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List of Frequently Asked Questions


Q: I do not have a passport number available until the application deadline, what shall I do?
A: The passport number is important for all students coming from a country where a visa is required to enter Germany. In case a student is short-listed and invited to our recruitment workshop in February, he/she must have a passport in order to apply for the visa. In order to simplify the processes, we ask for the number directly with the application. Students from Germany or the Schengen area do not need to present a passport number.
If you do not need to provide a passport number, or cannot provide one, please fill in a "0" in the field.

 

Q: I do not have a complete university record of all my course work and grades at the time of applying. Would this affect the PhD application process?
A: In general, it is no problem. Please include all transcripts and certificates, which explore the state and level of your education. It would be of advantage to give a one-page summary of the Master's thesis project. We will try to rank your application based on what you provide us. However, the acceptance will be preliminary until you have provided us your final and complete academic certificates. If it turns out that your final degree does not meet the formal requirements of the LMU, we will no longer feel bound to our offer. Therefore, please send us the complete documents at the earliest possible date.

 

Q: I expect to finish my degree in June, so I would like to know if I can send my application now? Would this affect the admission process?
A: If you apply with incomplete curriculum any acceptance is based on assuming that you meet the requirements of the "Doctoral Degree Regulations of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München for the Faculty of Physics (2020)“ . That is, we assume, that your degree will be a MSc degree with an average grade of better or equal to 2.5 (see §4 of the "Doctoral Degree Regulations). However, the acceptance will be preliminary until you have provided us the final academic certificates. Before you start with your PhD in Garching, we have to forward your complete curriculum to the Dean’s office of the Physics department at the LMU to get it checked for equivalency with a MSc and whether it meets the requirements of the "Doctoral Degree Regulations of LMU. If it turns out that your final degree does not meet the formal requirements of the LMU, we will no longer feel bound to our offer. Therefore, please send us the complete documents at the earliest possible date.

 

Q: I apply with a university degree that is not equivalent to a MSc (e.g. a BSc, Bachelor of Honours, MSci or undergraduate Master). Am I eligible for the PhD program?
A: Degrees which are not equal to a MSc in the sense of the EU-wide Bologna process (e.g. a B.Sc., Bachelor of Honours, MSci or an undergraduate Master) are counted by the LMU as a BSc. In these cases the regulations described in §4 of the "Doctoral Degree Regulations of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München for the Faculty of Physics (2020)“, apply. It requires a very good result in your final grades to get admission to the PhD track. With regard to the additional 60 ECTS points that must be achieved in the first 2 semesters (which last about 2 x 3 month in total), the Dean can individually check whether courses from your degree can be credited to the 60 ECTS points. However, this is a "can", not a "must". This decision is taken solely by the Dean of the Faculty and only if all final degree certificates and transcripts are available. We at the IMPRS program have no influence on this. .

 

Q: I have a degree in physics equivalent to BSc. Do I need to apply first for a master to the LMU and then for the PhD after I have received the Master’s or would it be sufficient to submit an application for the PhD only?
A: We highly recommend that you first obtain the MSc degree either at LMU or at any other university. Once you received the Master’s degree, you can apply for a PhD position at the IMPRS. As a very outstanding student, you can apply with a BSc but you have to gain some extra ECTS credits first to get admission to PhD studies at LMU. That would be one year extra work parallel to the start of your PhD studies.
Please check the "Doctoral Degree Regulations of the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München for the Faculty of Physics (2020)" and therein the section "Commencement of the doctoral process"

 

Q: If my degree is a BSc and I have to obtain 60 ETCS credits during the first two semesters before I can enroll for PhD studies at the LMU, will I obtain some financial support then?
A: If accepted by one of the two institutes MPE or MPA, you will get a so called “Bachelor Stipend” for a maximum duration of 18 month, assuming that you will already start to work on your PhD project during the time you do the required course work to obtain the 60 ECTS points. The given time for the course work is two semesters (each of about 3 month). This means that of the first year you spend about 6 month for course work and 6 month to start already working on your PhD subject. The Bachelor Stipend is at the level of EUR 800/month. No Bachelor stipends are available at ESO and USM.

