PhD – Admissions, fees and funding
We are delighted that you are interested in doctoral studies at EDHEC. If our PhD in Finance programme fits your needs and objectives, we would recommend starting the application process early, as it may take longer than you expect to collate the requisite supporting documents.
How to apply
Admission to the EDHEC PhD in Finance programme is highly selective. Admission decisions are made based on the applicant's overall profile, as in the completed application package.
PhD admissions
Successful PhD applicants come from a diverse array of educational backgrounds and professional experience, but are set apart by their academic and professional excellence, superior analytical and interpersonal skills, international awareness and proven ability to complete the programme.
Executive track
Winter deadlines: mid-December and end March
Spring deadline: end May
Residential track
End January
The application file consists of:
- a completed application form and signed statement of integrity
- a letter of intent
- two forms/letters of recommendation
- transcripts of undergraduate and graduate programmes
- copies of diplomas/degrees
- GMAT or GRE scores
- proof of English proficiency (test scores)
- evidence of research capability in the form of a writing sample (your master’s thesis or a scholarly publication) or a well-developed proposal (up to 2,000 words) for a doctoral thesis
- your curriculum vitae/resumé
- a copy of your passport/birth certificate
- a recent passport photograph (digital format accepted)
- application fee form, with proof of payment order or credit-card receipt*
*The application fee is waived for residential track participants.
Because of its strongly quantitative slant, the programme requires candidates to have a significant academic background in financial economics, econometrics and stochastic modelling (Master's level).
Fees and funding
PhD programme fees and how to access funding
The school may offer financial assistance of up to 50% of tuition fees to help self-funded participants.
Tuition fees for PhD candidates are €35,700 for the 2025-26 academic year, €35,700 for 2026-27 and €35,700 for 2027-28. Fees do not include travel and accommodation expenses.
Residential track participants will work as teaching or research assistants in Nice (France). In return for their part-time duties, they will receive a full tuition-fee waiver plus competitive compensation. Up to two such positions are offered to PhD in Finance candidates each year and these positions are filled as early as possible.
Executive track participants in the PhD in Finance programme are usually either self-financed or company sponsored. As human-capital development and R&D-related expenses, tuition fees and associated costs may be eligible for specific public or collective funding schemes in some jurisdictions. In some countries, tuition fees can be deducted from income tax.
We are a private, not-for-profit institution that receives virtually no funding from the public sector. For our PhD in Finance programme, our financial assistance schemes include:
- a mobility award of up to 10% off first-year tuition fees for participants who have to travel more than 3,000 miles to campus (not means-tested, not merit-based);
- a (means-tested) bursary programme aimed at self-funded participants who require funding assistance, but are not eligible for a scholarship, which may comprise up to €10,000 off annual tuition fees;
- a merit- and means-tested scholarship programme open to all self-funded participants who reside and work in countries classified as low- or middle-income by the World Bank, which may cover up to 50% of tuition fees;
- a rebate of 20% off PhD in Finance tuition fees for organisations that, at the time of payment, are endowing a research chair at EDHEC Business School
- a rebate of 20% on tuition fees to graduates of EDHEC Business School degree programmes.
Please contact us for further details about these funding opportunities: [email protected].
Graduate students can apply for federal and private loans. EDHEC is an approved international school and a participant in federal student loan programmes of FAFSA. Students may be eligible for some private graduate student loans such as Sallie Mae for instance.
FAQ
We have tried to answer some of the questions you may have with regard to applications, tuition fees, and funding opportunities. You can also contact us by phone or email.
EDHEC does not offer an online application option for the PhD in Finance programme. If you are interested in the PhD in Finance programme, please download the appropriate application form here (executive track, residential track) and return it by email to Anne Vaxelaire.
We encourage you to submit an electronic version of your application to expedite processing. Referees can also send their letters of recommendation by email.
The EDHEC PhD in Finance is conducted entirely through English. The programme, therefore, requires a very good command of both oral and written English.
English proficiency test scores are part of the application package for non-native speakers. We accept TOEFL, TOEIC, IELTS and UCLES.
If you are a native English speaker, you will not be required to take an English proficiency test. If you are a non-native speaker, you may solicit an exemption on the basis of either (i) recent University-level experience at an institution where the curriculum was taught exclusively in English, or (ii) top verbal and analytical writing scores at scholastic potential tests (GMAT/GRE), or (iii) significant work experience in English speaking environments.
EDHEC Business School requires GMAT or GRE test scores for admission to the PhD in Finance programme.
EDHEC Business School's GMAT institutional code for the PhD in Finance programme is 3QQ-WQ-32.
EDHEC Business School's GRE institutional code for the PhD in Finance programme is 4242.
A candidate may ask the Admissions Committee to review their application prior to receiving their GMAT/GRE scores, provided their application is filed before the first application deadline. The Committee may set candidates a minimum GMAT score as a condition of admission into the programme. GMAT score reports must be received prior to the third application deadline (end May).
This can take the form of a writing sample in English (for example, your master’s thesis or a scholarly publication) or a well-developed proposal for a doctoral thesis. In this proposal, you should describe in enough detail (up to 2,000 words) a topic that you would like to develop in your dissertation. Even though your actual thesis may differ from the intended topic, the proposal will show the committee whether you are able to formulate an interesting research question, suggest a methodological approach to answering the question and outline the expected results. The clarity of the text and the writing style are also part of the evaluation.
A non-refundable deposit of €5,000 is required prior to the start of the programme to hold your place and for access to the requisite materials. The balance of the tuition fees is payable in two instalments at the end of August and the beginning of January.
EDHEC Business School offers a number of awards, bursaries and scholarships to help alleviate high student travel costs, assist self-funded students in meeting funding challenges reward EDHEC partners that sponsor their executives for the PhD in Finance programme and encourage alumni of its degree programmes who wish to pursue a doctoral qualification at their alma mater.
Scholarship or bursary awards are considered for all PhD applicants and students. Applications can be sent when applying for admission or after admission.
Applicants being considered for admission to the PhD programme will be interviewed.
Applicants being considered for admission to the residential track of the PhD programme will be also interviewed for a part-time teaching assistant position.
Applicants to the executive track may require a pre-interview with the programme director prior to submitting their application. Please email [email protected] to find out more.
Decisions are communicated electronically to all applicants within four weeks of the admissions deadline.
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