The requirements for access to doctoral studies in the Spanish state are regulated by the central government through the RD 99/2011. Please note that the information shown here is only a summary. If you have any questions contact the Doctoral School.
Pre-enrollment deadlines for the 2026/2027 academic year:
Doctorate Program in Business Administration and Management
Doctoral Program in Art: Production and Research
Doctorate Program in Biotechnology
Doctorate Program in Design, Manufacturing and Management of Industrial Projects
Doctoral Program in Communication and Cultural Industries
Doctorate Program in Mathematics
From September 1st to 13:00 hours on October 15th, 2026.
Resolution within 30 calendar days after the end of the application period.
Other doctoral programs
From June 15th to 13:00 hours on October 15th, 2026.
Resolution within 45 calendar days following the complete application for admission.
Vacancies
Programs with vacancies may open an extraordinary pre-enrollment period from November 16th, 2026, until 13:00 hours on March 31st, 2027.
(All times refer to Spanish peninsular time).
Admissions will be valid for the academic year in which the application was made and for the following academic year.
General access requirements:
The requirements for access to doctoral studies in the Spanish state are regulated by the central government through the RD 99/2011. By way of summary, the general minimum requirements are:
- Official university degree + official Spanish master’s degree, totaling 300 ECTS and accrediting level 3 of the Spanish Framework of Qualifications for Higher Education (MECES).
- Official university bachelor’s degree + official master’s degree from the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) that accredits level 7 of the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) and gives access to a doctorate in the country of origin.
- Five-year degree (or more) from pre-Bologna plans (engineer, graduate, architect, …) that has obtained the correspondence to level 3 of the Spanish Framework of Qualifications for Higher Education (MECES) or level 7 of the European Qualifications Framework (EQF).
- Qualifications from outside the EHEA equivalent to a master’s degree that allows access to doctoral studies in the issuing country (a certificate issued by the university of origin stating this requirement must be provided).
ATTENTION:Consult the specific admission criteria for the programs that interest you in the program website (section ACCESS INFORMATION)
If you already have a username and password for this university, you can now apply for admission to the PhD programme. If you have never studied at the UPV and do not have a username and password, you must first request a username and password. In such cases (applicants who do not have a previously registered username at the UPV), the Doctoral School will provide intranet login data (username and PIN) until 3.00 pm on the working day (in the city of Valencia, Spain) prior to the application deadline.
Documentation to be submitted:
Before submitting your application, you should have prepared the required documentation that you will have to upload to the platform. The maximum number of documents that you can upload to the platform is 12, so please bear this limitation in mind. It is essential that each document is in a single file and in pdf format.
- Identity Card / Passport.Copy of ID card, TIE, European identity card or passport.
In case of providing a copy of the passport, you must provide as soon as possibleCopy of the TIE issued by the competent Spanish administration. - Curriculum vitae, and supporting documents for each of the merits included (language certificates, first and last page of publications, etc.).
- Admission endorsement from a UPV professor Commitment of the future thesis director/supervisor to supervise the candidate’s thesis. Download here the model form:
- University degrees and academic records The qualifications required for admission to a Doctoral Program (i.e., bachelor’s and master’s degrees, or equivalent degrees);
- It is not necessary to provide the documentation of the degrees issued by the UPV..
- Transcripts from Spanish universities must include a grade point average.
- For academic transcripts of non-Spanish degrees, it will be necessary to attach the corresponding “statement of grade point average equivalency“in accordance with the procedure of the Ministry of Universities ( https://universidades.sede.gob.es/pagina/index/directorio/Equivalencia_notas_medias/language/es_ES).
- If your Master’s degree is from the European Higher Education Area (except Spain),it is also necessary to provide the European Diploma Supplement or a Certificate from the issuing University stating that the Master’s degree has EQF7 level, or a Certificate from the issuing University stating that the Master’s degree gives access to PhD studies in that country (sample form).
- If your access degree is from outside the European Higher Education Area:
- You must provide a Certificate from the issuing university stating that the degree gives access to doctoral studies in that country (sample form).
- The degree shall be properly legalized.
- In addition, you will have to pay a fee for the equivalence study of this degree (155,22€). The amount of the fee is regulated by the decree of taxes of the Generalitat Valenciana. The payment must be made through the same platform where the pre-enrollment application is made, from the “Receipts” section (‘Recibos’ in Spanish).
Attention: This free must be paid before the end of the corresponding pre-registration period. Otherwise, regardless of the documentation provided, your pre-registration application will be cancelled and cannot be evaluated.
ATTENTION: Consult the program website (ACCESS INFORMATION) you want to request in case you have specific documentation required
More information for holders of non-Spanish degrees
If you have a master’s degree from outside the European Higher Education Area, remember to authenticate it.
Make your request
If you already have your UPV username + password you can apply for your PhD. If you have never studied at the UPV you should start by requesting an ID and password.