Preparing to Apply

Bocconi University hereby announces the Public Call for Applications to the 43^rd cycle (academic year 2027/2028) of the following PhD programs: 

1. Business Administration and Management (BA&M)

2. Economics and Finance (EC-FIN)

3. Legal Studies (LS)

4. Social and Political Science (SPS)

5. Computing Sciences and Artificial Intelligence (CS-AI)

6. Mathematics and Applications (MATH)

7. Statistics and Machine Learning (STAT-ML)

Places available for the a.y. 2027-2028 intake will be published November 3rd 2026.

Applications can be submitted by candidates of any citizenship who:

• have completed or are completing their graduate studies and
• have at least a “proven” B2 (CEFR) level of competence in English.

Graduate qualifications accepted:

• Italian degrees: second level degrees (“laurea magistrale/specialistica, laurea magistrale a ciclo unico, laurea vecchio Ordinamento”);
• non-Italian degrees of equivalent level (eg. level 7 European Qualification Framework) recognized by the Admission Board.

The suitability of foreign qualifications is verified by the Admission Board in conformity with the applicable Italian and foreign rules, or in conformity with international treaties or agreements on the validity of qualifications for post-graduate education.

Candidates whose Italian or non-Italian degree qualifications have not yet been awarded by the final application deadline can take part in the selection process and will be admitted conditionally. 

They must be awarded the required degree qualifications by 31^st October 2027, or their enrollment will be void. Certifications of required qualifications must be produced by 10^th December 2027. 

Competence in English must be shown by a recognized international English language certificate/test; in case of international test (TOEFL, IELTS) the result must be still valid (not expired).You will have to upload the English language certificate/test to the on-line application procedure (click here to check the list of recognized  international certificates/tests and the minimum scores required - at least a B2 (CEFR) level) or, if you do not have a recognized international certificates/tests, you will have to self-declare in the online application procedure that you:

- are an English native speaker
- attended a University program in English
- attended a secondary school program in English (please, upload the certificate)
- passed the internal English exam in a Bocconi degree program
- have other reasons (please, specify them).

For the PhD programs in Business Administration and Management, Economics and Finance and Statistics and Machine Learning, the assessment is based on a candidate’s:

• curriculum vitae (mandatory);
• academic records (mandatory);
• international graduate admission tests scores (GMAT or GRE);
• statement of purpose (mandatory);
• up to three reference letters*.

For the PhD programs in Economics and Finance and Statistics and Machine Learning, the assessment criteria are as follows:

• a maximum of 50 points for the applicant’s curriculum vitae and academic records;
• a maximum of 10 points for GMAT/GRE;
• a maximum of 40 points for statement of purpose and reference letters.

For the PhD program in Business Administration and Management, the assessment criteria are as follows:

• a maximum of 50 points for the applicant’s curriculum vitae and academic records;

• a maximum of 15 points for GMAT/GRE;

• a maximum of 35 points for statement of purpose and reference letters.

For the PhD programs in Mathematics and Applications and Computing Sciences and Artificial Intelligence, the assessment is based on a candidate’s:

• curriculum vitae (mandatory);
• academic records (mandatory);
• statement of purpose (mandatory);
• up to three reference letters

And with the following criteria:

• a maximum of 60 points for the applicant’s curriculum vitae and academic records;
• a maximum of 40 points for statement of purpose and reference letters

The Admission Board may decide to conduct a brief online interview or request video-recorded interview through the admission portal to clarify aspects of a student’s qualifications. No additional points are given to the interview.

A minimum of 60 total points is required to be eligible for admission to all the above PhD programs.

For the PhD programs in Social and Political Science and Legal Studies, the Admission Board will first evaluate the suitability of the applicants’ qualifications, and, after a first step of selection, the Board will interview some candidates in order to better assess their qualifications (second step of selection).

For the PhD program in Social and Political Science, the first step assessment is based on a candidate’s:

• curriculum vitae (mandatory);

• academic records (mandatory);

• international graduate admission tests scores (GMAT or GRE);

• statement of purpose (mandatory);

• up to three reference letters.

The qualifications assessment criteria are as follows:

• a maximum of 50 points for the applicant’s curriculum vitae and academic records;

• a maximum of 10 points for GMAT/GRE;

• a maximum of 40 points for statement of purpose and reference letters.

The Admission Board will interview (online) candidates who have obtained at least 70 points in the qualifications assessment. 

The second step assessment is based on the online interview, whose maximum score is 50 points.

A candidate will be eligible for admission if he or she has obtained at least 70 points out of 100 in the qualifications assessment and at least 25 points out of 50 in the interview.

The purpose of the interview is to better assess candidates’ qualifications, discuss their statement of purpose; test their aptitude for the program, ascertain their proficiency in English. 

After completing the interviews, the Admission Board will rank the applicants.

