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Pre-doctoral applications

The information on this webpage is for international students applying to the Ph.D. program in the Electrical Engineering department. If you have any additional questions on these programs, please send an e-mail to info (at esat.kuleuven.be).

General information

A pre-doctoral year is a transition year to enter the Ph.D. program. It consists of a series of courses and a pre-doctoral presentation. The number of courses depends on the qualifications and experience of the applicant. For instance, publications in international journals or conferences, patents or other relevant experience will reduce the number of required courses.

Admission instructions

General admission instructions

There are general KU Leuven admission instructions that apply to all foreign students. These can be viewed and application forms can be downloaded from the KU Leuven International Admissions webpage. Admissions deadline is March 1 to start in the Fall of the same year.

Specific admission instructions for Ph.D. students (pre-doctoral program).

Foreign students that want to study towards a Ph.D. degree in the Electrical Engineering department will first follow a pre-doctoral study year. In addition to the general admission criteria of the KU Leuven, the EE department requests the following information, to be added to your application:

  • TOEFL scores
  • GRE scores
  • Statement of purpose: one page description why you want to study in our department. Please be specific.
  • Clearly indicate your obtained degrees, scores or GPA and ranking in your department.
  • Students are in general required to have a MS degree unless other material is provided to prove the relevant experience, such as international publications relevant to the field.
  • List prizes or other honors you have received.
  • Identify an advisor. It is uttermost important that you have a confirmed advisor before entering the pre-doc program. You can consult the research webpage of the department or of IMEC to identify an interesting research topic.
  • In general, the university nor the department provides funding for pre-doctoral students. However, an individual faculty might have research funds available for this purpose. Please discuss this with your research advisor.
  • Before a pre-doctoral year is approved, you need to have a research topic and an exam jury for your pre-doctoral presentation. This needs to be discussed with your advisor.