ESO's studentship positions are open to students enrolled in a university Ph.D. programme in astronomy or related fields. Students accepted into the programme work on their doctoral project under the formal supervision of their home university but they come to ESO to work and study under the co-supervision of an ESO staff astronomer for a period of between one and two years.

Studentships may be hosted either at ESO Headquarters in Garching (Germany) or at ESO Offices in Santiago (Chile), where up to two positions per year are provided for students enrolled in South American universities. An article with more details about this scheme can be found in West et al. 2009 and a factsheet ESO Studentship Programme at a glance can be downloaded.

There are two ESO Studenthship application rounds per year: in May and November. General details are available here. For information about the application procedure and the required material, please see the ESO recruitment portal, with separate application forms for studentships in Europe and Chile. The closing date for this application round is 15 May 2016.