Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg

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Overview

Before your PhD

What kind of programs does the university offer to get a doctoral degree?

Halle University offers both ways to get a doctoral degree – the traditional individual doctorate, which is the most common in Germany and the possibility of studying for a doctorate within a structured doctoral programme. In order to check whether one of our structured PhD programmes correspond to your interests please look here.

An "individual doctorate" involves the thesis or dissertation being produced under the supervision of a professor (called "Doktorvater" or "Doktormutter" in German). This form of doctorate offers on the one hand quite a lot of flexibility, but demands on the other hand a high level of personal initiative and responsibility. A professor supervises a doctoral candidate who works on his/her subject in consultation with the professor, but largely independently.

No matter whether you decide for an individual doctorate or a structured doctoral programme, in both cases your work will be supervised by a professor. Therefore, the first and very important step is to find a supervisor for your planned PhD topic. Here is an overview of our faculties.

Open PhD positions are published here or directly on the website of the professors. These positions come with funding (scholarships or working contract); you can also find funding yourself for a PhD where a position has not yet been created.

What is next after I found a supervisor? Do I have to apply at the faculty?

The application for acceptance as a doctoral candidate at the respective Faculty will be done after having found a supervisor. The application is compulsory for those who want to earn a doctoral degree from Halle University. For international PhD candidates it is highly recommended to apply as early as possible, since during the application process the academic degrees obtained abroad will be checked. This may take some time. In some cases it might be that you will have to acquire further qualifications. At some Faculties the confirmation acceptance is necessary in order to enrol. Please find more information about the Application for acceptance to the Faculty and the respective application form here.

Where and how can I get an assessment about the comparability of my foreign degree?

The International Office does not check the comparability of foreign degrees of prospective doctoral students. For the application to the faculty, you will need a statement of comparability of your Master degree earned abroad. Please apply for this statement at the ZAB (Zentralstelle für ausländisches Bildungswesen)   . Be advised that the process will take about three months. The application to the faculty is only possible with complete documents.

Where can I find funding possibilities?

A good funding possibility for an individual doctorate in Halle is via a scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).  You may also find scholarships from other institutions, which are listed in the DAAD scholarship database   .

Please take into consideration that the application process can take several months and that applications have to be handed in to specific submission deadlines. Therefore, we recommend starting the application process approximately one year prior to the start of your doctorate. More information on funding possibilities can be found here.

If I don’t get a scholarship, how can I find a job?

Open positions at MLU Halle are published here. You may also use the services of the career center of the MLU.
Also, on the student platform “stud.IP” in the section “Schwarzes Brett/Black Board”, student jobs get published from time to time.
Apart from that, the Euraxess Network offers a job platform    for international researchers.

What health insurance do I need and where can I find information?

All international doctoral candidates and researchers have to ensure an adequate health insurance for the time spent in Germany. General information can be found here or here    (in many different languages). If you are employed at Uni Halle with a work contract, you are eligible for statutory health insurance. There is a wide choice of statutory health insurance providers. Basic coverage is always the same: your health insurance covers the cost of check-ups, treatment for illness or after an accident, and certain medications. General costs for hospital stays are also covered. You can find an overview here   .

If you are not eligible for the statutory health insurance, you will have to find a private health insurance provider. It is recommended to choose a German health insurance, since reimbursement of the costs can be costly and lengthy when choosing a health insurance provider in your home country.

If you receive a scholarship, the DAAD insurance    might be an option for you.

If you do not receive a scholarship, there are several providers who offer substitutive insurance coverage, such as for example Care Concept (Tariff “Care Student”), Mawista Student, IHC-Company (“Tarif ISHCP”) or Hallesche. Please make sure to carefully check the insurance conditions and exclusion criteria, for example, whether preventive medical check-ups and the treatment of pre-existing conditions are covered in the plan.

What is a hosting agreement and why do I need it?

If you would like to apply for a visa for research purpose, it is necessary that you conclude a hosting agreement with the receiving research institution - in this case Martin Luther University (MLU). Detailed information can be found here. You can dowload the form here: BAMF - Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge - Infothek - Sample of a hosting agreement between the research organisation and the researcher   

Which Visa is right for me?

