Corona/Covid-19 - FAQ for PhD students

AU has decided on a joint procedure for handling the challenges you as a PhD student are facing in relation to completing your PhD project as a direct consequence of COVID-19, including the physical lockdown of AU.

The joint procedure is based on the political agreements on the phased reopening of the country, in addition to the Circular on the agreement on the possibility of extending temporary employment contracts, as a consequence of delays occurring in connection with COVID-19 (in Danish)

The objective of the procedure is to ensure a common point of departure for all PhD students at AU, while at the same time granting the individual graduate school the flexibility to handle the challenges in individual students’ PhD projects in the most appropriate way.

Your application for extension will be processed on the basis of an individual, specific assessment. The assessment will be carried out by the graduate school management at your graduate school on the basis of the school's guidelines. The graduate school management will make the final decision in the case. 

The joint procedure applies to PhD students whose progress has been directly affected by COVID-19:

• AU must ensure that enrolled PhD students are able to finish their PhDs, and that the quality of the PhD project lives up to applicable academic requirements for a PhD. 
• A delay in progress towards the PhD degree must be a direct consequence of COVID-19, including the periods of physical lockdown of AU. 
• All PhD projects that are or may be delayed because of the COVID-19-situation must be considered individually and through individual dialogue with the principal supervisor. Furthermore, the PhD programme directors and head of departments/employer must make a statement. 
• In the evaluation of the extension, every effort must be made to adjust the individual PhD project so as to allow the PhD student to complete their project as planned. 
• If the PhD project cannot be completed without an extension of the deadline, the amount of additional time to be granted must be calculated on an individual basis. 
• The nature of the delay in the PhD project must be described in the application for extension.

You can apply for an extension if your PhD project has been delayed as a direct consequence of COVID-19, including the periods when AU’s campuses have been shut down.

It is possible to apply for an extension of your PhD project more than one time if the situation on the background of which you applied last time has changed.

Funding is not a prerequisite for applying for an extension. Your application will be assessed on an individual basis, and the head of the graduate school will make a decision in the case.

• The application must be sent to your graduate school. The head of the graduate school will make a decision in each case. Please do not send applications directly to the head of your graduate school.
• The nature of the delay in the PhD project must be described in short and precise terms.
• The effort made to adjust the PhD project must be described in short and precise terms. 
• The application must be discussed with your principal supervisor. Furthermore, the PhD programme directors and/or head of departments/employer must make a statement. 

To apply for an extension of your PhD programme, see the websites of the individual graduate schools:

• Graduate School, Arts 
• Aarhus BSS Graduate School 
• Graduate School of Health 
• Graduate School of Natural Sciences
• Graduate School of Technical Sciences

If you were given an insurance card from Aarhus University before the start of your stay abroad, you can find information on the current rules on the Staff website about Trips and stays abroad.   

The corona page for international academic staff (IAS) has answers to a number of questions about entry into and residence in Denmark in relation to the corona situation. See Coronavirus/covid-19 information for international staff at AU