How to apply

Please notice: The next application round will open up in October 2010. The deadline will be January, 15th, 2011. The Assessment center will take place March, 28th till April, 1st, 2011. Projects will start in October 2011 (or eralier).

Dear student, please read these instructions carefully before you apply!

If you have any questions regarding the requirements or the application procedure please do not hesitate to contact the coordinator.

Please read the admission requirements carefully to check whether you are eligible.

If you would like to know what happens after you submitted your application, please go to assessment of candidates .

You can only apply online.

• Please register to our website first. You will be provided with a login. That way you can access the application form and work on your application several times. Registration will only be possible during the application period.

• Please use only the application form provided on this website. Please do not send any other type of application by post or by e-mail as they will be rejected.

• The online application form must be completed in English only.
  
  
• The online application form produces your CV; therefore we do not require a separate CV from you.

• The online application form includes a field “Research Interest”. Here you may choose 3 different research groups (for selection please go to Projects) you would like to join. For the field provided below we would like to ask you to describe in your own words why you would like to join your favorite research groups. Another field is "My career plans". Here, we would like you to give a personal statement about your academic background and your general scientific interest, your expectations from the Research School and your plans for your professional future. These two fields are the most important part of your application and you should prepare to clearly communicate why you are the ideal candidate for our Graduate School.
  
  
• Do not forget to submit your application by pressing the button “Submit Application”. If you fail to do so your application is "not submitted" and will be not included into the reviewing process. Submission will only be possible until September, 15th 2010, midnight central European time and the button “Submit Application” will be unavailable afterwards.
  
  
• Please give yourself enough time and do not wait until the last moment to submit your application. Technical difficulties or other problems might occur. The application period is also a busy time for us. Therefore, we cannot guarantee that we are able to answer your questions promptly.

You have to upload certain documents.

• We need your academic transcripts and certificates. You have to upload PDF or JPG files (ONLY!!!) of all your documents in the application form. PDF documents must not be write-protected! All submitted documents and certificates must be either in English or in German. If your original documents are in another language, please submit certified translations only and not the original documents. Candidates who are accepted to the program have to provide original documents when they enroll in the program.
  
  
• Please, only provide documents which are important to support your application. Please, do not overload your application with certificates and documents of minor significance.
  
  
• We need a signed document from you that confirms your application to our Research School. To complete your application you have to fill in the form "Confirmation of Application". After you filled in the form, print it and sign it on the signature line. Then, scan the signed document to prepare a PDF or a JPG file which you can upload in the field "Confirmation of Application" of your online application form.
  
  Download "Confirmation of Application" from here.

We need two confidential references.

• The references can be from either your current or former supervisors.In the application form you have to name these referees. Any reference provided by a person you have not mentioned will be rejected.
  
  
• The referees should use only the reference form provided on this website.Download the form and the letter to the referees with the request for a reference and give it to your referees.

• The referees have to send the completed reference form directly to us by NORMAL MAIL to the address provided on the reference form. Another alternative would be to send the reference form by fax or via Email as a PDF or JPG from the INSTITUTIONAL Email address of the referee. Any reference send by you or from a non-institutional Email address will be rejected.
  
  
• You have to make sure that both of your referees send their reference in time so that they will arrive in the coordination office no later than September 15th 2010, otherwise your application is not complete and will be rejected. However, please do not wait with the submission of your application until the status line indicates that your references have arrived.

Download letter to referee and reference form here.

Internationally recognized tests make the evaluation easier for us.

• Since our graduate program runs in English, we need to know that you have good English language skills. Participation in an internationally recognized test such as TOEFL, IELTS is therefore highly recommended. You should ask at your university if they provide an official English test which could be a more cost effective alternative to the TOEFL test. The test results must arrive in the coordination office no later than the application deadline. An English test is not required if you are a native speaker, if you can prove that you did at least two years of your education in English or spent at least one year in an English speaking country. If your English skills are very good but cannot provide an evidence, please do not hesitate to contact the coordination office.
  
  
• Particularly the general, but also the advanced subject GRE test (Graduate Record Examinations) is strongly recommended, although not mandatory, for the admission to the Research School. GRE scores must arrive in the coordination office no later than the application deadline.
  
  
• If you take the TOEFL or GRE test you need to allow several weeks for the Education Testing Services (ETS) to deliver the test results. Please, make sure you take these tests weeks or month in advance so that the results will arrive in the coordination office no later than the deadline. You can get ETS to send the results directly to us. Our institution code for the TOEFL test is 0336 (Max Planck Inst for Infec Bio) and for the GRE test it is 7139 (Max Planck Inst for Infect Bio).

We are looking forward to your application! Good luck!

Start application here!