Doctoral admission for 2026
Tallinn University offers three statuses of PhD places:
- A Junior Research Fellow is a PhD candidate and an employee of the university at the same time. The exact workload and nominal study time depends on Individual Study and Research Plan and can be from 4 to 6 years. Starting from April 1, 2026, the minimum salary by the workload 1,0 is 2100 euros per month.
- A Knowledge Transfer Doctoral Fellow works in an external institution or in an enterprise where he/she performs duties related to the doctoral studies under an employment contract with a load of at least 0.5. The knowledge transfer doctoral fellow has at least two supervisors, one of whom is from the company or institution where the research is carried out.
- A Doctoral Student has a status of a student. The nominal study time depends from Individual Study and Research Plan and can be from 4 to 8 years.
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Junior Research Fellow | Knowledge Transfer Doctoral Fellow | Doctoral Student |
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| Who is it suitable for? | Those who wish to dedicate themselves full-time to research and be an integral part of Tallinn University’s research community | Those who wish to connect their research with the practical needs of a company or public sector organisation. | Those whose professional commitments do not allow them to dedicate themselves full-time to doctoral studies. |
| Status | Tallinn University employee and doctoral candidate | Employee of a knowledge transfer partner organisation and doctoral candidate | Doctoral candidate |
| Workload | At least 0.75 FTE at Tallinn University | At least 0.5 FTE at the partner organisation | No employment contract related to doctoral studies |
| Main responsibilities | Completion of the doctoral thesis and teaching activities accounting for 10–15% of working time | Completion of the doctoral thesis and development activities supporting the partner organisation’s needs | Completion of the doctoral thesis |
| Nominal study period | 4–6 years | 4–8 years | 4–8 years |
| Employment contract | Yes, with Tallinn University | Yes, with the knowledge transfer partner organisation | No |
| Income | Tallinn University Junior Research Fellow salary | Salary paid by the partner organisation | None |
| Additional information | You are an equal member of Tallinn University’s research community and receive support from your first year through to successful thesis defence. | Provides an opportunity to create direct and measurable impact beyond the university. | Previously known as an external doctoral student |
Available study places are shown on the programme's webpage. If the programme has places to a junior research fellow and a doctoral student statuses and the applicant wishes to apply to both places, an application must be submitted to both competitions on Dream Apply.
Baltic Film, Media and Arts School
| Programme | Contact person |
|---|---|
| Audiovisual Arts and Media Studies | Kerli Aguraijuja |
School of Digital Technologies
| Programme | Description | Exam information | Contact person |
Information Society Technologies |
Computational Interaction |
Information about the entrance exam and the assessment is available on the programme's web page. |
Kea Kiviraijuja-Verma |
| Information Society Technologies | Psycho-Physiological Indicators of Creative Barriers |
Information about the entrance exam and the assessment is available on the programme's web page. |
Kea Kiviraijuja-Verma |
| Information Society Technologies | Data-Driven Labor Market Forecasting and Skills Intelligence |
Information about the entrance exam and the assessment is available on the programme's web page. |
Kea Kiviraijuja-Verma |
School of Educational Sciences
| Programme | Contact person |
|---|---|
| Educational Sciences | Elina van der Toorn |
School of Humanities
| Programme | Description | Exam information | Contact person |
| Linguistics | The use of AI and AI-powered assessment, feedback, and personalized learning |
Information about the entrance exam and the assessment is available on the programme's web page. |
Substantive questions: Andres Karjus General questions: Maris Peters |
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Minimum programme enrolment threshold: 75 points out of 100.
Changes may occur in the schedule.
Additional information
E-mail: phd.admissions@tlu.ee