by Karin Ash
Top STEM PhD Programs in Europe and How to Apply
Given the current uncertainty around department funding for PhDs in the United States, some applicants with a STEM background are exploring opportunities to study in Europe. Beyond receiving a high-quality education, there are numerous benefits to studying overseas:
- You will experience greater cultural diversity and have the opportunity to develop a global network of peers.
- Tuition may be less costly than in the United States.
- When on school breaks, you can easily travel to multiple countries, often on a student discount ticket.
The process of applying to European universities is similar to that of U.S. schools – with most programs requiring transcripts, a statement of purpose, and letters of recommendation.
The following are three examples of European universities known for their STEM PhD programs:
- ETH Zurich is consistently ranked as a top ten university globally, and its computer science department was ranked eighth in the U.S. News & World Report 2024-2025 Best Global Universities list. The school offers two doctoral programs: the Doctoral Study program, for those who have a master’s degree, and the Direct Doctorate in Computer Science program, for those with a bachelor’s degree. Both programs provide financial aid.
To apply to the Doctoral Study program, you can do one of the following: contact an ETH professor who works in your research field to find out if they will have an opening and are willing to supervise you; or submit an application via the school’s central application system. The Direct Doctorate program does not admit new students directly but instead via the school’s master’s program. Therefore, applicants must apply to the master’s program and indicate their interest in the doctoral program at that time. - The Technical University of Munich (TUM) was recently ranked number one for computer science in Germany and 14th globally by the British magazine Times Higher Education. The Department of Computer Science’s research groups specialize in areas including programming technology, data science, artificial intelligence, and computer graphics. However, TUM’s Bioinformatics, Medical Informatics, and Business Informatics programs are gaining more attention given the department’s focus on interdisciplinary and applied research.
There are no tuition fees for doctoral students, but you are expected to cover your daily expenses. To enter the doctoral program, you must either submit an application for a posted open research position, or submit a self-initiative application (which involves gaining the approval of a faculty member who will support your research proposal). - University College London was ranked seventh in the U.S. News & World Report 2024-2025 Best Global Universities list. In 2021, the school’s computer science department was ranked first in England and second in the United Kingdom by the Research Excellence Framework, a system for assessing the quality of research. The department is recognized for its research in algorithms, artificial intelligence, and data science. Before applying to the doctoral program, you must draft a research proposal and gain the approval of a faculty member who specializes in your research area.
Other European STEM PhD programs can be found at the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, the University of Edinburgh, the University of Amsterdam, and École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) – the Swiss Federal Technology Institute of Lausanne.
When researching U.S. STEM PhD programs, if you find that departments facing uncertainty are bringing in fewer students, broaden your search to include European schools. Turn this challenging time for universities into an opportunity for you to have an experience you would not have otherwise!
With 30 years of career/admissions experience at four universities, including Cornell’s Johnson Graduate School of Business and College of Engineering, Dr. Karin Ash has met with thousands of recruiters seeking to hire the best graduate students from leading schools. She has served as an admissions committee member, ensuring that the applicants who ultimately enroll are a good fit for the program and prime candidates for employers. Karin has been a consultant with Accepted for almost a decade and has facilitated applicants’ entry into top engineering, data science, MBA, and other STEM graduate MEng, MS, and PhD programs. Her clients have been accepted to top graduate programs at MIT, the University of Chicago, Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, UPenn, USC, and more than 60 other schools.
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