Doctoral student

Rules and regulations for doctoral studies

The regulations handbook for doctoral education and study programmes at Örebro University summarises all national and local laws and guidelines. It applies throughout the whole study period, from admission to receiving the degree certificate. Each student and supervisor are recommended to take part of the handbook.

Regulations handbook

Update 2023-03-22: The Regulations handbook will no longer be updated in its current form. If there are any uncertainties regarding any of the content, please contact for advice.

Individual study plan

An individual study plan (ISP) shall be drawn up for each doctoral student.

The plan shall include:
- the obligations of the higher education institution and the research student
- a time plan for the doctoral student's studies

According to local regulations, the ISP shall also include:
- information about how the doctoral student's supervision is organised and
- what is otherwise necessary for studies to be conducted as efficiently as possible.

The plan shall be adopted after consultation between the doctoral student and his/her supervisors.
The ISP shall be regularly followed up – at least once each year – and amended by the university as required, after consultation with the doctoral student and his/her supervisor. The follow-up must be done so that the doctoral student and the principal supervisor inform the university of how studies are progressing. Each doctoral student shall have a valid ISP at every time point.

About the ISP form
From 1st January 2024 there is a new ISP form to be used by all new doctoral students and those who have completed less than half of their period of study. For doctoral students who have completed more than half of their period of study, the school has the option to continue using the previous version of the ISP form, from 2016.

The form can be used on both PC and Mac computers, but only if the latest version of Word has been installed. As a doctoral student or employee you can download Microsoft Office for free and get access to the correct version of Word. The basic version of the form does not require the latest version of Word, but it lacks features and functions such as scroll lists, screen tips and links. For questions about the form, please contact the Office for Academic Policy,

Download the ISP form here, 2024.

Download the ISP form here, 2016.

Download the ISP, basic version, here.

Download example ISP, Year 0, here.
Download example ISP, Year 3, here.

See the regulations handbook for more information on ISP. Contact the doctoral education administrator at your school fore more information on the ISP process.

Period of study

The period of study for doctoral studies leading to a doctorate is equivalent to 48 months of full-time study. For a licentiate degree the period of study is 24 months of full time study. The study period can be extended in special circumstances specified in the Higher Education Ordinance, Chapter 6, for example, parental leave or sick leave. See also Örebro University's local regulations handbook.

Human Resources provdes information about salary structure for doctoral students at Örebro University.

Relocating to Sweden

If you would like to learn more about living, working and studying in Sweden, and obtain important practical information prior to a potential move, there is lots of useful information to be found on the following webpages: 

Relocating to Sweden - Örebro University

Arrival Checklist - Örebro University

Other useful information

The Doctoral Student section at Örebro Student Union monitors doctoral students' rights, ensures that doctoral students are represented in the university's various decision-making bodies, and supports doctoral students throughout the university.

A doctoral student is a student at Örebro University and has access to the support functions at the university's student department, such as Funka (study with disabilities).