Every year, GEAS opens its program to a new group of doctoral candidates. We accept candidates with funding from other Freie Universität Berlin programs, from partner institutions in East Asia, or from scholarships provided by German or international organizations. Two Chinese candidates may apply for funding by CSC scholarships through FU Berlin Center for International Cooperation. Candidates are supported in securing their funding.

Doctoral candidates are admitted for the fall semester, starting October 1.

The application period for 2026 starts 15 September 2025 and ends 15 November 2025. Please apply at https://drs.fu-berlin.de/

For admission, please see the Admission FAQs.

The screening of applications and prospective doctoral candidates takes place in January/February. Interviews will be conducted in February/March. Doctoral candidates accepted for admission into GEAS will receive written notice in March/April. Applicants who are rejected will receive written notice in March.

GEAS strives to have an international body of doctoral candidates. The official language of the program is English.

On a case-by-case basis, GEAS will also admit visiting doctoral candidates funded by partner universities or international scholarships to conduct dissertation-related research for one or two years.