REFUNDS

• What kinds of funds are available?

There are two types of funds:

1. funds allocated by the Doctoral Office. These funds amount to 10% of the scholarship and can both be requested by doctoral students with or without a scholarship.
2. funds allocated by the Psychology Department. These funds are allocated based on the department's budget every year, additional funds are also provided only for doctoral students without a scholarship.

For more information, contact the Doctoral office and Department secretary, respectively at Department Secretary: dip.psicologia@unicatt.it and Doctoral office: dottorati.ricerca-mi@unicatt.it

• What expenses can I incur through the funds allocated to me?

Through the funds allocated to me, it is possible to cover all expenses related to travel (transportation, meals, accommodation) and the purchase of goods or services (books, participation in conferences and courses, memberships in scientific societies, and expenses for scientific publications).

• Can expenses related to the doctorate (e.g., conference registrations, travel, etc.) be advanced through the available funds?

Yes, it is possible to advance expenses related to the doctorate, such as conference registrations, travel expenses, and the purchase of software. As these expenses need to be approved in advance, contact the respective offices to know more about it (see question 1 for contacts).

• How can I access the Psychology Department's funds?

To request reimbursements from the Psychology Department, it is necessary to keep the original tax receipts and follow these steps:

1. Verify that the reimbursement amount does not exceed the available funds – If you are not in possession of this information, kindly get in touch with the department secretary (contact details at question 1).
2. Send an authorization email to the department director (Prof. Antonella Marchetti), including all information about the requester (year of the doctorate attendance, supervisor, reason for reimbursement), with the department's secretary (dip.psicologia@unicatt.it) in cc.
3. Await the approval from Prof. Antonella Marchetti.
4. Compile the department reimbursement form obtained by the department's secretary and sign it.
5. Send the form to the department secretary (always cc Prof. Marchetti).
6. Bring a printed copy of the department reimbursement form, along with the original tax receipts, to the secretary of the Psychology Department.

The link to the form is provided below.

• How can I access the Doctoral office funds?

Please follow the following steps:

1. Complete the   doctoral reimbursement form.
2. Submit the receipts and the form to the doctoral coordinator (Prof. Margherita Lanz) to obtain authorization for accessing the funds.
3. Once you have received back the signed document, send it along with the scanned receipts to the Doctoral Office (contact provided at question 1).
4. The Doctoral Office will make contact only in case of need.

The link to the doctoral reimbursement form is provided below.

https://progetti.unicatt.it/progetti-ateneo-RICHIESTA_RIMBORSO_SPESE_-_mi.pdf

• Do I have additional funds available for my stay abroad?

Yes, but only if you are a Ph.D. student on a scholarship. More specific information can be found at the following link.

• Are there any funds available for PhD Students to access?

Yes, there are two distinct funds available to Psychology PhD Students at Università Cattolica:

1. Funds allocated by the Doctoral Office: These funds amount to 10% of the scholarship and are accessible to all doctoral students, whether they have a scholarship or not. 
2. Funds allocated by the Psychology Department: The Psychology Department allocates these funds based on its annual budget. Additionally, there is an extra allocation exclusively reserved for doctoral students without a scholarship. 

Each PhD Student can access both sources of founding. Through these allocated funds, it is possible to cover various expenses related to mobility (transportation, meals, accommodation) and the purchase of goods or services (books, participation in conferences and courses, memberships in scientific societies, and expenses for scientific publications).

PLEASE NOTE: in some cases (e.g., software purchase, conference registration, membership in scientific societies) both the Doctoral Office and Psychology Department Secretary must approve in advance your request to access the funds. Availability of funds and the application process may vary depending on your request, your scholarship, and Academic Policies year by year. For specific details and requirements, you can reach out to the Doctoral Office at dottorati.ricerca-mi@unicatt.it and Psychology Department Secretary at dip.psicologia@unicatt.it.

• How can I access the Doctoral office funds?

To access Doctoral office funds, follow the following steps:

1. Complete the following reimbursement request.
2. Submit the receipts and the completed reimbursement request to the doctoral coordinator (Prof. Margherita Lanz) to obtain authorization for accessing the funds.
3. Once you have received back the signed document, send it, along with the scanned receipts, to the Doctoral Office.
4. The Doctoral Office will make contact only in case of need.

• How can I access the Psychology Department's funds?

To request reimbursements from the Psychology Department, it is necessary to keep the original tax receipts and follow these steps:

1. Verify that the reimbursement amount does not exceed the available funds – If you are not in possession of this information, kindly get in touch with the Psychology Department secretary.
2. Send an authorization email to the department director (Prof. Antonella Marchetti), including all information about the requester (Cycle of the doctorate attendance, supervisor, reason for reimbursement), with the department's secretary (dip.psicologia@unicatt.it) in cc.
3. Await the approval from Prof. Antonella Marchetti.
4. Compile the Excel department reimbursement form obtained by the department's secretary and sign it.
5. Send the reimbursement form to the department secretary, making sure to include in cc. Prof. Antonella Marchetti.
6. Bring a printed copy of the department reimbursement form, along with the original tax receipts, to the secretary of the Psychology Department.

• Do I have additional funds available for my stay abroad?

