The study curriculum of the University of Lodz Doctoral School of Exact and Natural Sciences will help you deepen the knowledge of your scientific discipline. Moreover, it will enable you to strengthen your scientific expertise, raise your qualifications in the field of teaching and develop soft skills, including an ability to actively plan your own career. Doctoral students graduating from the University of Lodz Doctoral School of Exact and Natural Sciences will be prepared to critically evaluate the results of scientific research, create the basis for scientific publications and present the outcomes to the international scientific community. The objective of education here is to prepare each doctoral student to carry out teaching activities at the level of higher education, where he/she can spread the scientific knowledge obtained with the use of the latest methods of communication. 

Recruitment Rules for the Doctoral School of of Exact and Natural Sciences of the UL in the academic year 2026/2027:

The recruitment rules and their appendices are available at the following link: https://www.uni.lodz.pl/sdnsip/rekrutacja

The recruitment process commences on the date on which both of the following conditions are met:

o    submission of a signed application for admission to the school via the IRK system,

o    payment of the recruitment fee of PLN 250 and allocation of this fee to the selected doctoral school.

Electronic registration (without submitting an application and paying the application fee) does not constitute an action initiating the recruitment process. If an application for admission to a doctoral school is not submitted via the IRK system or if the aforementioned payment allocated to the relevant school is not made, no procedural action will be taken.

People with disabilities

The form of assistance provided to people with special needs or disabilities during the admissions process may be arranged with the chair of the admissions panel via the Support and Accessibility Centre, following the candidate’s prior contact with this unit. The University of Lodz ensures that people with special needs or disabilities are able to participate fully in the recruitment process, including by providing a sign language interpreter or an assistant to accompany them during the interview; however, the candidate should indicate this need during the registration process in the IRK.

Stages of the recruitment process: 

a)  registration in the IRK system and submission to the IRK system of the full set of documents specified in § 8 of the Recruitment Regulations (from 12^th of June to 19^th of June 2026) – registration instructions (PDF format),

b)  interview (from 9^th of July to 14^st of July 2026),

c) for candidates admitted to the doctoral school – submission in hard copy of the set of documents specified in § 8 of the Admission Regulations, no later than on the day of taking the oath.

The candidate’s responsibilities include, in particular:

a) selecting a doctoral school and specifying the discipline(s) in which the doctoral thesis will be prepared. If the thesis is to be prepared in more than one discipline, the candidate must indicate the primary discipline,

b) completing the registration form,

c) entering the weighted average of marks obtained during first-cycle and second-cycle studies, or integrated master’s studies, or equivalent (where it is not possible to provide a weighted average, the arithmetic mean may be accepted); the data is entered on the basis of:

-  a supplement to the degree certificate for a first-cycle or second-cycle degree, or a single-cycle master’s degree, or an equivalent qualification; or

-  a certificate stating the weighted average mark from their studies.

For candidates who have completed their studies outside Poland, the above results are converted by the doctoral school to the system in force in Poland on a proportional basis according to the percentage of the maximum number of points that can be obtained. The data entered by the candidate will be verified on the basis of the documents attached in the IRK system,

d) uploading to the system a recent photograph taken in a format meeting the requirements specified for identity cards in the case of Polish citizens or for passports in the case of foreign nationals,

e) producing legible PDF scans of all paper documentation (and the photograph uploaded to the IRK system) submitted by the candidate as part of the recruitment process, and then uploading them to the IRK within the timeframe specified in the recruitment schedule for electronic registration. Each scan file should include the candidate’s first name and surname in the filename, along with an indication of which document has been scanned, following this format: Surname_First name_name of scanned document

The candidate is responsible for ensuring that the documents submitted via the IRK system correspond to the originals. The documents entered into the IRK system must be identical to those submitted in paper form by candidates accepted into the SDNŚiP.

f) assigning their academic output to the academic discipline(s) relevant to the candidate’s research and publication activities, by submitting an appropriate declaration in the IRK,

g) submission by the foreign candidate of a declaration regarding their intention to use a place in the University of Lodz Student Hall following admission to the SDNS. The University of Lodz does not guarantee the allocation of a place in the University of Lodz Student Hall,

h) following registration in the IRK – checking their IRK account daily to receive any messages.

Required documents

The documents that applicants are required to submit are listed in § 8 of the Admission Rules for the Doctoral School of Social Sciences at the University of Lodz for the 2026/2027 academic year.

The candidate must upload a complete set of admission documents to the IRK system, including a printed and signed application form for admission to the SDNŚiP (the template is set out in Appendix 1 to the Admission Rules).

In the recruitment process, copies of documents (scans) are accepted as the basis for assessing candidates and conducting the recruitment procedure. Should there be any doubts as to the authenticity of the copies (scans) of documents submitted by a candidate, the candidate may be asked to produce the original documents or officially certified copies of those documents.