For entry from non-EU countries, the visa requirement apply. Please note that, even though you generally might be eligible to enter Germany without a visa (see eligible countries here   ), you will still have to apply for a visa with the respective purpose of your stay (research/study).
Detailed information on visa requirements can be found on the website of the German Foreign Office   . You can check here    for the different visa options. For PhD students and researchers, the visa for research purposes    (§18d) is the right option. If this option is not offered from the embassy in your home country, please provide the Hosting Agreement, since this will ensure you receive the right visa. For PhD students, also the student visa (§16) is an option.

How do I apply for a visa?

To apply for a visa, contact the German embassy or consulate in your home country. Here    you may find a list of all German representation offices. On the respective website, you may usually find an overview of the process, appointment booking possibilities and a list of required documents under “Service” -> “National Visa”.

How do I find an accommodation in Halle?

Shared appartments: The main platform for students to look for shared apartments is WG-Gesucht   . You can filter the website for your preferred size, budget, location and number of people to live with. Please note that you cannot automatically book a room via this website. If you decide to write to one of them, it is a good idea to introduce yourself and tell a little bit about yourself and your interests in a friendly way, since people usually care a lot about who they are going to live with. Depending on whether it matches, they would usually invite you to see the flat and meet each other, and then accept or decline your request.

Generally, flats in Germany are usually rented out un-furnished, to find a furnished option is usually a lot more expensive. An exception might be a so-called "Zwischenmiete" (sublet), so if somebody rents out their room for a limited amount of time.

Another website where you might find sub-let rooms or apartments is: https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/stadt/halle/   .

In case you may not find something for the full time of your stay, it is an option to stay in an AirBnB / Holiday Flat first. Here are a few options:

The PhD network also has a list of accommodation options for long-term and short-term stays that we are happy to send to you on request. You can find more information on our website here and here.

Can I stay in the university dormitories as a PhD student?

PhD students may apply for accommodation in the University dormitories   . The rent for one month starts at about 230 euros (including additional costs). The minimum rental period is 4 months. However, the dormitory rooms are primarily allocated to Bachelor and Master students and people who are under 30 years old. Since the rooms are known to be popular, we recommend that you apply early.

During your PhD

Appointment for city registration

Every person who moves into an apartment in Halle is legally obliged to register their residence with the Citizens' Service Office of the City of Halle within 14 days of arrival. General information about this process can be found here.

How can I book an appointment?

You have to book an appointment for registration directly on the website of the City of Halle   .
Currently, there are only appointments available quite far in the future. Due to this condition, you don’t have to fear any consequences when registering within 14 days is not possible.

In the e-mail you get after the registration, you need to klick a link for confirmation. You will receive a waiting number for your appointment.

To the appointment you should bring the "Wohnungsgeberbestätigung" (confirmation of landlord), passport and if applicable a marriage certificate or your children’s birth certificates. All documents need to be in German or translated to German. Only after registration with the city, an appointment at the Foreigners' Registration Office (Ausländerbehörde) is possible.

Where can I have documents officially translated?

The International Office doesn’t offer translations. You may contact one of the many translators in Halle or elsewhere. It is important that the translator is “vereidigt”, that means sworn and officially approved.

Here are some links to possible translators in Halle:

Can I get help with translation at my appointment at the foreigners‘ office / city hall?

Kindly send a request to with the appointment you need accompaniment. If capacities are available, our team is happy to support you. Apart from that, you can also contact the free service of SiSA – Sprachmittlung in Sachsen-Anhalt   .

How can I open a German bank account?

You may have to get a bank account with a German bank. Here are some suggestions on where you could start with collecting information on terms and conditions.

Banks with branches and the possibility of personal consultation:

• Saalesparkasse (Rathausstraße 5, 06108 Halle (Saale), Tel: 0345 – 232 00)

• Volksbank Halle (Saale) (Wilhelm-Külz-Straße 2, 06108 Halle (Saale), Tel: 0345 – 21 480)

• Postbank Finanzcenter (Große Steinstraße 72, 06108 Halle (Saale), Tel: 0228 – 55005536)

To open an account, usually you will need the following documents:

• passport (with the necessary visa for entry into Germany – if applicable)

• Certificate of registration from the City of Halle

• Residence permit (if applicable, not obligatory in all banks)

• German Tax identification number (you will get it automatically after registration as citizen.

