Application – Join the Berlin Mathematical School

Students who will have completed a Bachelor’s degree by summer 2027 and aim to start a PhD in mathematics can apply for Phase I, which begins with master‑level studies.

• Program start: October 2027
• Application rounds:
  • First round – 1 Oct 2026 to 1 Dec 2026 (scholarship applicants must apply in this round)
  • Second round – 1 Mar 2027 to 1 Apr 2027
• Deadlines:
  • Scholarship deadline: 1 December 2026
  • Portal closes at 23:59 (Berlin time) on 1 December 2026 and 1 April 2027 – use the Time Zone Converter to verify.
• Available places: Typically 10 Phase I scholarships plus 10 admission spots without a scholarship.

Phase I students enjoy a higher chance of securing a PhD position in Berlin compared with external applicants.

Please read the BMS PhD Application Guidelines (PDF) and consult our FAQs for all details.

How to apply

1. Access the online portal: https://fis.mathplus.de/registration/
2. Create an account and log in.
3. Click on your name (link to PDF) to start the application.

If you begin an application but do not submit it during the first round, you can return to it in the second round.

Phase II connects candidates with BMS/MATH+ faculty members who act as “matchmakers”. The BMS itself does not provide funding at this stage; applicants must secure a funded PhD position for at least three years.

• Application window: 15. April 2027 to 1. June 2027
• Intended start: October 2027 (or later, depending on the funding contract)

Funding sources

• Scholarships from independent institutions (e.g., DAAD – check their scholarship databank)
• Employment contracts in IRTG projects or other research groups of the supervisor
• MATH+ project grants

BMS faculty can apply for a MATH+ project each March; funding decisions are announced in June and positions are advertised during summer.

If you already have a PhD supervisor and secured funding within the BMS/MATH+ faculty, simply email to become a Phase II member.

Please consult the BMS PhD Application Guidelines (PDF) and our FAQs for comprehensive information.

How to apply

1. Use the same online portal: https://fis.mathplus.de/registration/
2. After logging in, click on your name (link to PDF) to begin the application.

Unsubmitted applications can be resumed in a later round.

Once you submit your application in the BMS application portal, your recommenders are automatically sent an email from our website with an upload link. The deadline for the upload is one week after the application deadline.

In case, your recommenders have not received the email or encounter an issue with the upload, please ask them to send us their letter via email:

Both letters of recommendation should be from professors or university teachers who know you well and can vouch for your academic and mathematical abilities. Other letters are usually not helpful to us.

Your letters of recommendation should be written by mathematical advisors or lecturers with whom you worked on a research project or who taught you in classes. They should evaluate your mathematical knowledge and possible path to a PhD and compare you to other students or alumni from your university.

No. Only two letters of recommendation are required by the BMS, so you will only be able to enter the names of two recommenders on your online application form. Once you have entered their contact information and submitted your application electronically, the BMS will automatically send both recommenders an email asking them to upload their letters to our online application system. Letters submitted by the applicant will not be accepted.

Phase I: a 3-year Bachelor‘s degree is necessary to qualify for Phase I of our program.
In some countries, a 3-year Bachelor‘s degree is not equivalent to a German Bachelor‘s degree and an additional 1-year postgraduate diploma or 2-year master‘s degree is required.

Phase II: 5 years of studies (i.e.3-year BSc. plus a 2-year MSc. or a 4-year BSc plus a 1-year MSc) which are completed with a Master‘s thesis generally qualify one for PhD studies in Germany.
There are exceptions for some countries and the BMS checks each application with regards to this.

The BMS does not consider applications with a grade average lower than a 2.5 (German grading scale) which is a C+ or 2.5 on a US grading scale.

All applications are evaluated as a whole and strong recommendation letters can often make up for a lower grade average.

Applicants with undergraduate degrees in Engineering, Physics and Computer Science can be successful, but are required to have a strong knowledge of mathematical subjects and prove this with (possibly additional) academic certificates.
The letters of recommendation should reference the acquired knowledge in mathematical subjects.

If you are a native German speaker, you can upload your „Abiturzeugnis or Matura“ and need at least a „sufficient“ in English.

If you have completed your studies (i.e. your Bachelor‘s or Master‘s degree) in English in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, UK, USA, you can simply upload proof of the medium of instruction in your studies/ at your university.

If you have not completed your studies in one of the aforementioned countries and your native language is neither German or English, you must upload a standard test. We accept the following:

• TOEFL iBT with a minimum score of 95
• IELTS with a minimum score of 7.0
• Cambridge English Test with a CEFR level of at least C1
• UNIcert III
• PTE Academic with a minimum score of 76

The BMS PhD Program is taught entirely in English, therefore German language skills are not necessary.

No.