Other documents required for the recruitment process:

1) a copy of the degree certificate for a first-cycle or second-cycle degree, or a single-cycle master’s degree, or an equivalent qualification, together with a copy of the diploma supplement stating the candidate’s degree average (subject to point 3),

2) in the case of a candidate who has completed their studies abroad – the degree certificate must be legalised or bear an apostille and entitle the holder to apply for a doctoral degree in the country whose higher education system includes the institution that issued it. In the case of a diploma issued in a language other than Polish or English, a translation into one of these languages must also be submitted. The candidate shall submit a declaration in which they undertake to provide a certified translation of the aforementioned diploma into Polish within the time limit specified in the declaration (Annex 2 to the Admission Rules),

3) candidates who, by the time of the interview, have not yet obtained a Master’s degree or do not hold a diploma confirming a Master’s degree, shall submit a certificate of the weighted average of marks obtained from first- and second-cycle studies or integrated master’s studies or equivalent, together with an undertaking to provide a certificate confirming the completion of the final examination and the award of the professional master’s degree by the 22^st of July 2026. (a template for the undertaking is set out in Annex 3 to the Admission Rules), the above-mentioned persons are required to provide a copy of the diploma confirming the award of the degree referred to in § 2(1) of the Admission Rules, prior to commencing their studies at SDNŚiP,

4) an outline of the proposed doctoral dissertation with a statement confirming that the candidate has never previously prepared or defended a doctoral dissertation in the proposed topic (the obligation to submit the aforementioned statement does not apply to cases of transfer from another doctoral school and to persons who will be studying under a cotutelle agreement and are already studying at a foreign university at the time of recruitment). The outline of the dissertation, which should show the structure of the planned work and research, including descriptions of the different parts of the projected research work with a bibliography (max. 10 items). The outline, including the bibliography, must not exceed 5 pages in A4 format; margins 2.5, font – Times New Roman 12 or equivalent, spacing 1.5.

5) a statement of an UL employee on his/her readiness to act as a supervisor (if the candidate has such a consent) - according to the template available in the IRK. In the absence of such statement, the candidate submits an application for the appointment of a selected person, who is qualified to act as a supervisor, to the role of supervisor of the candidate’s doctoral dissertation (Annex 4 to the Recruitment Rules); the said person is chosen from the list of potential supervisors that SDNSiP shall make available on its website not later than one month before the start of the recruitment procedure.

It is required that the topic of the doctoral dissertation, as specified in the candidate's outline, be consistent with the research interests and specialisation of the person selected from the list of potential supervisors.

6) a questionnaire for evaluation of the candidate's documentation (Annex 5 to the Recruitment Rules), which is the candidate's declaration of achievements to be evaluated,

7)a document confirming the candidate's knowledge of English of at least B2 level in accordance with the List of Documents Confirming the Knowledge of English Language (Annex 6 to the Recruitment Rules) or a statement of English language proficiency at a level that enables to follow the programme of study at the doctoral school (Annex 7 to the Recruitment Rules),

8)confirmation of previous research activities (during the recruitment procedure, an account shall be taken of the candidate's documented research and organisational activity corresponding to the disciplines in which the SDNSiP is conducted, from the last 5 full calendar years preceding the recruitment - until the end of the online registration):

a)    publications – only works published or accepted for publication with editorial approval; the candidate must provide a bibliographic notice allowing full identification of the work and the page of the publication containing an abstract,

b)    participation in scientific conferences - printout of abstract from conference materials, full conference details and confirmation of the award,

              c) a scientific and research projects - participation in the project confirmed by a contract for specific work or an employment contract or by a declaration of the project manager,

         d) attestation of other achievements including, in particular: a copy of the diploma of completion of additional study programme, certificates confirming training, mobility, activity in a science club (confirmation of the type of activity and its duration,

               e) candidates referred to in Section 2(2) of the Recruitment Rules have the opportunity to submit the following documents after the time limit for submission of documentation resulting from the recruitment schedule (but no later than the date of the interview with the candidate):

1.  the opinion of an independent academic staff member, expressed in a review of the Master’s thesis, that the candidate's Master’s thesis contains scientific results that could give rise to, or form part of, a scientific publication,

       2.  confirmation that the Master's thesis has been graded at least 4.5.

9) a candidate with a certificate of disability / degree of disability issued based on the provisions of the Act of 27 August 1997 on Vocational and Social Rehabilitation and Employment of Persons with Disabilities (consolidated text Journal of Laws of 2025, item 913 as amended) shall submit a copy of the certificate with other recruitment documents if he/she intends to exercise additional rights under the law,

Applicants from abroad (foreign nationals) must also submit:

a) a document confirming the legality of their stay in the territory of Poland, in the form of a copy of a valid visa or residence card, to be submitted immediately upon obtaining one of the aforementioned documents, and no later than the end of the first semester of study at SDNS, 

b) in the case of applicants who do not have their place of residence or habitual residence, or their registered office, in Poland, another Member State of the European Union, the Swiss Confederation or a member state of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) – a party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area – a written indication of an address for service within the territory of Poland or the appointment of an authorised representative for service (for the purposes of serving letters and administrative decisions). In the event of failure to comply with the above obligation, decisions and letters shall be placed in the candidate’s file with the effect of service.

The interviews:

The interviews will take place on the following dates:

from the 9^th of July 2026 to the 21^st of July 2026.

Detailed information regarding the job interview will be sent to candidates registered in the IRK system via a system message.

Date of announcement of recruitment results: 

By the 23^th of July 2026

Deadline for submitting the diploma examination certificate*: 

*applies to candidates who have been admitted to the admissions process despite not holding a Master’s degree (pursuant to the provisions of § 2(2) of the Admissions Rules) and who have undertaken to provide a certificate confirming that they have passed the final examination and been awarded a Master’s degree by the deadline specified in the admissions timetable

By the 22^st of July 2026

Deadline and method of submitting paper documents – applies only to those admitted to the doctoral school

Documents must be submitted no later than the date on which your oath is taken.

Documents must be delivered to the doctoral school office or sent by post to the following address (the date of receipt by the doctoral school shall be deemed the date of submission):

University of Lodz

Doctoral School Centre

Elżbieta Dorobiała

SDNŚiP Secretary
21/23 Matejki Street, Room 113 

90-137 Łódź, Poland

email: office.sdnsip@uni.lodz.pl