Updated BMS external PhD registration procedure

The revised procedure for registering external PhD candidates at BMS builds on 3 principles:

1. The process has a clear task division between the parties involved, with one clear entry point
2. BMS only admits external PhD candidates that have a fit with the BMS Research Strategy and where the supervisory team has the capacity to offer enough guidance to the new candidate
3. BMS complies with UT-wide requirements on Knowledge Safety and the aforementioned PhD charter, doctoral regulations and tuition fee policy

Many changes happened behind the scenes in setting up a clear task division between support departments, which will streamline the process.

As ius holder, two points deserve your attention for now.

1. Tuition fee and bench fee for external PhD candidates
Per the new tuition fee policy, two types of fees can be collected: first, the mandatory tuition fee, which is set at €3000 for the UT. By exception, as stipulated in the tuition fee policy, a tuition fee of €0,- may be applied. Additionally, an optional bench fee may be collected “to help compensate for research related costs, such as use of (expensive) lab facilities, fieldwork expenses or international conference visits.” [section 5.2 of tuition fee policy]. Faculties have freedom in setting their bench fee.

In principle, the BMS Faculty Board sets the bench fee to €0,-. When a proposed project carries substantial research related costs, it is allowed to deviate from this standard. A non-zero bench fee can be requested and underpinned in the application form.

2. One form, one clear entry point
The application form for requesting an external PhD candidate has been updated, strongly building on previous version. Questions have been added to reflect the new tuition fee policy and requirements on knowledge safety. Furthermore, you will recognise the questions from the previous forms: information about the candidate, the research project, supervision team, funding, timeline and time investment and a checklist of required documents.

You can find the form on the BMS Research Support website at the External PhD registration block. To manage communication, all new applications can be sent to the email address ext-phd-bms@utwente.nl.

This updated procedure takes effect per the 1^st of July 2026. Current applications will continue in the previous format, new applications can use the new format.

If you have any questions about this procedure, please reach out to ext-phd-bms@utwente.nl.