1. Education Courses PhD Programmes Information for PhD and PhD students PhD Extension

PhD Extension

PhD candidates may request a one‑time extension of up to 12 months during their final year if there are documented reasons that prevent submission of the thesis by the scheduled deadline, as stated in the University Regulations on PhD programmes – Article 16, paragraph 5.

Important information

  • This extension allows the deferral of the thesis defence but does not extend the duration of the PhD programme itself, which in any case ends at the normal three‑year duration
  • The extension may be granted by the PhD Programme Board without additional financial obligations

How to submit

PhD candidates in their final year may submit a request for extension between the application deadlines: from April 1 to June 30, 2026 following the steps below:

  1. Submit the request to the PhD Coordinator. The request must include clear and documented reasons supporting the extension. The Coordinator will submit it to the Academic Board which will decide whether to approve or reject it.
  2. Transmission of the decision. The Coordinator forwards the decision to the “PhD Selection and Career Unit”, which carries out the administrative checks in line with the time limits set by the University Regulations (Art. 16, paragraph 7).
  3. Register the extension on the Alice Portal. The PhD candidate must login on Alice portal using university credentials and select: Secretariat → Career. Fill in all required fields and indicate the reason for the request in the “Notes” section.
  4. Confirmation e-mail. At the end of the submission procedure, a confirmation e-mail will be sent to the PhD cadidate institutional email address. After the administrative checks have been completed, the PhD candidate will receive the outcome of the evaluation at their institutional e-mail address.

Important information

  • PhD candidates cannot request an extension granted by the PhD Programme Board for scientific reasons. This extension automatically prolongs the duration of the programme for scholarship-holding PhD students by up to 12 months (art. 8, c. 7, DM) and is referred to as a “paid extension”
  • Periods of extension and suspension combined cannot exceed a total of 18 months, except in cases of maternity/paternity leave or other circumstances specifically provided for by law