 

Q: I apply with a BSc / MSci / Undergrad Master’s obtained from a university in UK. The UK has recently ceased to be part of the EU. Do I really need a GRE test for my application at the IMPRS on Astrophysics?
A: According to the "Doctoral Degree Regulations of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München for the Faculty of Physics (2020)” , it is required that applicants who apply for PhD studies with an entry degree BSc (or similar) from a non-EU university have to provide a passed GRE subject test in physics or mathematics. Since UK is no longer an EU member state a GRE subject test is officially required. However, as in 2021 we are still in a transition phase the LMU is NOT asking for a GRE test for UK students at the moment. The university system in UK is still the same as during the times when the UK was still an EU member state. But this approach might change in the future.

 

Q: I will not need a PhD grant but want to participate in the IMPRS on own funds. Will that be possible?
A: Regardless of whether or not you are in need of financial support, all applications will be evaluated using the same criteria. Only the excellent quality of the candidate decides who will get an offer.

 

Q: What is the difference between the questions "course work" and "summary of your education" in the application form? To me it seems that both sections ask for the same information.
A: In the section "course work" we ask for detailed information about all university courses and exams as well as the grades achieved there. In the section "summary of your education" we ask for a tabulated summary of your complete education which includes e.g. college, university, summer/winter schools and other activities which might be relevant for your application.

 

Q: Is it that an applicant has to take care of the matriculation/enrolment at LMU along with the application process? Or is it a formality to be fulfilled after admission would be granted?
A: The admission / enrollment process at LMU is independent of the application process. After you received an offer from IMPRS, we will hand in your application material to the Ludwig-Maximilans University of Munich to see whether your degree meets the formal requirements for admission to PhD studies. After you received the admission letter from LMU you can start the enrolment. The PhD contract from IMPRS will be preliminary until you got the admission from the university. Please note that your MSc needs to have an average final grade of 2.5 (“good”) to be accepted by the University for the PhD program: "Doctoral Degree Regulations of the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München for the Faculty of Physics (2020)"

 

Q: All my secondary education has been in English language. Do I still need to provide proof of English proficiency like TOEFL or IELTS?
A: No! Just mention it in the language section of your application form. If you do have a statement of your university / school that you have been taught in English, feel free to upload that document instead of a TOEFL or IELTS score sheet.

 

Q: It will not be possible to do the TOEFL / IELTS test in time, so that the results will not be available at the due date. Is that a problem?
A: Candidates whose native language is not English or German should provide a certificate documenting proficiency in English. But you can apply without the TOEFL / IELTS and submit the test scores as soon as you have passed the test. TOEFL / IELTS test are not mandatory for your application. Every other comparable certificate proving your English proficiency would be welcomed too! In the case you would be accepted for a PhD position your acceptance might be pending until you have passed and submitted the TOEFL / IELTS results that have to meet the IMPRS requirements.

 

Q: What is the Institution and Department Code of the IMPRS on Astrophysics, required to for the TOEFL score report?
A: For TOEFL, the Institution and Department Code is 8223. For the IELTS test you do not need this code. Simply give them our postal address and they will send your test scores to us by mail. The address is: IMPRS on Astrophysics at the University of Munich, Admission Office, PO BOX 1312, Giessenbachstr. 1, 85741 Garching, Germany.

 

Q: I am in large trouble I am in a flagrant financial situation and therefore not able to take an TOEFL test can I submitted my application without the test results?
A: As all courses and most of the research activities at the IMPRS are in English we ask applicants whose native language is not English to provide us with a certificate of their English proficiency. This is to make sure that their successful participation is not hampered by an insufficient knowledge of the English language. Standard for this are certificates of the TOEFL or IELTS test. We understand that the TOEFL test is expensive for you. You may consider the IELTS test as an alternative, which might be less expensive. If you really cannot manage to provide us any certificate, you should disclose your situation to the committee. In any case, your application will be ranked according to the material that is available to us during the review of applications.