How to find a PhD or master's program abroad

To find a PhD abroad, search where positions are actually advertised: national portals such as Germany's PhDGermany, EURAXESS for research jobs across Europe, university job pages and a few large listing sites. Where you look depends on the country, because in some a PhD is a job you apply for and in others a programme you're admitted to. Master's programmes are simpler to find: a few big directories list most of them, and some governments run their own. This page covers the main PhD finders and master's program search sites, how each country advertises places, and how to search well. The search below shows funded PhD programmes and positions in the Scholarway database.

How PhD places are offered, country by country

Before you choose a PhD portal, know what you're looking for. The same doctorate is advertised in very different ways:

• The Netherlands and much of continental Europe: a job. Most PhD candidates in the Netherlands have an employment contract with the institution where they do their research, according to Study in NL. Positions are posted on job boards such as AcademicTransfer, and you apply for a specific project.
• Germany: two routes. Research in Germany, run by the DAAD, describes the individual doctorate, where you find a professor willing to supervise your own research, and structured PhD programmes, which are closer to the model in English-speaking countries and are advertised publicly.
• The UK: studentships. Funded places are called studentships, often attached to a project or a doctoral training programme. UKRI, the main public funder, doesn't take applications itself: you apply to the university or research organisation offering the studentship, and UKRI points students to FindAPhD for current openings.
• The USA: a programme. You usually apply to a department's PhD programme, not to a project, and many programmes fund the students they admit. Princeton, for example, guarantees full funding to its PhD students for the regular length of the programme.

So a search for a "PhD position" works in Europe, while in the USA you compare programmes and their funding instead. Our page on PhD scholarships explains how funding works in each case.

PhD finders compared

Listings come from the universities and institutes themselves, and the portals can't vouch for every detail, as the DAAD says of PhDGermany. Treat a listing as a pointer: the advert on the university's own site is the one that counts.

Master's program search: where to look

Large directories. Mastersportal, also run by Studyportals, and FindAMasters list master's programmes from universities around the world, with filters such as subject, country and study mode. They are the quickest way to answer "which universities teach this?".

Official databases. Governments and public agencies keep their own lists, often more complete for their country. The DAAD's International Programmes database covers master's courses in Germany, many taught in English. The Erasmus Mundus catalogue lists the joint master's degrees the EU supports, taught by universities in several countries, many of them with scholarships: see Erasmus Mundus.

Finding a masters program for you. Directories return hundreds of matches. Narrow them in this order:

1. Subject and content. Read the modules, not only the title: two courses with the same name can be very different.
2. Entry requirements. Your bachelor's subject, grades and language test.
3. Total cost. Tuition plus living costs. In Germany, for example, most public universities charge no tuition; see studying in Germany.
4. Funding. Whether the university or a government programme offers scholarships for the course. Our master's scholarships page lists the main ones, and study abroad compares destinations.

How to search for a PhD effectively

1. Use the local job titles. A PhD place can be advertised as a doctoral researcher, doctoral candidate or PhD student post. Search for several, and for your subject's own terms.
2. Filter for funding. PhDGermany and EURAXESS both let you filter listings; in the UK, look for "funded studentship" in the advert.
3. Save your searches. Several portals, FindAPhD among them, can send you new listings for your subject. Advertised positions close on a set date, so check often.
4. Contact the supervisor. For an individual doctorate in Germany, or for a fellowship you bring with you, you need a supervisor who agrees to host you. A short email with your CV and a one-page research idea is the usual first step.
5. Check eligibility first. Some positions have rules on nationality or on where you've lived: Marie Skłodowska-Curie doctoral positions, for example, have a mobility rule. See Marie Curie fellowships.

Finding a PhD and finding a PhD scholarship are often separate searches. A good project without funding can still go ahead with a fellowship or scholarship you win yourself: see PhD and research fellowships, DAAD scholarships and fellowships. Our guide to scholarship applications covers the documents.

Where Scholarway fits

Scholarway isn't a programme directory: it lists funding, such as scholarships, fellowships and funded PhD programmes like those in the search above, and reads each one's eligibility rules. Add your nationality, degree, career stage and field, and it shows the funding you can apply for. Our scholarship finder guide compares it with other scholarship websites, and the scholarship eligibility checker explains how the rules are matched. For everything else, start at scholarships.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best website to find a PhD?

It depends on the country. EURAXESS covers research positions across Europe, PhDGermany covers Germany, AcademicTransfer the Netherlands, and FindAPhD and jobs.ac.uk the UK. For the USA, compare programmes on each university's own site.

How do I find a fully funded PhD?

In Europe, look for advertised positions with a salary or a funded studentship, and filter for funding on the portals above. In the USA, many PhD programmes fund the students they admit. You can also win your own funding through a scholarship or fellowship and take it to a supervisor.

Should I contact a supervisor before applying for a PhD?

For an individual doctorate in Germany, or when you apply for a fellowship with a host, yes: you need their agreement first. For advertised positions, read the advert; many welcome an informal email before you apply.

Where can I search for master's programs abroad?

Large directories such as Mastersportal and FindAMasters cover many countries. Official databases, such as the DAAD's for Germany and the Erasmus Mundus catalogue for joint degrees in Europe, are more complete for what they cover.