There are currently about 25 PhD students at or in close association with the institute.

Students who are interested in pursuing a PhD in political science at Cologne University have various options. Besides becoming a doctoral fellow at one of the chairs, there are several institutions that offer doctoral programmes in cooperation with the Institute for Political Science and European Affairs.

The Cologne Graduate School (CGS) offers scholarships to outstanding students and organises the Faculty's PhD programmes.

The International Max Planck Research School on the Social and Political Constitution of the Economy (IMPRS-SPCE) is a special PhD programme, operated jointly by the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences and the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies. It aims at exploring the relationship between modern economies and their political as well as societal foundations.