Access requirements and Admission

The bases for access and admission to doctoral studies are governed by the provisions of Articles 6 and 7 of Royal Decree 99/2011, as well as Article 7 of the Regulations for the development of RD 99/2011, which regulates doctoral studies at the UCM published in the BOUC on December 12, 2012 [Regulations for the development of RD 99-2011].

The requirements, deadlines and application procedures for admission, as well as the instructions for enrolment can be consulted in the Call for Admission to Official University Doctoral Studies for each academic year:

It will also be available on the corresponding pages of the Doctoral School:

Additional information for students having performed studies abroad

Homologation or equivalence

If you have a credential of homologation or a declaration of equivalence to the degree and academic level granted by the Ministry of Universities, the procedures to apply for admission to PhD studies will be the same as those for applicants who have obtained their degree in Spain.

Access permission

If you do not have any official recognition or equivalence in Spain and your degree comes from a country outside the European Higher Education Area, you may access PhD studies by applying for a doctoral admission permit prior to registration (although you may apply for a position, you can only be admitted if you already have the authorisation granted). The procedures for this permit are initiated and presented at:

More information at:

Vice-rectorate of Students. Validations Department
Avda. Complutense, s/n
Ciudad Universitaria. 28040 MADRID
Telephone: 91 394 1288
E-Mail: convalid@rect.ucm.es

Application form, processing rules and procedures

You will not need to apply for it if:

If you already have authorisation granted in previous courses for studies regulated by RD 99/2011.
If you can prove you hold an Official University Master's degree obtained in any of the Spanish universities, according to RD 1393/2007, or in any university of the EHEA after 2007. In this case, you must provide proof of the degree that gave you access to the master's degree.

In some programs, applicants must demonstrate proficiency in Spanish. In this respect, they should contact the Secretary's Office of the Centre where they are going to carry out their PhD studies

Application deadline can be found at https://www.ucm.es/doctoral-school/additional-information-for-students-having-performed-studies-abroad