Politecnico di Torino PhD Scholarships 2027

Italy runs one of the largest and least publicised funded doctoral systems in Europe, and Politecnico di Torino is one of the clearest examples of it. The university's 42nd cycle offers at least 110 PhD scholarships with full tuition waivers and an annual stipend of €18,854.52. The second selection session opens on 15 October 2026 and closes on 16 November 2026 at 14:00 CET.

For a student who has been priced out of the UK and US, this is one of the most realistic fully funded routes into a strong European technical institution — and it is open to all nationalities, with reserved places for refugees.

WHAT THE SCHOLARSHIP ACTUALLY COVERS

Selected PhD candidates receive a full tuition waiver for the entire duration of the doctorate, plus an annual scholarship of €18,854.52 gross — approximately €1,386 net per month — for up to 36 months. The scholarship is renewed each year subject to completing the required activities.

Two additions matter more than they first appear. First, you receive a research budget equal to 10 per cent of the total scholarship to cover conferences, materials and other research costs — so you are not funding your own fieldwork out of the stipend. Second, the scholarship increases by 50 per cent for any research period spent abroad. For a doctorate where international mobility is built in, that is a substantial sum.

Positions are not all the same, and choosing the wrong category wastes an application. There are fully funded scholarships with an open research topic, where the thesis is agreed after admission; fully funded scholarships with a predefined research topic, which you must select explicitly; apprenticeship-format doctorates combining the PhD with a paid company contract, capped at age 29 at hiring; and a small number of positions without a scholarship. There are also reserved positions, including foreign-government scholarships, places for current research fellows, and the POLITO for REFUGEES project for holders of international protection status.

WHO CAN APPLY — AND THE SELF-CHECK TO RUN FIRST

The call is open to candidates worldwide, of any nationality. You need a master's degree or equivalent second-level degree, and you may apply conditionally if you have not yet graduated, provided you complete the degree by the date set for your session.

Now the details that actually filter people out.

Do you meet the grade threshold? Italian degree holders need a minimum final grade of 95/110. Holders of foreign degrees must meet the country-specific minimum GPA listed in Appendix 2 of the call — and the thresholds are not uniform. Do you hold B2-level English certification from a body on the accepted list? IELTS at 5.5, TOEFL iBT 72, PTE Academic 59 and TOEIC are among the accepted routes, and some English-medium institutions in listed countries are exempt.

Can you describe a research question you actually want to pursue, in a written statement of no more than 8,000 characters? Can you name two academic referees with institutional email addresses? And are you prepared for the fact that the motivational statement must be written by you — the call explicitly prohibits using AI tools to generate any part of it, and the university reserves the right to verify compliance?

That last rule is unusual and worth taking seriously. Write it yourself.

THE THREE SESSIONS, AND THE ONE THAT IS OPEN

The 42nd cycle runs as three independent sessions, each generating its own ranking. The first session ran from 20 March to 30 April 2026. The second session opens on 15 October 2026 and closes on 16 November 2026 at 14:00 CET. The third opens on 14 January 2027 and closes on 15 February 2027 at 14:00 CET.

Each session has its own start date — 1 March 2027 for the second session, 1 June 2027 for the third — and you may apply to only one session per programme. You can apply to more than one PhD programme, but each application carries its own non-refundable €30 fee.

The final number of positions per session and programme is confirmed six days before the oral interviews, so check the position table again shortly before your interview date. Positions are sometimes added after the call is published.

HOW TO APPLY

Applications are submitted exclusively through the online Apply portal on the Politecnico di Torino website. There is no paper route.

Your materials checklist:

A valid identity document or passport. Bachelor's and master's degree transcripts. Non-Italian qualifications may need translation where the call requires it. B2 English certification from an accepted body, or documentation supporting an exemption. An abstract of your master's thesis in English, between 3,000 and 6,000 characters. A motivational statement in English, no more than 8,000 characters. The names and institutional email addresses of two academic referees. Optional but strengthening: a GRE score, publications, or letters of recommendation.

Selection runs in three stages: administrative eligibility verification, then a programme-specific committee evaluation worth up to 40 points for academic credentials and up to 20 for motivation, then an interview worth up to 40 points. You need a combined 40 out of 60 on the first two components just to reach the interview, and 60 out of 100 overall to enter the final ranking. Interviews may be held in person or by videoconference.

https://www.polito.it/en/education

Not sure whether your file is competitive? Take it to an OEAC advisor before you submit — a second pair of eyes on the research statement is usually the difference between shortlisted and rejected.

OTHER FUNDED EUROPEAN DOCTORAL ROUTES

ETH Zurich's excellence scholarship is the closest Swiss comparator at master's level:

https://www.oeacnetwork.com/index.php?page=post&id=14

EPFL runs a comparable fellowship with a per-semester payment:

https://www.oeacnetwork.com/index.php?page=post&id=27

And DAAD's study scholarships remain the largest German route for a fully funded master's:

https://www.oeacnetwork.com/index.php?page=post&id=5

COMMON MISTAKES TO AVOID

Applying in the wrong session for your programme. Each session produces an independent ranking, and you may only apply once per programme.

Missing the 14:00 CET cut-off. The portal timestamp is the one that counts, and the deadline falls in the middle of the afternoon, not at midnight.

Skipping the appendix check on your country's minimum GPA. The threshold varies by country, and falling below it ends the application before it is read.

Using AI to write the motivational statement. It is explicitly prohibited and the university reserves the right to check.

Selecting a topic-bound position without reading the annexes. Predefined-topic places can carry extra requirements listed in the position table.

Assuming one €30 fee covers everything. It is charged per programme applied for.

Forgetting that interviews are public. They may be attended, and they may be conducted in person or by videoconference — plan your availability accordingly.

One final point for applicants from Afghanistan and Pakistan specifically: the reserved POLITO for REFUGEES places are for holders of international protection status, and they sit alongside the general competition rather than replacing it. If you hold that status, say so clearly in your application and provide the supporting documentation.

Source — Politecnico di Torino, education: https://www.polito.it/en/education

Photo: Ravanellidiciamo, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Politecnico_di_Torino.JPG)

Last updated: 13 October 2026