Yes, but only for PhD Student holding a scholarship. Scholarship holders are eligible for a 50% increase in their scholarship amount throughout their entire stay abroad, with a maximum duration of 12 months for vising periods, and 18 months for cotutelle agreements. Before leaving, doctoral students must complete and submit the "Request for Study Abroad" form to the Doctoral Office. Upon their return, they must provide documentation to verify their research activities at the institutions visited. More specific information and materials can be found on the Doctoral Students' Mobility webpage.

PhD STATUS, TUITION FEES AND SOCIAL SECURITY SYSTEM

• Who is enrolled in the doctoral program is a student?

Yes, people enrolled in a PhD programme are considered students in Italy. For this reason, the PhD Students are entitled to the same services (e.g., accommodation place, study grants) as students in graduate programs.

• Where can I find my PhD Student certifications?

To download your self-certification (indicating you are enrolled at a PhD programme and the detail of your scholarship – if applicable), you have to login to your icatt page and click on “online register”. Documents can be downloaded both in English and Italian.

Additional documents and forms (e.g., form presentation of the research project, request for frequency suspension, form for changing personal data, etc.) can be found at the link below:

https://progetti.unicatt.it/progetti-ateneo-durante-il-percorso-di-dottorato-certificazioni-modulistica-e-principali-scadenze#content

• Do enrollment in the doctoral psychology program involves tuition fees?

Yes, enrollment in a PhD programme implies the payment of tuition fees of approximately 1,500 € in total, divided into 3 separate payments during the academic year, regardless of the place with fellowship or without fellowship. Deadlines and procedures can be found in your icatt page clicking on “online register” and “Fees and financial support”.

• Is the scholarship compatible with other income?

The fellowship is compatible with other income, as long as it does not exceed the amount established for the fellowship. For more information, click on the following link:

https://progetti.unicatt.it/progetti-ateneo-faq-e-vademecum-immatricolazione-primo-anno

• What is “gestione separata” of INPS?

PhD programs in Italy, have to provide mandatory social security protection for certain categories of workers, including scholarship recipients. All PhD students with a Scholarship must register to “gestione separata of INPS” within January after enrollment.

• If I am a registered psychologist and I am a PhD student on fellowship, do I have to pay contributions to ENPAP?

The social security protection related to the income received by Research Grant (including doctoral fellowship), even in the performance of activities as a psychologist, if provided for in the Notice of Assignment, is entrusted to the “gestione separata of INPS” and not to ENPAP.

For specific cases, please follow the following link and contact ENPAP directly.

INTERNATIONALIZATION

• How can I go abroad during my PhD?

Students’ mobility is strongly encouraged and there are multiple ways to do it. For information concerning this request, follow the link below and read the section “What are the opportunities for internationalization?”

https://scuoledidottorato.unicatt.it/psicologia-scuola-di-dottorato-in-psicologia-la-scuola#content

• How long before should I start the procedures?

It largely depends on the kind of experience abroad you want to engage in. If you are planning just a visiting period, as the procedures might require several months to be completed, PhD Students are encouraged to plan their visit abroad at least 3-4 months ahead the departure. Timing for EU universities is shorter than those for Extra-EU universities (due to the bureaucratic process for obtaining the necessary documents).

If you want to engage in a Double or multiple degree programme, an agreement must be signed at least 6 months before the start of a doctoral cycle, and its existence must be indicated - as far as the Università Cattolica is concerned - in the announcement of the doctoral competition itself (see Double Doctoral Degree for more information).

Finally, if you want to engage in a co-tutelle programme, you must submit your application no later than the first semester of the second year of the doctoral program (see Procedure for a Cotutelle Agreement for more information).

• Who should I refer to for more information?

The doctoral office should be contacted for more information about internationalization (dottorati.ricerca-mi@unicatt.it).

• What documents do I need and where can I obtain them?

Depending on your destination, different documents are required: the hosting university will inform you about the necessary documents. The doctoral office will assist you with health insurance and necessary certifications. However, be aware that procedures related to travel documents (e.g., VISA) are student’s responsibility. Timing required to issue the documents is not dependent on universities.

• Is there additional financial support for my activity abroad?

Students with scholarships are granted an additional 50% of the scholarship for their entire stay abroad (regardless of its duration), to a maximum of 12 months in case of visiting periods, and up to 18 months in case of co-tutelle agreement.

ETHICS COMMISSION (CERPS)

• What is the Ethics Commission?

The Ethics Committee provides an evaluation of all University research projects that have ethical implications. Before starting your research, you and your research team are required to present the request to the University Ethics Committee (e-mail: commissione.cerps@unicatt.it), so to obtain approval for the project in respect of all ethical issues. All necessary documents can be found at the following link:

https://dipartimenti.unicatt.it/psicologia-dipartimento-di-psicologia-commissione-etica#content

• What is the procedure to obtain approval from the Ethics Commission?

The first thing to do is to download the up-to-date documents from the Psychology Department (see link above). Next, you must fill in all necessary information and appendices (including research tools and, if applicable, participants’ invitation letters). The request must be signed by the research supervisor, who is also responsible for sending the documents to commissione.cerps@unicatt.it. The commission meets up once a month and, as soon as possible, will send back feedback (approval or amendments needed). If needed, the documents must be amended following the requests of the Ethics Commission and must be sent back (by the research supervisor to commissione.cerps@unicatt.it). Once the project has been approved, you will receive a unique protocol number.

PLEASE NOTE: other Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) regarding Doctoral Studies can be found here.