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Scholarships for international doctoral candidates
There are no tuition fees for PhD studies at TalTech.
If you are admitted as an Early Stage Researcher, you will be employed at TalTech and paid a monthly salary of at least the average monthly salary in Estonia, in proportion to your workload during your nominal study period. The salary can exceed the Estonian average wage, depending on the particular PhD position.
All doctoral candidates who were matriculated before the 2022/2023 academic year and are studying full-time, receive a doctoral allowance paid by the government (660€ per month) during the nominal period of studies, as per the Study Allowances and Study Loans Act. Additionally, a monthly scholarship or salary, guaranteed by the supervisor or the department, is paid on top of the government allowance.
Mobility scholarships
As a TalTech doctoral candidate, you have the opportunity to apply for various grants for participation in conferences, research or teaching work abroad, library visits, foreign internships or other activities that contribute to the completion of your doctoral thesis. On this page, you can find the main support measures for foreign mobility, which are financed either from the funds of the Estonian state or the European Union, or from other foreign funds.
SCHOLARSHIPS
The Kristjan Jaak national scholarship programme awards mobility scholarships to PhD candidates for degree studies abroad and for short study visits. With the scholarship for degree studies it is possible to start or continue PhD studies at a recognised foreign university. Studies are supported for up to 48 months. With the short study visit scholarship it´s possible to participate in conferences or intensive courses, visit libraries or labs, or take part in any other study, research or teaching related activity. A short study visit can last up to 30 days. The applicants have to prove their Estonian language knowledge at least on B1 level and fill in the application form in Estonian. The scholarship programme is coordinated by the Education and Youth Board
FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR FOREIGN MOBILITY
ERASMUS+ grants, EuroTeQ scholarships and other scholarship offers based on bilateral agreements. Erasmus+ supports both short-term study visits lasting 5-30 days, exchange studies and internships lasting 2-12 months, as well as blended mobility, which can partially take place virtually.
Coordinated by the Mobility Center in the Office of Academic Affairs.
STATE SCHOLARSHIPS FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS AND RESEARCHERS
Estonian Ministry of Education and Research and Education and Youth Board offer scholarships to foreign nationals, pursuant to bilateral intergovernmental or inter-ministerial agreements concluded with other countries. Starting from the year 2016 the scholarships based on the international agreements are offered in the framework of the Estonian Scholarship Programme for international students, researchers and academic staff. Coordinated by the Education and Youth Board
Estonian Doctoral School mobility grant
Estonian Doctoral School supports short-term international mobility for doctoral research. Grant can be applied for participation in a conference, seminar, courses, field work or internship, as well as for visiting libraries or other foreign institutions or for other activities related to research or teaching in a foreign country, which are directly related to the completion of the doctoral programme and support the completion of the doctoral thesis.
Short-term study visit can last up to 30 days, including travel days.
The grant can be applied for once during the calendar year, and the maximum grant amount per study visit is 2,000 euros. Funding is provided for trips starting in Estonia as well as abroad.
In 2024, TalTech will open 3 application rounds to apply for a mobility grant:
- application round with a deadline of June 20 (for study visits taking place in July - August 2024)
- application round with a deadline of September 1 (for study visits taking place in September - October 2024)
- application round with a deadline of November 1 (for study visits taking place in November - December 2024)
Doctoral school mobility grant can be applied for by all doctoral candidates enrolled in doctoral studies at the time of study visit, regardless of the form of doctoral study, i.e. early stage researchers, industrial doctoral candidates and doctoral students.
Visiting doctoral students and external students cannot apply for support from the doctoral school.
The mobility grant reimburses the travel and accommodation costs, the daily allowance and the participation fee of the conference or other event.
Travel, accommodation and daily allowances are compensated based on unit prices.
The participation fee is compensated on the basis of the cost statements.
The period supported by the doctoral school can be 1 day before and 1 day after the official dates of the event.
If the doctoral candidate wishes to combine the Doctoral School grant with another mobility grant, it is necessary to check beforehand that the conditions of the latter allow this.
Bank transfer fees and VAT are not eligible for funding from the Estonian Doctoral School. To cover ineligible costs, please contact the supervisor and/or the head of the department. For further guidance, please contact the project leader of the Estonian Doctoral School.
The unit costs for international mobility for doctoral candidates will be based on the unit costs of the National Mobility Grant Scheme "Kristjan Jaak Programme".
