ESO Studentship Programme — Research Program

The ESO Studentship Programme lets enrolled PhD students in astronomy or related scientific fields conduct part of their doctoral research at ESO. Participants remain formally supervised by their home university and are co-supervised by an ESO staff astronomer, or by an ESO astronomer and fellow.

The two routes are based at ESO Headquarters in Garching, Germany, and ESO’s offices in Santiago, Chile. The Garching route lasts one to two years, while the Santiago route lasts six months to two years; Chile participants also undertake an observatory project connected to La Silla Paranal operations.

Benefits & funding

ESO pays a student allowance classified by ESO as salary; the amount is reviewed annually and is not published on the programme pages.
Students receive private worldwide health insurance, with the applicable student contribution deducted from the allowance.
Eligible new appointees receive joining travel for themselves and their family plus air-freight support for luggage; second-year extensions include reimbursement for one working trip to the home university.
ESO supports approved science travel, while university fees are not covered.
New students in Chile receive one free guesthouse night and up to five weeks of free furnished lodging; temporary Garching apartments may be available but are charged through payroll.

Eligibility

Be accepted into and enrolled in a university PhD programme when applying.
Study astronomy or a related scientific field, including observational, theoretical, or fundamental astrophysics.
Arrange formal supervision by the home university and co-supervision by a prospective ESO astronomer or eligible ESO team.
Be able to pursue full-time active research at ESO; substantial non-research course periods must not overlap the stay.
No nationality is excluded in principle, although ESO gives preference to nationals of its member states, host states, and strategic partners.

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
PhD Enrolled

Check my eligibility — free

Circlebreaker is a free database of global fellowships, scholarships and programs — every one decoded like this.

We only check the criteria we have data for. Always confirm full eligibility on the official page before applying.

Application process

1
Choose the Garching or Santiago route and coordinate the research project with both the prospective ESO supervisor and the home-institute supervisor.
2
Prepare English PDF documents: a motivation letter, CV with publications if any, transcripts and diplomas, a half-page summary of prior or ongoing projects, a half-page general PhD plan, and a one-page ESO project outline with timeline, milestones, fit with the PhD, and the benefit of working at ESO.
3
Enter the contact details of two referees: the home-institute supervisor and the proposed ESO supervisor, who submit letters through automatic invitations.
4
Obtain a home-institute letter confirming PhD enrolment, the status and amount of continuing scholarship support, and financial support for the remainder of the PhD.
5
Submit through the relevant ESO recruitment-portal vacancy by 20 October 2026, including both reference letters.

Program timeline

Application and reference-letter deadline.
Oct 20, 2026
Within two months after the deadline
Selection results.
March–August 2027
Typical start window for students selected in the October round.