Call for Fully Funded PhD Positions 2026 — PhD Scholarship

The Munich Center for Machine Learning runs this annual matchmaking call jointly across LMU Munich and the Technical University of Munich. It recruits doctoral researchers for machine-learning fields and matches successful applicants with positions at one of the two universities.

The 2026 round is closed after receiving more than 1,500 applications. MCML states that the next call will begin in autumn 2026.

Benefits & funding

Full-time employment paid at 100% of the German TV-L E13 rate.
A three-year doctoral position at LMU Munich or the Technical University of Munich.
Access to an interdisciplinary machine-learning and AI research environment.

Eligibility

A Master’s degree or equivalent graduate degree in computer science, artificial intelligence, machine learning, mathematics, statistics, data science, physics, or a related field.
The qualifying degree had to be completed by 1 July 2026 for this round.
A final Master’s grade, or current overall average, of 2.3 or better after conversion to the German system.
Very good English and strong scientific motivation.
No nationality or residency restriction is stated.

Can you apply?

Here's who can apply

Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.

Education required
Master

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Application process

1
Register on the LMU GraduateCenter application portal with a long-term accessible email address.
2
Log in, complete every required application-form tab, and save entries manually.
3
Upload the required unencrypted files in the accepted formats, with each file no larger than 5 MB.
4
Use the final submission control before the deadline; submitted applications cannot be changed.

Program timeline

Online application system opened
15 October 2025
Application deadline
14 November 2025, 23:59 CET
Review and possible interviews
1 December 2025–31 January 2026
Decisions
End of March 2026
Program starts, with slightly later starts possible
1 July 2026
Next annual call expected to open; no exact date is published
Autumn 2026