Enrollment as Doctoral Candidate at TH Köln

Doctoral candidates who are in an employment relationship at TH Köln do not need to enroll, while all candidates who are not employed by TH Köln are obliged to enroll at TH Köln (cf. Guidelines for a good supervision of doctoral candidates, p.13). For doctoral candidates who are not employed by TH Köln, a registration is obligatory as in this case, the candidates automatically possess accident and casualty insurance, while getting the legal status as a doctoral candidate at TH Köln.

Only through enrollment it is possible to receive a student ID number as well as access to all services at TH Köln, especially those of the library and the Campus IT. Additionally, doctoral candidates who are enrolled may use the public transport pass and their student ID card (MultiCa). The enrollment is also required to fully use services of Graduate Center, e.g. travel grants for conferences or workshops, especially designed for doctoral candidates. Doctoraral candiates who have a valid employment contract at TH Köln may use these services without enrollment.

A double matriculation is possible on the part of TH Köln. If you cooperate with another university in North Rhine-Westphalia and already use the public transport pass that comes with your enrollment at that university, you may request a refund of your public transport fee at TH Köln.

An enrollment at TH Köln is possible as soon as you have found a supervisor at TH Köln and a second supervisor at the cooperating university. Please contact the respective Office of Student Services of TH Köln (Südstadt, Deutz/Leverkusen or Gummersbach) for the enrollment. There, you will get all further information and paperwork.

Following certificates and documents are required for your enrollment (Please note: Doctoral researchers who are planning a doctorate with PK NRW are kindly asked to contact Graduate Center Service Desk for individual consultation):

• Confirmation of enrollment at the university where the doctoral project is executed or (if not enrolled) an informal statement (e.g. by email) of the supervising professor of the university confirming the supervision of the doctoral project
•  a signed supervision agreement with the supervisor at TH Köln confirming the supervision of your project (according to the TH Köln template or according to the respective template of the cooperating institution which addresses the same aspects and is signed by both supervisiors)
• a copy of your Master's certificate (simple copy is sufficient)
• a copy of your passport or government-issued ID card (e.g. Personalausweis; simple copy is sufficient)
• TH Köln's enrollment form and MultiCa form. These documents are available for download here: Enrollment documents
  Please note: Keys and abbreviations needed to complete the enrollment form are listed in the document "Keys table". You do not need to submit proof of your health insurance status.

Please send your documents, duly completed and signed, by email to graduatecenter@th-koeln.de (or by mail to Graduiertenzentrum TH Köln, Gustav-Heinemann-Ufer 54, 50968 Köln).

A few days after your enrollment, you will receive two separate letters of the Campus IT with your username and password for your CampusID which you will need to use TH Köln's IT services, e.g. your university email address and access to TH Köln's Online Examination and Student Services (PSSO). 

You will also receive your student ID card (MultiCa) as well as a payment request for the semester fees by mail.

Please note: A re-registration ban will be scheduled in the student administration system for the re-registration period after the expected termination of your doctoral project. In case you have not completed your doctorate by this time, you will need to submit a confirmation by your supervising Professor from the cooperating university with information on when you are expected to complete your doctorate. Alternatively, you may submit a certificate of enrollment from the cooperating university each semester.

Semester fees

Current semester fees at TH Köln

If you cooperate with another university in North Rhine-Westphalia and already use the public transport pass that comes with your enrollment at that university, these costs will be deducted from the total amount of the semester fees at TH Köln. In this case, you need to submit a current certificate of enrollment from the other university in North Rhine-Westphalia each semester.

If you are planning a research trip abroad for your doctoral project, you may request to be exempt from paying the public transport fee when re-registering for the semester you will spend abroad. Additional information is available from TH Köln's Graduate Center and on the following website:

Re-Registration

Information for international doctoral candidates

With the help of the platform anabin, you can check if your degree entitles you to pursue a doctorate in Germany:  http://anabin.kmk.org/ 
(Please note that this website is currently only available in German.)