PhD Programme in Politics
Luiss Guido Carli, Rome
Tuition, per year
Not yet read from the university’s page
Application deadline
Set by this cycle’s call
The date appears here, with its link, once a person has opened that call.
English requirement
The university's own test
The university’s exact wording
“Annex A, section c, phase 2 states: "Interviews will be conducted in English, this being the working language of the PhD Program. The interview be held in presence or remotely." The mandatory documents in Annex A, section e, require a "Curriculum vitae, indicating all qualifications held (for example, master's degree, advanced courses, other PhDs, etc.), research undertaken, any publications, study and work periods either abroad or of international relevance, and certified knowledge of English and of any additional foreign languages other than English". Neither the call nor Annex A names an accepted test and neither sets a minimum score. There is no IELTS, TOEFL, PTE or Duolingo minimum published for this programme. English is assessed by the selection committee at the interview, which is scored out of 40 with 24 needed to pass.”
Unverified. Not yet verified. A person has not opened the source for this cycle. Read off the institution own programme page on 13 September 2026 by a single research pass. It has NOT been independently re-checked: the verification stage of that run was stopped before it reached this record, so the record renders as unverified rather than claiming a receipt it does not have. The English requirement is held at unverified unless a per programme source URL was found. Figures here are a starting point for a reader, not a checked claim. Open questions: 1) Tuition. No tuition fee or annual contribution for this PhD is published in the call, in Annex A, or on any programme page read. The only fee published is 200 euro for the award of the doctorate at the end. Whether an enrolled PhD student pays an annual fee is unread. 2) Application fee. The call names no fee to enter the competition. The 150 euro participation fee Luiss charges for first year degree admission is not mentioned anywhere in this call and may not apply to a PhD applicant. 3) The deadline, the number of places and the scholarship amount for the XLIII cycle, a.y. 2027/2028. No call is published yet. For reference the XLII call was issued on 2 December 2025 and closed on 23 January 2026. 4) Annex A contradicts itself on the number of places. Section a says 7 fully funded scholarships for the academic year 2025/2026. Section b says 5 ordinary places plus 1 reserved place, total n. 6, and the annex header says Cycle XLII, A.Y. 2026/2027. Section a looks like text carried over from the previous cycle. The record uses section b. 5) Whether a certificate of English carries weight in the CV score. The CV must indicate certified knowledge of English, but no test, score or weighting is published. 6) Whether the module list changes between cycles. The study plan read is the teaching programme published for a.a. 2026/2027. 7) Whether an unfunded place exists. The general call for applications page mentions one unfunded position for public sector employees, but the XLII call states it does not provide for positions without a scholarship. The general page appears to be stale. Luiss Guido Carli, PhD Programme in Politics
- LevelPhDDottorato di Ricerca
- SubjectSocial sciences
- Taught inTaught in English
- Length3 years
- DeliveryOn campus
- StartsOctober
- AdmissionRestricted, entrance testThere is an entrance test
- Minimum markNot yet read
The money
What you pay, and what you must prove you have.
Two different things, kept apart on purpose: a bill you pay, and a balance a visa officer needs to see that never gets spent.
What you pay
Tuition, per year
Not yet read from the university's page
Why this figure, and not a lower one
Italian state fees usually scale with an assessed household indicator. Where the call states one figure it appears above; where it states a scale, this page says so rather than averaging it.
Read off the institution own programme page on 13 September 2026 by a single research pass. It has NOT been independently re-checked: the verification stage of that run was stopped before it reached this record, so the record renders as unverified rather than claiming a receipt it does not have. The English requirement is held at unverified unless a per programme source URL was found. Figures here are a starting point for a reader, not a checked claim. Open questions: 1) Tuition. No tuition fee or annual contribution for this PhD is published in the call, in Annex A, or on any programme page read. The only fee published is 200 euro for the award of the doctorate at the end. Whether an enrolled PhD student pays an annual fee is unread. 2) Application fee. The call names no fee to enter the competition. The 150 euro participation fee Luiss charges for first year degree admission is not mentioned anywhere in this call and may not apply to a PhD applicant. 3) The deadline, the number of places and the scholarship amount for the XLIII cycle, a.y. 2027/2028. No call is published yet. For reference the XLII call was issued on 2 December 2025 and closed on 23 January 2026. 4) Annex A contradicts itself on the number of places. Section a says 7 fully funded scholarships for the academic year 2025/2026. Section b says 5 ordinary places plus 1 reserved place, total n. 6, and the annex header says Cycle XLII, A.Y. 2026/2027. Section a looks like text carried over from the previous cycle. The record uses section b. 5) Whether a certificate of English carries weight in the CV score. The CV must indicate certified knowledge of English, but no test, score or weighting is published. 6) Whether the module list changes between cycles. The study plan read is the teaching programme published for a.a. 2026/2027. 7) Whether an unfunded place exists. The general call for applications page mentions one unfunded position for public sector employees, but the XLII call states it does not provide for positions without a scholarship. The general page appears to be stale.
