Generally, students are admitted for the IMPRS on Astrophysics Graduate School once a year. The program starts each September 1st for a general duration of 3 to 4 years. Application deadline is November 1st of the year before. We are offering about 25 PhD positions each year for research topics in various fields of astrophysics. See Available PhD Topics for more details.

Due date for applications for the program
starting on September 1st, 2026
is November 1st, 2025

The online application portal becomes available start of August, 2025 that is three month before the deadline. In case you want to be notified as soon as the plattform will be online, please send a short email to our office. We will put you email address to our notification list.

A complete application must include the following documents:

• A fully filled-in online application form, including a list of all courses and credits/grades.
• Your curriculum vitae as PDF file in the upload area of the application form.
• Up to three letters of recommendation uploaded by your referees. For more information follow the instructions of the online application form. The recommendation letter deadline is November 1st too.
• Copies of all academic certificates/transcripts including M.Sc., B.Sc., etc. as one PDF file in the upload area of the application form (originals must be presented, if you are selected for a position).
• A copy of your M.Sc. thesis (with English abstract if the thesis is not written in English) or preliminary Master's thesis abstract as PDF file in the upload area.
• A proof of English language ability (when applicable*) (e.g. transcript of TOEFL / IELTS scores or equivalent; our TOEFL Institution Code is 8223 and the Department Code is 61 or 99). For TOEFL, there is the recommended IbT of at least 94 points, for IELTS a recommended score of at least 7 points.
  *If your native language is Englisch or if your university education including your Master thesis has been already in English you do not need to provide an English proficiency test.

See Available PhD Topics for more details regarding the subjects of research for your PhD project.

The student selection workshop and the interviews for students who applied in 2024 are scheduled to take place February 10-12, 2025

See Selection & Admission for more details.

General Information about PhD positions at Max Planck Institutes

The Max Planck Society has about 80 scientific institutes spread all over Germany focusing on numerous research fields ranging from physics, biology to medicine, from social sciences to humanities. All institutes are independent from each other with their own board of directors and administration. The short video “How to apply for a PhD position in the Max Planck Society” provides further information about PhD research opportunities.

In the case of further questions,

please check in our FAQ section for an answer.
Otherwise please do not hesitate to contact us via e-mail:

office @ imprs-astro.mpg.de.