief meeting if you feel that otherwise you wouldn't be able to make an informed decision.