Unverified. Not yet verified. A person has not opened the source for this cycle. Read off the institution own programme page on 13 September 2026 by a single research pass. It has NOT been independently re-checked: the verification stage of that run was stopped before it reached this record, so the record renders as unverified rather than claiming a receipt it does not have. The English requirement is held at unverified unless a per programme source URL was found. Figures here are a starting point for a reader, not a checked claim. Open questions: 1) Tuition. No tuition fee or annual contribution for this PhD is published in the call, in Annex A, or on any programme page read. The only fee published is 200 euro for the award of the doctorate at the end. Whether an enrolled PhD student pays an annual fee is unread. 2) Application fee. The call names no fee to enter the competition. The 150 euro participation fee Luiss charges for first year degree admission is not mentioned anywhere in this call and may not apply to a PhD applicant. 3) The deadline, the number of places and the scholarship amount for the XLIII cycle, a.y. 2027/2028. No call is published yet. For reference the XLII call was issued on 2 December 2025 and closed on 23 January 2026. 4) Annex A contradicts itself on the number of places. Section a says 7 fully funded scholarships for the academic year 2025/2026. Section b says 5 ordinary places plus 1 reserved place, total n. 6, and the annex header says Cycle XLII, A.Y. 2026/2027. Section a looks like text carried over from the previous cycle. The record uses section b. 5) Whether a certificate of English carries weight in the CV score. The CV must indicate certified knowledge of English, but no test, score or weighting is published. 6) Whether the module list changes between cycles. The study plan read is the teaching programme published for a.a. 2026/2027. 7) Whether an unfunded place exists. The general call for applications page mentions one unfunded position for public sector employees, but the XLII call states it does not provide for positions without a scholarship. The general page appears to be stale. Luiss Guido Carli, PhD Programme in Politics
To be considered, once
Not yet read from the call
Paid to the university when you submit. Non-refundable, and separate from anything the visa itself costs.
Unverified. Not yet verified. A person has not opened the source for this cycle. Read off the institution own programme page on 13 September 2026 by a single research pass. It has NOT been independently re-checked: the verification stage of that run was stopped before it reached this record, so the record renders as unverified rather than claiming a receipt it does not have. The English requirement is held at unverified unless a per programme source URL was found. Figures here are a starting point for a reader, not a checked claim. Open questions: 1) Tuition. No tuition fee or annual contribution for this PhD is published in the call, in Annex A, or on any programme page read. The only fee published is 200 euro for the award of the doctorate at the end. Whether an enrolled PhD student pays an annual fee is unread. 2) Application fee. The call names no fee to enter the competition. The 150 euro participation fee Luiss charges for first year degree admission is not mentioned anywhere in this call and may not apply to a PhD applicant. 3) The deadline, the number of places and the scholarship amount for the XLIII cycle, a.y. 2027/2028. No call is published yet. For reference the XLII call was issued on 2 December 2025 and closed on 23 January 2026. 4) Annex A contradicts itself on the number of places. Section a says 7 fully funded scholarships for the academic year 2025/2026. Section b says 5 ordinary places plus 1 reserved place, total n. 6, and the annex header says Cycle XLII, A.Y. 2026/2027. Section a looks like text carried over from the previous cycle. The record uses section b. 5) Whether a certificate of English carries weight in the CV score. The CV must indicate certified knowledge of English, but no test, score or weighting is published. 6) Whether the module list changes between cycles. The study plan read is the teaching programme published for a.a. 2026/2027. 7) Whether an unfunded place exists. The general call for applications page mentions one unfunded position for public sector employees, but the XLII call states it does not provide for positions without a scholarship. The general page appears to be stale. Luiss Guido Carli, PhD Programme in Politics
What you must prove you have
Funds you must show, per year
€10,179.85
Health cover, minimum
€30,000
How these two are decided
Funds you must show: in your own account, or evidenced by a sponsor or an award. Cash is refused.
