"I was a math undergrad worried I'd be too theoretical for biology. Three months in, my supervisor told me to ignore that worry — pick a problem and the rest follows."
Lina Hartmann
Year 3 · Loose Group · from Berlin
Applications open · Cohort 2027
Five years. One question. Yours.
The ISTA PhD program is fully funded, English-taught and interdisciplinary — you begin with rotations, then choose a group, a supervisor, and a question worth five years.
Fully funded
€34k / year
5 years
English · no German required
Apply by 8 Jan 2027
Program structure
Five years, mapped.
From rotations to defense. No tracks, no silos — pick from any of nine topics.
1
Year 1 · Rotations & coursework
Three lab rotations across topics. Coursework in your chosen area. Choose your supervisor at the end of year 1.
2
Year 2 · Qualifying exam
Master's-equivalent credit. Research proposal defended in front of your thesis committee. Independent project officially begins.
3–4
Years 3–4 · Doctoral research
Deep work in your chosen group. Regular thesis-committee meetings. Conference attendance funded. Co-supervision possible.
5
Year 5 · Thesis & defense
Write up. Submit. Defend. ISTA alumni go on to postdocs at Stanford, MIT, MPI — and to industry, science writing, and tech.
Application stepper
From interest to offer in 5 steps.
208 days until deadline · 8 Jan 2027
-
115 min
Find your topic
Browse the Research Hub. Note 2–3 topics that excite you.
Open Research Hub → -
230 min
Identify groups
Pick 3–5 groups whose questions resonate. List them in your application.
See a group profile → -
32–3 weeks
Prepare documents
CV, transcripts, motivation letter, 2 references. We email referees directly.
Checklist → -
4By 8 Jan
Submit online
Single form, save & resume. No application fee. Confirmation within 24h.
Open the form → -
5Feb–Mar
Interview & offer
Shortlisted candidates visit campus (travel covered). Offers go out by mid-April.
Final step
Requirements
Plain checklist.
Five items. No hidden criteria, no inside knowledge required.
1
Bachelor or master in a relevant field
Sciences, mathematics, computer science, engineering — or anything you can credibly bridge into a research project.
2
English language fluency
All teaching, research and admin happens in English. Certificate accepted but not required if your degree was in English.
3
Two referees
Researchers who know your work. We email them directly through the application portal — you never handle reference letters.
4
Motivation letter
Maximum 2 pages. Tell us the questions you're drawn to and the groups you want to rotate with. Write it yourself.
5
CV & transcripts
Standard CV plus transcripts from each degree. Unofficial is fine; we'll request originals if shortlisted.
Life as a PhD
Housing, money, daily life.
Monthly gross
€2 850
14 × per year
Approx. net
€2 050
Single, no dependents
On-campus rent
€450
Furnished studio, utilities incl.
Health insurance
€0
Included from day one
Housing offered to every cohort.
On-campus apartments, walkable to the lab. Or live in Vienna and take the shuttle (15 min).
15 min to Vienna
Free shuttle every 30 min from U4 Heiligenstadt. Late-night runs on weekends.
80 nationalities
PhD community from six continents. Welcome office helps with visa, taxes, banking.
Klosterneuburg
Small town next to the Wienerwald. Hiking trails, the Danube — five minutes from the lab.
Voices · current PhDs
From the people who chose to be here.
"My partner was worried about Klosterneuburg being too small. He found a kindergarten spot in 2 weeks and now we're not leaving."
Karim Salah
Year 4 · Csicsvari Group · from Cairo
"The rotations made me change topic completely. I came for quantum, stayed for evolution. No one judged me for it."
Yuna Nakamura
Year 2 · Barton Group · from Tokyo
FAQ
Most-asked.
Still not answered? Email gso@ista.ac.at — Graduate School Office replies within 2 working days.
Do I need a master's degree to apply?+
No. A strong bachelor's is enough. About half of our incoming students have a master's; the other half complete a master's-equivalent in year 1.
Can I contact group leaders directly before applying?+
You don't need to — group selection happens after rotations. If you have a substantive question for a specific group, you may, but a contact-only message is not expected.
Is the program really fully funded?+
Yes. €34k/year gross salary, full Austrian social insurance, conference travel covered, no tuition fees. On-campus housing is offered at well below market rate.
What's the acceptance rate?+
Around 4 % across the cohort. We do not publish per-area numbers because admissions don't work that way — we look at the whole pool together.
Can I switch supervisor or topic during the program?+
Yes, with the support of the Graduate School Office. Switches happen — they're handled openly, not penalised.
What happens after the PhD?+
Roughly 65 % of alumni move to postdocs at top institutions (Stanford, MIT, MPI, EPFL, Crick). The rest go to industry research, science writing, science policy, or start companies — often through XISTA.