Grants and Writing Resources for Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile

Three minutes, one slide, in English, for an audience of non-specialists. A doctoral student in astrophysics met that test best and won the 2026 edition of Tesis en Tres Minutos (3MT) UC with a talk on how the environment of the Fornax galaxy cluster shapes dwarf galaxies on their first infall. The contest drew a record 45 applications from 17 doctoral programs, and ten finalists presented at the Centro de Innovación UC Anacleto Angelini. He goes on to represent UC at the Universitas 21 international final.

Starting Research and Creative Work

Through the Concurso de Investigación de Pregrado (IPRE), run by the Dirección de Investigación, undergraduates join a professor's project in a laboratory or in the field, including the university's regional research stations. Applicants complete a workshop on research ethics and safety first, and they can apply in more than one year.

Writers have a separate route. The Dirección de Artes y Cultura's Concurso Creación Artística para Estudiantes supports creative projects and artistic research led by undergraduate and graduate students, with literature listed beside architecture, visual arts, film, dance, design, music and theatre.

Doctoral Funding From the Escuela de Graduados

Doctoral students without outside funding, such as an ANID scholarship, can apply for the Escuela de Graduados' Beca de Ayudante e Instructor Becario. It covers all of the tuition fee and pays maintenance, and it is open to students starting the doctorate or to those who have passed the candidacy exam and begun the thesis. Students who have registered every credit in their program, thesis credits included, can move to the Beneficio de Residencia, which waives tuition while keeping access to student health services, the library and institutional email.

The Escuela de Graduados' competitive funds pay for research stays abroad of a month or more for thesis candidates, stays under a cotutela leading to a double or joint degree, and part of the airfare, lodging or registration for students giving an oral paper at an international congress. Other funds bring a visiting professor to sit on a candidacy exam or thesis defence, and help teams of doctoral students organise their research seminars and workshops.

Prizes and Thesis Support

3MT UC asks doctoral students to explain their research in English and plain language. In the 2026 edition, first place paid 1,400,000 Chilean pesos and second place 700,000. The Escuela de Graduados also lists the Premio Cardenal Newman, for theses that bring a discipline into conversation with the study of faith, and the Premio a la Excelencia en Tesis, for graduates whose doctoral research contributes to Chile in the sciences, humanities, arts and technology.

The Programa de Apoyo a la Dirección de Tesis Doctoral publishes a short synthesis and a longer guide on thesis supervision, a framework for resolving conflicts during the doctorate, and recommendations for remote defences. It also runs workshops on thesis supervision, and questions go to apoyodirecciondetesis@uc.cl.

With the thesis written and the defence ahead, our editors can check the manuscript a final time for grammar, consistency and format. See our Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile dissertation and thesis editing and Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile essay editing pages, or write to editors@editorsforstudents.com.

From Our Writing Guides

• How to Write an Argumentative Essay: Beyond For and Against
• Writing the Abstract and Title: First Impressions Matter
• Dissertation Defense: Defending the Logical Skeleton