In urgent cases please contact the Tax office (Finanzamt) in Halle and ask for a confirmation that you have applied for the tax identification number)

Bank with online services:

• N26 – www.n26.com   

• DKB – www.dkb.de   

• Wise - https://wise.com/de/multi-currency-account/   

Some general information (no liability for the completeness and accuracy of any data):

• Charges for maintaining accounts may vary; enrolled PhD students can get a current account free of charge at the two banks named above; at the Saalesparkasse und Volksbank Halle. This is available only for PhD students up to 27 years.

• Some banks have a minimum running time (Volksbank: 6 months, Postbank: none).

Why do I need and how do I get a Residence Permit?

Everybody who comes from a country outside of the EU who intends to stay longer than 90 days in Germany and does not have a valid visa for the entire duration of his or her stay requires an electronic residence permit (eAT). You should start the process of application about 6-8 weeks before your visa runs out. The same counts for renewal of the Residence Permit.

Here you can find the general information given by the city of Halle in German:

Which residence permit is for me?

Here    you can find an overview (only in German, unfortunately) of the different types of residence permits applicable for researchers from non-EU countries.

How can I get an appointment at the Foreigners' Registration Office (Ausländerbehörde)?

To doctoral candidates and researchers, individual appointments are allocated. We can help you to get an appointment. If you wish us to do so, please send an e-mail to To speed up the process, please send us the required documents for issucance/renewal of your residence permit as a scan. We will forward your request to the Foreigners' Registration Office.

A list of the required documents for your respective residence title you may find here:


Liste_einzureichender_Dokumente_für_Terminbuchung_22062023.pdf (103.4 KB)  vom 22.06.2023

Can I enrol at MLU as a PhD student?

The enrolment process at Halle University as a PhD student is optional (in some fellowship programmes it might be compulsory), in most cases it is advantageous. Some of the advantages are free use of public transport in all of Germany (starting in summer semester 2024), free use of the university libraries, reduced prices in the university cafeterias. The enrolment will take place personally once you are in Halle. For the enrolment as a PhD student there are no deadlines and no tuition fees are charged. However, a registration fee for each semester has to be paid if you enrol. After having successfully enrolled you will get a student ID. Here you can find some more information.

I have questions about the content / subject-related aspects of my doctorate, or I would like to take advantage of further education opportunities at MLU. Who can I contact?

You can contact the International Graduate Academy (InGrA) for these topics. The InGrA offers advice on further education courses and workshops as well as all academic issues (e.g. doctoral regulations, doctoral registration formalities, etc.). All InGrA workshops and advisory services are held in English. An overview of all workshops offered by MLU for doctoral candidates and employees and other interesting information can also be found on the InGrA blog.

What happens with my residence permit if I finish my PhD?

In the case you finish your PhD before your residence permit runs out, you are required to inform the foreigners’ office about your change of situation. If you leave Germany or Halle, you should unregister from the foreigners’ office. If you are planning to stay, you may apply for a new residence permit, e.g. for job seeking.

How and where can I sign up for the newsletter?

Unfortunately, we cannot sign you up if you write us an e-mail about it, but you can do it yourself by following this link.

Where can I find funding possibilities?

You can find a list of current funding programs offered, for example by the DAAD and the DFH here.

What language courses are offered at the MLU?

For enrolled students and research associates, the Sprachenzentrum offers free language courses for many languages, such as: Chinese, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Spanish. You can find more information here. You can find more information about the German language classes by following the link.

The Institute for German Language and Culture (IDSK) associated with MLU offers German classes including exams and certificates for studying and working in Germany. You can check the course offer at the IDSK in Halle here.

The language center (Sprachzentrum) also offers an opportunity for language tandem. If you are interested in a language tandem or would like to learn more, please contact the following e-mail address: . Another way to find a tandem partner is here.

What is the Rundfunkbeitrag (GEZ fee) and how do I pay for it?

Germany has independent radio, television and online services provided by ARD, ZDF and Deutschlandradio. Everyone pays money for these services together. This is called the broadcasting fee (Rundfunkbeitrag). Basically, citizens in Germany who are at least 18 years old have to pay a monthly broadcasting fee of 18,36€. The amount is charged per apartment. If several people live together in one apartment, only one person pays the fee, regardless of how many people live in the apartment or how many devices are used. Under certain conditions it is possible to apply for a reduction or exemption. More information in different languages including English, Arabic, Ukrainian and others can be found here   . You can register a new apartment    online or notify a change of address digitally.

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