Organic Law 6/2001, of 21 December, on Universities, in its new wording given by Organic Law 4/2007, of 12 April, which modifies the previous law, defines the structure of university education in three cycles: Undergraduate, Master and PhD degrees.

Article 2.1 of Royal Decree 99/2011, of 28 January, which regulates official PhD studies, defines the PhD degree as the third cycle of official university studies, leading to the acquisition of competencies and skills related to quality scientific research

The publication of Royal Decree 99/2011, which regulates official PhD studies, has led to the development of two new regulations under the University of Seville:

- Agreement 7.2/CG 17-6-11, approving the Regulations on PhD Studies

- Agreement 9.1./CG 19-4-12, approving the regulations governing the PhD thesis regime

PhD programmes governed by previous regulations (RD 185/1985, 778/1998, 1393/2007) do not admit new students as they are being phased out

At the University of Seville, PhD studies are organised into PhD programmes. Each programme develops a set of activities leading to the acquisition of the competencies and skills required to complete a PhD Degree. These studies will be completed with the preparation and defence of a PhD thesis incorporating original research results.

The duration of PhD studies will be a maximum of three years, on a full-time basis, starting from the student’s admission to the programme until the submission of the PhD thesis, with the possibility of requesting an initial extension of one year, which, exceptionally, may be extended for an additional year. In the case of part-time studies, the duration is five years with an initial extension of two years which, exceptionally, may be extended for an additional year.

More: Study period and extensions

At this time, the PhD programmes available to new students, are those regulated by R.D. 99/2011. You can view the studies available at the following address: PhD programmes

To access* the PhD programme regulated by R.D. 99/2011, as a general rule, the following will be required:

• To hold an official Spanish university degree, Undergraduate or equivalent, and a Master’s degree, or equivalent, provided that at least 300 ECTS credits have been obtained in both courses.

Access to a PhD programme is also open to those in the following situations:

• Those with an official Spanish or EHEA university degree that qualifies for access to a Master’s degree who have passed a minimum of 300 ECTS credits in official university studies, of which at least 60 must be at Master’s level.
• Holders of an official Spanish Undergraduate Degree, the duration of which, in accordance with the rules of Community law, is at least 300 ECTS credits and is included in the European Directive 2005/36/EC. These Undergraduate Degrees are: Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, Pharmacy, Architecture and Dentistry. If students are admitted to a PhD programme, they must take compulsory complementary training, unless the syllabus of the Undergraduate degree includes research training credits, equivalent in training value to the research credits from the Master’s degree.
• University graduates who, after securing a place in specialised health training, have successfully completed at least two years of training in the programme of the speciality in Health Sciences
• Those with a degree obtained in accordance with foreign education systems, without the need for official approval, after verification by the university that it certifies a level of training equivalent to that of the official Spanish Master’s degree and that it entitles the holder to access PhD studies in the country issuing the degree. This admission does not imply official approval of the previous qualifications or accreditation thereof for other purposes. View Foreign degrees
• Those with another Spanish PhD degree obtained in accordance with previous university regulations.
• To be a PhD student in accordance with previous university regulations after admission by the corresponding university, in accordance with the provisions of RD 99/2011 and the university’s own rules (training period of 60 ECTS in RD 1393/2007 PhD programme).
• Holders of a Bachelor’s Degree, Architects or Engineers in possession of the Diploma of Advanced Studies obtained in accordance with the provisions of R.D. 778/1998 or having achieved research proficiency regulated in R.D. 185/1985.
• Those with an official university degree that is compliant with level 3 of the Spanish Framework of Qualifications for Higher Education, in accordance with the procedure established in RD 889/2022,de 18 October.  View: Compliance between Official University Degrees (pre-Bologna) and MECES levels

*In application of art. 3.5 of this year’s registration rules, students who are able to obtain the access requirement before the end of the registration period may apply for admission to a RD 99/2011 PhD programme.

At this time, as a new student you can register in a programme regulated by RD 99/2011. To become a PhD student you must complete the following steps:

1. Meet the entry requirements. Students with a university degree obtained in accordance with foreign educational systems, outside the EHEA, will have to request prior authorisation from the University of Seville, together with the application with all the documentation duly translated and legalised. They will also have to submit the certificate of accreditation of studies together with the prior authorisation
2. View the PhD programmes available at the University of Seville. This information is available in the PhD programmes
3. Apply for admission to the PhD Programme.
4. Once you have been admitted to the programme, you must register

At the EIDUS Secretary’s Office we can issue a certification of pre-admission to a PhD programme, but we need the applicant to provide the following documentation:

• Scanned copy of registration in the University Master’s Degree that the student is completing in the current academic year or of the studies completed in the case of a University Master’s, Bachelor’s, Engineering or Architecture Degree.
• E-mail or document accrediting your willingness to be admitted for the next academic year, issued by the Academic Committee of the relevant PhD programme.