Health cover: emergency treatment and repatriation, across the Schengen area, for as long as the visa lasts.
Universitaly (MUR)checked
Who may hold the money, and the refusal of cash, are the embassy’s own rules for a study visa rather than the university’s.
Embassy of Italy, Islamabadchecked
Rent, food and travel are in none of the figures above. What a month actually costs in Italy.
Amounts are in euro, as published. €1 = PKR 321.43, 30 August 2026.
Entry requirements
What this call asks of you.
The admission model first, because it is the one that closes a degree for a year. Everything below it is quoted from the university's call for applications for this cycle, in its order.
How it admits
Restricted, entrance test
accesso programmato
The university's own wording
“Rectoral Decree No. 330 of 2.12.2025 is headed "on a competition by way of comparative evaluation for places on the XLII cycle (a.y. 2026/2027) of research doctoral program in Politics". Annex A, section b, closes with "Total places on offer on the PhD Program: n. 6". Article 6 of the call states: "Candidates will be admitted to the doctoral programs in ranking order until all places on offer are filled." Article 8 adds: "This call does not provide for the allocation of positions without a scholarship."”
Entrance tests
Interview
What the call asks for
A master's degree, a specialized degree or an Italian master's degree under the former university system, or an analogous academic qualification awarded abroad.
A foreign qualification that is not already deemed officially equivalent must be recognised in advance by the academic authorities, for doctoral eligibility purposes only.
The qualifying degree must be awarded no later than 15 September 2026 in the XLII cycle. A candidate may apply while awaiting graduation, and the application is then treated as pending until the certificate is submitted.
On admission, an applicant holding a foreign degree must give the PhD and Education Funding Office either the Diploma Supplement, with the access to further studies section complete, or an Attestation of Comparability of the foreign degree issued by CIMEA.
A research proposal written in English, consistent with the educational goals and themes of the programme.
Full time attendance. The call describes admission as an exclusive and full time commitment, with a cap on outside paid work.
For the one increased scholarship reserved for international candidates only: not holding Italian citizenship; not having had residency or domicile in Italy, or having carried out their main activity in Italy, for more than 6 months, even non-consecutively, in the three years preceding the call; and a qualification for access obtained at a foreign university.
The English rule
The university's own test
“Annex A, section c, phase 2 states: "Interviews will be conducted in English, this being the working language of the PhD Program. The interview be held in presence or remotely." The mandatory documents in Annex A, section e, require a "Curriculum vitae, indicating all qualifications held (for example, master's degree, advanced courses, other PhDs, etc.), research undertaken, any publications, study and work periods either abroad or of international relevance, and certified knowledge of English and of any additional foreign languages other than English". Neither the call nor Annex A names an accepted test and neither sets a minimum score. There is no IELTS, TOEFL, PTE or Duolingo minimum published for this programme. English is assessed by the selection committee at the interview, which is scored out of 40 with 24 needed to pass.”
The application file
- PhD Politics - Application Form B, completed, dated and signed. The form is printed on the last two pages of Annex A.
- Research proposal, consistent with the educational goals and the themes of the Doctoral Program. It must be written in English and state the research question, the state of the art with references, the analytical framework and methodology, the sources for data collection and a brief bibliography.
- Curriculum vitae, indicating all qualifications held (for example, master's degree, advanced courses, other PhDs, etc.), research undertaken, any publications, study and work periods either abroad or of international relevance, and certified knowledge of English and of any additional foreign languages other than English.
- National ID card or passport.
- Two reference letters. These are not uploaded by the candidate. The candidate enters the names and email addresses of 2 referees in the platform, and each referee receives a link and sends the letter directly to the PhD and Education Funding Office. In the XLII cycle the referee deadline was 30 January 2026, one week after the applicant deadline.
English, accepted proofs
- An interview
Only what this call names. A proof another degree at the same university accepts is not on this list unless this call says so too.
Before any of it counts
Start the legalisation chain first
A degree awarded outside Europe has to be attested and legalised before an Italian university reads it. That chain is decided by the country you apply from, and no office on it publishes a turnaround.
The degree
About this degree.
A three year research doctorate in political science at Luiss Guido Carli in Rome, taught and examined entirely in English, based in the Department of Political Science. It suits a master's graduate who wants to write a thesis in elections and political systems, global and international studies, European integration and public policies, or communication, sustainability and social innovation.
