How does an Italian PhD work?

Short answer: It is a three year program called a dottorato di ricerca, run in yearly "cycles". The 42nd cycle (XLII) started in 2026/27. You join through a public call (bando) and are ranked.

• Length: three years, with courses in the first year, research throughout, and a final thesis. Programs usually start on 1 November (University of Florence, University of Modena).
• Types of positions in a call:
  • with a scholarship on an open topic
  • with a scholarship tied to a fixed topic or project ("a tema")
  • funded by companies or external bodies, including industrial PhDs
  • reserved for holders of foreign government scholarships
  • without a scholarship ("senza borsa"), see P14
• Who decides: a committee ranks candidates on CV, qualifications, research project and an interview.
• How many are funded: at Trento, scholarships cover at least 75% of the positions in each call (University of Trento).