Both documents can be scanned and sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Admission to a PhD programme must be completed through the DUA, by filling in the online form within the admission period established in the calendar for the current academic year

The Academic Committee of each PhD programme may establish additional requirements and criteria for the selection and admission of students to its programme, so the criteria may differ from one programme to another. For more information about the process, please refer to the programme coordinator. More: PhD Programme directory

After the deadline established for admission applications, the Academic Committee of the programme has the time frame established in the calendar for the current academic year to make a decision.

For degrees issued by a Spanish University, in application of the third final provision, point 2 of Royal Decree 195/2016, of 13 May, which establishes the requirements for the issuing of the European Supplement to the PhD Degree, those with an official university degree that is compliant with Level 3 of the Spanish Qualifications Framework for Higher Education, in accordance with the procedure established in Royal Decree 889/2022,of 18 October, may access a RD 99/2011 PhD programme.

• View: Compliance between Official University Degrees (pre-Bologna) and MECES levels .

In the case of degrees issued by a non-Spanish university, the student must obtain a declaration of equivalence to an official university degree and academic level (MECES Level 3): Master’s Degree), as established in RD 967/2014, of 21 November.

• View: Equivalence of a foreign higher education qualification to a degree and to the academic level of an official Undergraduate or University Master’s degree in specific knowledge branches and fields.

Remember that if the University of origin does not belong to the EHEA, you must first request authorisation from the University of Seville (A03 - Application for prior authorisation for those with degrees from foreign education systems) with documentation duly translated and legalised.

To access PhD studies, you must hold a university degree from a Spanish university or from another EHEA member country that qualifies you for access to a Master’s degree in accordance with the provisions of article 16 of Royal Decree 1393/2007, of 29 October and have passed a minimum of 300 ECTS in all official university studies, of which at least 60 ECTS must be at Master’s level.

Cases in which the degree is compliant with level 2 (undergraduate degree) of the Spanish Framework of Qualifications for Higher Education (MECES), in accordance with the procedure established in Royal Decree 889/2022,of 18 October, meet the access requirement, if they are also in possession of a Master’s degree by the route provided for in art. 6.2.a of RD 99/2011.

You can check the qualifications that are recognised at this level via the following link:

https://www.mecd.gob.es/servicios-al-ciudadano-mecd/catalogo/educacion/gestion-titulos/estudios-universitarios/titulos-espanoles/202058.html

In the case of degrees issued by a non-Spanish university, the student must obtain a declaration of equivalence to an official university degree and academic level (MECES Level 3: Master’s Degree), as established in Royal Decree 889/2022,of 18 October

• View: Equivalence of a foreign higher education qualification to a degree and to the academic level of an official university Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in specific knowledge branches and fields.

Remember that if the University of origin does not belong to the EHEA, before applying for admission, you must first request authorisation from the University of Seville (A03 - Application for prior authorisation for holders of degrees from foreign education systems) with documentation duly translated and legalised.

The administrative contact is for handing in and/or collecting documentation related to the programme and the relevant Academic Committee.

The academic contact is the programme coordinator to whom you can make enquiries related to the programme itself, lines of research, PhD training, etc.

If you’ve studied outside Spain and have a degree issued by a foreign university, you must present the documentation translated by an official translator (if the University that issued the degree belongs to the European Higher Education Area) and if it does not belong to the EHEA, the documents also need to be legalised.

You can view the channels for legalisation in the section ‘Foreign students’.

The price of registration is determined annually by the Junta de Andalucía through the public prices decree, which sets the fees for academic services at Andalusian public universities.

The registration fee for the first academic year covers:

• Academic supervision to prepare a PhD thesis
• New academic records
• University ID card
• Student insurance, if applicable
• Complementary training, if applicable

For subsequent academic years, the registration fee would cover:

• Academic supervision to prepare a PhD thesis
• University ID card
• Student insurance, if applicable

See registration fees.

Once you have been admitted to the PhD programme, you must register for academic supervision using our self-registration service, except for excluded cases, which will be completed in person at the EIDUS.

PhD students can consult their academic data through the Virtual Secretary’s Office, in the section My profile / academic data / PhD.

During the first year, you will have to complete the following actions:

• Registration and, if applicable, pass the complementary training indicated in the PhD programme.
• Submit the engagement agreement, duly completed.
• Draw up the research plan (PI) and complete the PhD student activity document (DAD), and submit them by the established annual assessment deadline

Each student registered in the PhD programme will be provided with a PhD student activity document, consisting of an individualised record of all the activities of interest carried out by the PhD student.

More: Arts. 59 of the Regulations on PhD Studies (Agreement 6.1/CG 23-7-19)

The complementary training must be completed and passed in the first year of the PhD, whether you are a full-time or part-time student.