• Personal Statement / Motivation letter
• Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• all University transcripts and degrees
• Proof of proficiency in English
• two Letters of Recommendation
• (for Phase II) Research statement detailing a project you would like to work on for your doctoral dissertation

We download every application as one compiled pdf, therefore we ask you kindly to not upload your thesis to the application. Instead, please add a link to it on your CV and/ or upload the abstract or summary of your thesis together with the link as an additional document.

Yes, please upload all transcripts from your university studies. Please also remember to add the backside of the transcript if it shows the grading scale as we will need this information to convert your grades to the German grading system.

We download every application as one compiled pdf, therefore we ask you kindly to not upload any document twice to your application. If the medium of instruction during your university studies is or was English (only accepted for Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, UK, USA), please either upload a letter from your university confirming this fact or upload a statement by yourself referring to your transcript where this information can be verified.

You don’t have to, but it can help. In the application form, please mention which member of the BMS faculty you would like to work with and why. Applicants should be familiar with the research of potential supervisors, but prior contact with them is not necessary.

If you do choose to contact a supervisor who you are interested in working with, please keep your email polite, short and to the point. Keep in mind that they receive hundreds of emails, especially from people looking for a PhD position.

No. Please simply upload all the necessary documents to your online application. If your documents are neither in English nor in German, you must also upload official translations in one of those languages. Should your application be successful and you accept a study place at the BMS, you must bring all academic documents (together with official English or German translations if that applies to you) in their original format in order to enroll at one of the three universities.

An APS certificate* is not required by the BMS for an application to the doctoral program. However, it is necessary for the enrollment.

* This only applies to for students who obtained their degree in China, India or Vietnam.

• An excellent and well-written personal statement that shows a solid background in mathematics
• Excellent grades
• Letters of recommendation from professors or university lecturers who know you well and who can vouch for your academic and mathematical abilities.

Yes, a well-written personal statement, additional documents that show mathematical experience (such as extra courses, conference or workshop attendances) and detailed and excellent letters of recommendation can make up for some bad grades. All applications are viewed as a whole.

Your personal statement (letter of motivation) should be at least one full page or at most two pages long. It should describe your academic and career plans as well as your motivation and scientific interests.

The BMS embraces diversity. In line with our goal of striving to achieve a gender-balanced student body, we strongly encourage applicants of all genders to write confidently about their achievements.
Make your personal statement stand out:

• by describing your motivation and enthusiasm for mathematics,
• by showing the depth and breadth of your interest in the subject,
• by explaining what inspires you to continue studying math,
• and by demonstrating your commitment and your potential to excel.

When writing your personal statement, make sure you also provide answers to the following questions:

• What are your mathematical interests?
• How, where and when did they develop?
• What mathematical fields are you particularly interested in and why?
• Why do you think the BMS is the right choice for you?
• Which BMS faculty member would you like to work with and why?

Phase II applicants should already be knowledgeable in their research area and have an idea of whom they would like to work with at the BMS. It should explain the applicant’s ideas with respect to their future dissertation, as well as outline the underlying research project. While applicants should be familiar with the research of potential supervisors, prior contact with our faculty members is not necessary. However, the applicant should mention in the research statement who could be a suitable supervisor. A description of all BMS research areas and lists of relevant faculty members can be found here: www.math-berlin.de/academics/rta

There are usually up to 20 places available in Phase I, 10 of which come with a Phase I scholarship.

Here you may find an overview of how many Phase I applications we have received every year, what the admission rate is and other interesting statistics: Phase I Admission Statistics.

For Phase II applicants it is most important to find a supervisor within our faculty who is interested in working with the applicant and has the capacity for another PhD student. Most Phase II students are funded through a PhD project from their supervisor. We do not have a strict number for Phase II admissions each year.
Here you may find an overview of how many Phase II applications we have received every year, what the admission rate is and other interesting statistics: Phase II Admission Statistics.

PhD students in Berlin or Potsdam who do not need funding from the BMS can apply for Phase II membership via email ().

The evaluation of all applications begins as soon as the submission deadline has passed. If your online application is successful, you may be invited to take part in an interview either by telephone, via web-cam, or in person at our annual BMS Days event. For more information about the evaluation procedure and admissions schedule, please refer to the relevant section in the BMS PhD Application Guidelines.

All applicants who applied in the first round by 1 December, will be informed about the admission decision or status of their applications by the end of January. Final admission decisions are sent out in late February or March.

All applicants who applied in the second round by 1 April, will be informed about the admission decision or status of their applications by mid-May. Final admission decisions are sent out in June.

No. If you already applied in the first round and were not accepted for entry in this academic year, you cannot reapply in the second round.

Unfortunately, we cannot offer individual explanations for our decision. The BMS Admissions Committee must choose from hundreds of applicants, most of whom are very well qualified for the BMS PhD Program. However, there are only 20 study places available each year and each application is subsequently compared to the entire pool of applications received.

Enrollment is carried out shortly before the start of the first semester. A separate application for admission to one of the universities is not necessary.