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Tuition fee waivers for doctoral students

Junior Research Fellows: Junior Research Fellows employed by EBS are automatically exempt from tuition fees, because the state pays their tuition. They do not need to apply for a waiver.

Other doctoral students: Doctoral students without an employment contract with EBS may apply for a tuition fee waiver of 50% or 100%. Waivers are not granted automatically. They are awarded on application and depend on the student’s documented progress in the doctoral programme.

Validity: A waiver is granted for no more than one academic year and does not renew automatically. After the annual evaluation (attestation), a student may apply again for the next academic year.

Eligibility: To apply, the doctoral student must:

  • have received a positive decision at their most recent annual evaluation (EBS Regulation of Doctoral Studies, §58.1);
  • have submitted the evaluation report and Period Plan, approved by the supervisor(s), no later than five working days before the evaluation (§53);
  • have no outstanding tuition fee debt to EBS.

Level of waiver:

  • 100%: a positive evaluation, with progress in line with the Individual Plan and the indicative milestone timeline in Appendix A.2 of the Letter of Understanding (doctoral students without an employment contract).
  • 50%: a positive evaluation, but one or more milestones in the Individual Plan or Appendix A.2 are behind schedule, and the student and supervisor(s) have agreed a revised timeline.
  • No waiver: if the evaluation committee grants an additional deadline and invites the student to a repeated evaluation (§58.2), or if the evaluation is negative.

How to apply: Send the application to doctoral@ebs.ee. Include the latest evaluation decision, the current Period Plan, and a short statement from the principal supervisor supporting the application.

Deadlines: Applications for an academic year must be submitted by 15 August. The programme management decides on them by 30 August at the latest.

Special application round for the spring semester 2026/2027: Applications for the spring semester 2026/2027 can be submitted by 1 December 2026. The programme management decides on them by 15 December 2026 at the latest.

Discretionary waivers: In addition to the waivers described above, EBS management reserves the right to grant further tuition fee waivers, at its discretion, to doctoral students who make a significant contribution to the development of EBS and to its strategic goals. These waivers are also granted only on application. In the application, the student explains their contribution to EBS and how it supports EBS’s strategic goals.

Combination with other support: A waiver cannot be combined with other EBS tuition reductions. If a student qualifies for more than one, the highest one applies.