Failure to pass the complementary training established during this period will entail non-admission to the PhD programme and cancellation of the academic supervision registration, forfeiting all rights as a PhD student

Online renewal of registration is compulsory every academic year. If you do not manage the self-registration for renewal, you will be withdrawn from the programme

Registration in a PhD programme grants the PhD student the right to use the available resources required for the development of their work, and the range of full rights provided for PhD students at the University of Seville. http://www.us.es/campus/servicios/asuntosg/carnet

Failure to register in an academic year will result in the waiver of the status of PhD student at the University of Seville for that academic year.

Students of PhD programmes being phased out (RD 185/1985, RD 778/1998, RD 56/2005 or RD 1393/2007) must defend their PhD thesis within the deadlines established by RD 99/2011, of 28 January, which regulates official PhD studies in the First and Second Transitory Provisions, subsequently modified by RD 534/2013, of 12 July.

In application of the above, the PhD Committee of the University of Seville, at its meeting of 28 November 2014, set the deadlines for the deposit and defence of the PhD thesis to be taken into account by students who are in PhD programmes in the process of being phased out.

More information: Submission of PhD thesis

In order to continue their PhD studies, students who do not comply with the timetable established in RD 99/2011 and other applicable regulations must apply for admission to a PhD programme regulated by RD 99/2011 within the period and in the manner determined by the University each academic year.

More information: Access to a PhD

According to new regulations governing the PhD thesis regime at the University of Seville, Agreement 9.1/CG 19-4-12, article 9 on the PhD thesis states that “A collection of works published by the PhD student may be submitted for assessment as a PhD thesis”.

Thus, a compendium of publications produced by the PhD student can be submitted as a PhD thesis. However, the regulations specifically detail the conditions for this mode. See thesis by compendium of publications

The thesis may be written and defended in the languages customary for the scientific community in the related field of knowledge (Art. 9, Agreement 9.1/CG 19-4-12). The process is the same as for any other thesis written in Spanish.

Yes, provided that the defence takes place at the University of Seville, unless otherwise agreed

According to article 3.2 of RD 99/2011 of 28 January, the duration of studies will be a maximum of three years from admission to the programme until thesis submission for full-time students. If the application for depositing the thesis has not been submitted by the end of the three-year period, the committee responsible for the programme may authorise the extension of this period for a further year, which may exceptionally be extended for an additional year. For part-time students, the maximum duration is set at five years, with an extension for a further two years which, exceptionally, could be extended for an additional year.

Request for extension:

The student must request an extension within the established deadline by means of Annex 1 and Annex 2, which must be addressed to the Chair of the programme’s Academic Committee.

According to Agreement 9.1/CG 19-4-12, of the University of Seville, there is no restriction that requires these experts to form part of the thesis examination board. The only limitation is that the expert from the non-Spanish university that has supervised the student’s placement may not be a member of the examination board. However, the person in charge of the placement may be part of the examination board if another expert Doctor from a non-Spanish Higher Education Institution or research centre is also part of the examination board, in accordance with the content of article 68 of the NEDUS

No, it does not. According to the Agreement of the PhD Committee dated 18/11/2008, the International Mention can be awarded provided that the three-month placement outside Spain is the result of the sum of several placements, none of them under 30 days, and that these placements are carried out within the scope of the same project and in the same higher education institution or research centre

In order to obtain the International Mention, the placement must be carried out while you are registered in the PhD programme and hold the status of PhD student.

• The certifications that may be requested are the following:
• Certificate of credits obtained in the PhD courses of a programme regulated by R.D. 778/1998.
• Certificate of credits obtained in the PhD courses of a transitional PhD programme regulated by R.D. 1393/2007.
• Certificate for the Teaching period of a programme regulated by R.D. 778/1998.
• Certificate for the Research period of a programme regulated by R.D. 778/1998.
• The Diploma of Advanced Studies, programme regulated by R.D. 778/1998.
• Certificate of the defence and qualification of the PhD thesis.
• Certificate of supervision of PhD theses or Research work (programme regulated by R.D. 778/1998).
• Certificate of registration in the academic year in PhD studies.
• Certifications can be requested at our offices (PhD Services, Pabellón de México), and via e-mail.

Via email, you should send a message to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., indicating the certification you are requesting (detailing the PhD programme to which it refers), including your personal details (full name, DNI, telephone number), and a photocopy of your DNI or passport.

In cases where the certificate is available for a fee, you will be given a letter of payment at our offices to make the payment at any Banco Santander branch. If you have requested the certificate via e-mail, the payment letter will be sent to you by e-mail and once it has been paid, a scanned copy must be sent back to us. It is not possible to pay by bank transfer, unless you are living outside Spain. If this is the case, please state this for information on how to proceed with your letter of payment.

It takes 4 to 5 days from the payment of the fees for the certificate to arrive. If you live outside Seville, you can receive the certificate by regular post, as long as you state this fact

You can indeed authorise another person to collect your certificate. You will need to provide the corresponding authorisation with a photocopy of your DNI, clearly stating who the person you are authorising is, and they must present their own DNI as proof.