The PhD Programme in Politics is a research doctorate at Luiss Guido Carli in Rome. Annex A to the call gives the statutory duration as 3 years. The programme sits in the Department of Political Science. The call states the programme is entirely in English. Attendance is full time, and the call describes admission as an exclusive and full time commitment.
The university's full description
The department names four research clusters. They are European Integration and Public Policies, Elections and Political Systems, Global and International Studies, and Communication, Sustainability and Social Innovation. The call invites research projects on these topics approached from a political science, sociological, historical, philosophical, or legal perspective. Three research centres sit alongside them: the Research Center for European Analysis and Policy, the Research Center for International and Strategic Studies, and the Research Center on Democracy.
Taught courses run in the first two years only. The first year covers research design, theory of knowledge of the social sciences, qualitative and historical methods, quantitative methods, an academic writing lab and four reading groups. The second year covers applied methods, a qualitative methods masterclass, a quantitative methods masterclass, research skills and thesis writing. The third year is thesis writing, completion and defence. Candidates present at the annual departmental PhD conference in each year, held in mid June.
The XLII cycle offered 6 places and every one carried a scholarship. Five places carried an ordinary scholarship and one carried an increased scholarship reserved for international candidates. The call states that it does not provide for the allocation of positions without a scholarship. For 2026 the ordinary scholarship is 16,243.00 euro a year, before the recipient pays their own share of social security contributions. The scholarship reserved for international candidates is 22,171.88 euro a year, gross of those contributions. Each doctoral student is also guaranteed a research budget of no less than 10 per cent of the scholarship, whether or not they hold a scholarship.
Selection has two phases. Phase one scores the research proposal, the CV and the qualifications in it out of 60, and 36 points are needed to go through. Phase two is an interview scored out of 40, and 24 points are needed. Eligibility requires 60 out of 100 in total and the minimum in both phases. The interview is conducted in English. At the end of the programme an administrative fee of 200 euro is payable for the award of the doctorate, which covers the diploma and two certificates.
Where it leads
As the university states it on its own page. Not a placement rate and not a promise.
- An academic career
- A professional career at international institutions
- NGOs
- Public and private research institutes
- The field of political and institutional communication
- Graduates go on to a wide range of careers in the public and private sector
Asked about this programme
The questions this one gets.
Do I need IELTS or TOEFL to apply?
No score is published for this programme. The call and Annex A name no accepted test and set no minimum. English is assessed in the selection interview, which is conducted in English. Your CV must state any certified knowledge of English you already hold.
Is the PhD funded?
Yes. The XLII cycle offered 6 places and every one carried a scholarship. The call states that it does not provide for the allocation of positions without a scholarship.
How much is the scholarship?
For 2026 the ordinary scholarship is 16,243.00 euro a year, before the recipient pays their own share of social security contributions. The scholarship reserved for international candidates is 22,171.88 euro a year, gross of those contributions. A research budget of at least 10 per cent of the scholarship is added on top.
When can I apply?
No call is open. The open calls page read NO OPEN CALLS on 13 September 2026. The last call, for the XLII cycle, closed at 16:00 CET on 23 January 2026 and its ranking was published on 16 April 2026.
What do I have to submit?
Form B signed, a research proposal in English, a CV, a national ID card or passport, and the names and email addresses of two referees. The referees send their letters directly, so you do not upload them.
Can I apply before I graduate?
Yes. The application is then treated as pending. In the XLII cycle the qualifying degree had to be awarded by 15 September 2026, and a candidate who missed that date was excluded.
How is the selection scored?
Phase one scores the research proposal and the CV out of 60, and you need 36 to go through. Phase two is the interview, scored out of 40, and you need 24. Eligibility needs 60 out of 100 in total plus the minimum in both phases.
How long is the programme and when does it start?
Three years. Annex A gives the start as October. Taught courses run in the first two years and the third year is the thesis.
One programme, one university, once a year.
That is what Universitaly allows. Three questions tell you where you stand before you spend that choice: the degree level, what the visa wants in the bank, and how much calendar is left.
Universitaly (MUR)checked
The shortlist is a conversation
An advisor reads your documents against what this call asks for and tells you whether the file will clear, and if it will not, what to fix.
Tuition a yearFee set by income band
Check Pakistan eligibility