For the PhD program in Legal Studies, the first step assessment is based on a candidate’s:

• curriculum vitae (mandatory);

• academic records (mandatory); 

• statement of purpose (mandatory);

• research proposal (mandatory);

• up to three reference letters;

• other relevant documents (e.g. thesis’ abstract, publications).

The qualifications assessment criteria are as follows:

• a maximum of 50 points for the applicant’s curriculum vitae and academic records;
• a maximum of 40 points for statement of purpose, research proposal and reference letters;
• a maximum of 10 points for other relevant elements.

The Admission Board will interview (online) candidates who have obtained at least 70 points in the qualifications assessment. 

The second step assessment is based on the online interview, whose maximum score is 30 points.

A candidate will be eligible for admission if he or she has obtained at least 70 points out of 100 in the qualifications assessment and at least 20 points out of 30 in the interview.

The purpose of the interview is to better assess applicants’ qualifications; discuss their research proposal (relevance, international approach, issues involved) and their publications, if any; test their aptitude for the program; ascertain their proficiency in English and other foreign languages (when only self-certified), and ascertain their competence in a subject of their choice, which is part of the PhD curriculum.

After completing the interviews, the Admission Board will rank the applicants. 

A wide range of information is needed in order to assess the applicants' strengths and potential for academic success. In particular, the following elements are considered:

• Personal curriculum: Full CV (education, work experience, language skills, study/work abroad, other relevant skills and experiences);
• Academic records: transcript of exams and certification of undergraduate (6 EQF) and graduate (7 EQF) degrees awarded and final grade (if any); if the graduate program has not been completed*, an enrollment document with the full study plan, the exams taken and the grades achieved; 
• International Graduate Admission Tests scores: Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) or Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) with date and results. These tests are not relevant for the PhD programs in Legal Studies, Mathematics and Applications, Computing Sciences and Artificial Intelligence. IMPORTANT: date of the test: not before 3 November 2021;
• Statement of purpose: short description (max 1200 words) of your motivation for enrollment in Bocconi PhD programs, your research interests and professional goals; only for the PhD in Legal Studies: short description (max 1200 words) of your motivation for enrollment in Bocconi PhD program and of your professional goals;
• Reference letters: up to three reference letters uploaded by referees appointed in the on-line application procedure. Referees can be academic (first best) or non-academic (second best);
• Research proposal (only for the PhD in Legal Studies): detailed description of research proposal coherent with one of the curricular disciplinary;
• Other relevant documents (maximum five and only for the PhD in Legal Studies): e.g. abstract of the thesis, publications, other programs attended, etc.
  
  *Applicants who have not achieved a degree are allowed to apply, but they must obtain the degree by 31 October 2027 or their enrollment will be void.

All documents have to be in English, except for those regarding the academic records, which can be in Italian, and publications, which can be in any language. All documents must be submitted by the application deadline. Documents received after the deadline will not be accepted.

In order to close the application and be evaluated, the following documents (sections: personal details, language requirements, academic records, statement of purpose, research proposal) are strictly required:

• Personal CV;
• Documentary evidence of English language competence (except English native speakers): international certification/test, university or high school studies in English, …;
• Academic records;
• Statement of purpose;
• Research proposal (only for the PhD in Legal Studies);
• Copy of the international passport;
• Passport format photo.

Documents of the remaining sections (e.g. GRE/GMAT and Reference letters) contribute to increase the score in the final ranking, but they are not mandatory. 

Applicants must apply exclusively through the on-line application procedure which is available here from 3 November 2026. The deadline for submitting the application is 18 January 2027 at 23:59 CET (8 February 2027 at 23:59 CET for Statistics and Machine Learning and Computing Sciences and Artificial Intelligence). This deadline is not negotiable.

In order to complete your application, you will have to:

• register in order to obtain Personal ID and password; please note that Bocconi students already have the required credentials;
• enter the information in the spaces provided;
• upload the required documents;
• submit the application.

For technical issues and information, please contact phdadmission@unibocconi.it

Applicants are ranked according to merit. 

The ranking of each public competition is published on Admission Results a.y. 2027-28 in compliance with data privacy laws (privacy is guaranteed).

For the PhD programs in Business Administration and Management, Economics and Finance, Statistics and Machine Learning, Computing Sciences and Artificial Intelligence, Mathematics and Applications:

By 15th March 2027 each candidate will receive a personal email at the address provided during the online application, informing them about the outcome of their application. 

For the PhD programs in Social and Political Science and Legal Studies:

Admission to the interview:

By 19 February 2027 you will receive a personal e-mail to the address you provided on your on-line application in which you will be informed about your admission to the interview.

Final ranking: 

By 15th March 2027 each candidate will receive a personal email at the address provided during the online application, informing them about the outcome of their application. 
 

Financial conditions for the a.y. 2027-2028 intake will be published November 3rd, 2026.

Full Official Call for the a.y. 2027-2028 intake will be published November 3rd, 2026.

Admission Boards for the a.y. 2027-2028 intake will be published before the start of the selection process

FAQs for the a.y. 2027-2028 intake will be published November 3rd, 2026.