How long: generally 3–5 years. Universities award doctorates; universities of applied sciences take part only as partners in cooperative programmes.
Your status: many doctoral candidates are employed as assistants at a university institute or in a research project, funded by the university, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) or other third parties.
How to get in: normally a master's degree; universities decide on the basis of your file.
Where to look: doctoral positions and calls are published on the websites of universities and their doctoral schools and on EURAXESS. Programmes in Switzerland in our database: Switzerland – 423 doctoral programmes (as of September 2026) »
Sources: Eurydice – national description of third-cycle (PhD) programmes (updated 27 November 2023). As of October 2026.
Sources: European Commission – Study in Europe (education.ec.europa.eu/study-in-europe), Eurostat, official national study and residence portals and authorities, Eurodesk, enic-naric.net, studentnews.eu. As of September 2026.
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