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 |
4 November 2026. The exact time will be sent by email to candidates invited to the interview. 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 |
4 November 2026. The exact time will be sent by email to candidates invited to the interview. 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 |
4 November 2026. The exact time will be sent by email to candidates invited to the interview. 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 |
9 November 2026. The exact time will be agreed individually by email with candidates invited to the interview. 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