Required registration documents
What documents must be submitted in the online registration for the doctorate?
Inform yourself in advance about the required registration documents for the doctorate. Note that your entries in the online registration (eApply) must be substantiated by uploads of the required registration documents.
Translations
Official documents such as academic transcripts and diploma certificates must be submitted in the registration for the doctorate (eApply) in the original language in which they were originally issued.
If your official documents are issued in any language other than German, French, Italian or English by the university you must upload, in addition to the official documents in their original language (e.g. Chinese, Spanish, Greek), an English translation.
We only accept translations supplied by the university which issued the corresponding document, or translations made by an authorised professional translator. We prefer official translations which are issued directly by the university/institution.
Fill out the online registration form eApply.
You will be guided through the online registration procedure step by step. Note that your entries must be substantiated by uploads of the required documents (CV, official academic records, etc.). To complete your registration you will be directed automatically to the payments page for the payment of the registration fee. You will receive a confirmation by email as soon as you submit your online registration.
If you DO NOT HAVE a Swiss address yet (or you are not living at the address yet), please enter the address of your doctoral thesis supervisor (professor) here at ETH.
Your professor, fulfilling the requirements to supervise doctoral theses at ETH, has to confirm his/her supervision of your doctoral thesis by signing the respective Download confirmation form (PDF, 517 KB). Upload this filled-in and signed form in the registration for the doctorate (eApply).
In addition, enter the supervisor of the doctoral thesis and the administrative assistance of the supervisor in eApply (Contacts).
If your doctoral thesis is supervised by a Privatdozent/in or an Adjunct Professor, the necessary Download authorization form (PDF, 236 KB) must be approved by your department, and then uploaded filled-in and signed in the doctoral registration (eApply) additionally to the Download Confirmation of doctoral thesis supervision (PDF, 517 KB).
External thesis projects are only approved subject to certain conditions. These conditions are described in the Download thesis project outside the ETH Domain request form (PDF, 768 KB), which must be submitted along with a concept of your proposed thesis in the registration for the doctorate (eApply).
The concept is a summary of the planned external doctoral thesis, in which it must be justified why the doctoral thesis project is being carried out outside the ETH Domain.
Important notice:
- Diploma certificates and transcripts must be submitted in the registration (eApply) in the original language in which they were originally issued. For each document that is not issued in German, English, French or Italian, an official translation or, if issued by the university, an English version must also be submitted.
- Documents must be uploaded in PDF format. Word documents and image files (JPEG, GIF, PNG, TIF etc.) are not accepted.
- Maximum size: 5 megabytes (MB)
- If a document has many pages, create one single PDF of it.
Transcripts
The official academic transcript must be issued by the authorised and competent body within the University (e.g. the Registrar’s Office, the Student Records’ Office or the Examination Office) and display the following information:
- completed courses and grades for each semester of studies
- the marks or grades you achieved for each module
- the credit value
- the study programme (minor/major)
- the level of qualification
- the grading system
An official academic transcript (also referred to as academic record, statement of learning, record of achievement or similar) often provides your identification number at the institution, your enrolment status and may also confirm your final award and final GPA, including the degree conferral date.
The final Bachelor's and Master's transcripts must be submitted with the registration for the doctorate.
Registration for the doctorate can only take place once the Master's transcript/grade report is complete and all the required credit points have been verified and all grades are visible. The final grade for the Master's thesis must also be shown. It must be possible to calculate a final cumulative grade point average (CGPA) if this is not already shown in the document.
Diploma certificates (Degree certificates) & Diploma Supplements
The diploma certificate or degree certificate is the official final document issued by your university after your successful completion of the degree programme. It specifies the awarded degree and the date of conferral.
In the registration for the doctorate you must upload a copy of your Bachelor's and Master's diploma certificates in addition to the official final transcript / academic record.
If your Master's diploma certificate has not yet been issued at the time of application, you have to submit a official confirmation of completion or interim certification from your university that you have completed all the requirements to obtain the Master's degree. This confirmation of completion has to be signed and stamped by the university.
The external page Diploma Supplement describes the knowledge, skills and competences, which graduates achieve through their studies. This document is usually issued together with the diploma certificate by all universities in countries which ratified the Bologna Declaration. If available from the issuing universities, upload the Diploma Supplements resp. HEAR Reports (usually issued by universities in GB) in the registration for the doctorate.
Verification of academic degrees
Depending on the country of the issuing institution, the academic degrees you have indicated resp. uploaded in the doctoral registration must be verifiable online resp. verified electronically before you can complete your registration. Follow the instructions in the online registration (eApply), where you will be asked to upload the relevant documents or request them from the issuing institution when indicated.
Your current chronological Curriculum Vitae (CV) must contain a full and continuous history (no biographical gaps) of your educational background (schools attended, studies, etc.) and work experiences. Start with high school up to the point of submission of the registration for the doctorate (tabular resumé). Your academic history in particular should be as exact as possible and contain all academic degrees, with most recently earned degrees listed first.
In the registration, 2 references must be indicated. These will receive an email when submitting the registration with the request to upload a letter of recommendation
Exception: Master graduates from ETH and from other Swiss universities don't have to submit letters of recommendation in the registration for the doctorate.
The 2 letters of recommendation can be issued by professors, tutors, managers or supervisors who are able to assess your academic qualifications with regard to your suitability for the doctorate.
The future supervisor of the doctoral thesis is not allowed to issue a letter of recommendation.
Filled-in and signed Download declaration of consent (PDF, 136 KB).