- The travel costs will be covered by a travel allowance, which will include all the costs related to the outward and return journey, e.g. local transport, travel insurance, etc. Travel expenses will be covered by a travel allowance. The distance will be calculated using the European Commission's online calculator.
| Distance from city to city | Grant per round trip |
| 100 – 499 km | 180 euros |
| 500 - 1999 km | 275 euros |
| 2000 - 2999 km | 360 euros |
| 3000 - 3999 km | 530 euros |
| 4000 - 4999 km | 820 euros |
| 8000 and more km | 1100 euros |
- Accommodation costs will be covered by the accommodation allowance, which will be paid during the event abroad and, where justified, one night before and one night after the event.
| Duration of mobility | Grant per one night |
| 2 - 6 days | 80 euros |
| 7 - 14 days | 60 euros |
| 15 - 30 days | 35 euros |
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Living expenses are covered by the daily allowance.
The daily allowance is €32 per day of the mobility. The days will be counted from the official date of the event, plus, in justified cases, one day for travel before and one day after the event.
Estonian Doctoral School will not compensate costs of conferences´ social events, lunches/dinners, membership fees and excursions (except for excursions related to a doctoral candidate´s research topic) specifically mentioned in the attendance fee.
The maximum amount of the grant is € 2 000 per short-term mobility. If the calculation based on unit costs exceeds this amount, the maximum amount will be paid and the remaining costs will have to be covered from another source or from doctoral candidate’s own resources.
To apply for Doctoral School mobility grant, a doctoral candidate submits the following documents through TalTech Help Center:
- an application, which also includes a motivation letter
- in case of participation in the conference, confirmation of acceptance of the presentation
- in case of participation in an event, course, seminar or other activity, a confirmation from the host institution (e.g. registration confirmation, letter of invitation, etc.)
- when applying for reimbursement of the participation fee, confirmation of the amount of the participation fee
The supervisors should accept the application in the Help Center, thereby approving the doctoral candidate´s study visit.
When submitting applications, please observe the deadlines for the application rounds. The study visit cannot start earlier than the deadline of the application round, study visits which have already taken place will not be supported.
Doctoral candidates who also work at the university, submit the secondment order in TalTech self-service in accordance with the university's rules, after the decision to assign the mobility grant has been made.
Applications are processed based on the quota of grants allocated to each section of the doctoral school for a specific year. Within the sections, the quota is distributed among specialties.
The allocation of support is decided by the head of the specialty of the doctoral programme and the head of the section of the doctoral school, based on the following conditions:
- the applicant is a doctoral candidate at TalTech
- the applicant has not received a mobility grant from the doctoral school in the current calendar year
- all application documents have been correctly prepared
- the purpose of the study visit is clear and directly related to doctoral studies and doctoral thesis and the supervisor has accepted it
The grant can only be used for the study visit specified in the application. If the duration, destination and purpose of the study visit change after the grant decision, a new grant must be applied for.
Doctoral candidate, who is also working at the university, submits the secondment report through the TalTech self-service after returning from the study visit. The secondment order must also include:
- a signed activity report on the Doctoral School form
- the official confirmation letter of the conference / event organizer, which shows the date of the event
- in case of reimbursement of the participation fee, documents proving the payment of the participation fee (invoice, payment confirmation)
- the expense documents for travel and accommodation
A doctoral student who is not an employee of the university, after returning from study abroad, submits the following documents through the TalTech Help Center:
- a signed activity report on the Doctoral School form
- student travel expense report
- the official confirmation letter of the conference / event organizer, which shows the date of the event
- in case of reimbursement of the participation fee, documents proving the payment of the participation fee (invoice, payment confirmation)
- the expense documents for travel and accommodation
A sentence must be added to the activity report or secondment report: "The secondment/study visit is in accordance with the University of Tartu project "Cooperation between universities to promote doctoral studies" (2021-2027.4.04.24-0003) and with goals and action plan of the project.”
If the doctoral student participates in the event with a presentation or poster presentation, these must comply with the notification requirements. In case of non-compliance with the notification requirements, mobility costs from the Estonian Doctoral School are not eligible. A logo must be placed on the opening page of the presentation or poster: see instructions for use, logo files (EST, ENG).
Project "Cooperation between universities to promote doctoral studies" is co-funded by the European Union.