Max Planck Society with German universities and research organisations, funded by the federal research ministry and the Dieter Schwarz Foundation
Max Planck Schools
The Max Planck Schools are four fully funded doctoral programmes that pool the best researchers in a field from across Germany into a single faculty: Biomedical Artificial Intelligence, Cognition, Matter to Life and Photonics. Bachelor's and master's graduates from any country can apply, and those admitted are funded for up to five years with no tuition fees. Applications open every year on 1 September and close on 1 December.
- Level
- Master's, PhD
- Study or work in
- Germany, at the partner universities and research institutes
- Who can apply
- Bachelor's or master's graduates of any nationality in a field related to one of the four Schools; English proficiency
- What it covers
- Up to five years of funding: a scholarship in the first phase, then a salaried contract at the public sector E 13 scale; no tuition fees
- Length
- Up to five years (three to five for the PhD)
- Application window
- Opens 1 September, closes 1 December; start the following autumn (2027 intake: by 1 December 2026)
Open now (1)
- 25 PhD Positions (m/f/d) | Max Planck School of Biomedical AIMax Planck Institute of Biochemistry · Martinsried, Germany · Closes 1 December 2026
How to apply
Apply online through the Schools' application portal to one School, following its own requirements. Each School selects in several stages; Cognition asks for two referees and three Fellows you would like as supervisors, and Photonics adds an online test on a research article before interviews.
How the Schools work
Each School is a network rather than a place. Its Fellows are leading scientists at partner universities and institutes of the Max Planck Society, Fraunhofer, Helmholtz and Leibniz, and doctoral candidates carry out their research in one of their groups while taking part in seminars, joint events, lab rotations and online teaching across the network. Each School is steered by senior scientists as Speakers and run by a coordination office; a Steering Committee chaired by the Presidents of the Max Planck Society and the German Rectors' Conference guides the programme as a whole.
Most Schools offer two routes. Graduates with a bachelor's degree enter an integrated master's and PhD programme, and graduates with a master's degree can often go straight to the doctoral phase. Matter to Life is an exception: everyone enters at the master's phase of its five-year programme, which is a joint degree of Heidelberg and Göttingen. The School of Biomedical AI takes master's graduates into its PhD programme.
The funding
Admission comes with funding for up to five years. In the first phase, usually for those who enter with a bachelor's degree, candidates receive a scholarship and, where it applies, help with health insurance and material costs. After completing that phase they are employed on a contract under the public sector pay agreement at the E 13 level. There are no tuition fees.
The four Schools
Cognition takes students from fields as varied as artificial intelligence, linguistics, mathematics, neuroscience, philosophy, physics, psychiatry and psychology. Matter to Life asks what life is and whether its processes can be recreated in the laboratory, drawing on physics, chemistry and biology. Photonics covers the science of light across its subdisciplines, with careers in both academia and industry in view. Biomedical AI works at the interface of artificial intelligence and biomedicine and looks for master's graduates in computer science, mathematics, statistics, engineering, physics or computational life sciences.
How selection works
- Application. Candidates apply to one School through the shared portal between 1 September and 1 December, meeting that School's own document requirements.
- Screening. Each School checks eligibility and ranks the written applications. Matter to Life, for example, requires a GPA of 1.7 or better on the German scale or a place in the top 5 per cent of the class.
- Tests and first interviews. Photonics invites promising applicants to an online test on a research article of their choice; Matter to Life holds a first video interview of about 15 minutes on motivation and suitability.
- Scientific interviews. Shortlisted candidates discuss research with Fellows. Cognition held its 2027 interviews online on 23 and 24 February 2027; Biomedical AI interviews between January and March.
- Offers and matching. Successful candidates are offered places and matched to groups or supervisors; the process runs until about the end of March or April.
Questions
Can I apply with only a bachelor's degree?
Yes, to the Schools that offer an integrated master's and PhD track. Biomedical AI requires a master's degree.
When would I start?
In the autumn after you apply. Cognition starts on 1 September each year, and the first Biomedical AI cohort starts in September 2027.
Do I need to speak German?
No. The Schools ask for proof of English. Matter to Life accepts documents in English or German.
Is the GRE required?
Not at Cognition, which now treats GRE scores as voluntary. Check the list of documents for the School you choose.
Is there an application fee?
Matter to Life states that there is no fee to apply.
Where would I live and work?
In the group of your Fellow at one of the partner institutions across Germany; Matter to Life students study in Heidelberg or Göttingen.
Related programmes
Sources
- Max Planck Schools
- Max Planck Schools: about
- Max Planck Schools: application
- Max Planck Schools: programme benefits
- Max Planck Schools: governance
- Max Planck School of Cognition: application
- Max Planck School of Photonics: application
- Max Planck School Matter to Life: application
- Max Planck School of Biomedical AI: application process
Official pages last checked 27 September 2026.