Important information for scholarship applicants
No, there is usually no fixed age limit. There are individual exceptions in programmes in which this is explicitly requested by an international partner. Some programmes stipulate that only a certain amount of time should have elapsed since the last degree was taken (see also question 2). For details, please refer to the respective Call for Applications at under the heading "Application requirements".
Yes, an application may be permissible under the following circumstances which may have a delaying effect on studies or doctoral projects:
- pregnancy and childbirth
- care of children up to the age of 12 (maximum of three years per child)
- care of care-dependent relatives
- disability or chronic illness
- prolonged, serious illness
- compulsory military service
- if applicable, other circumstances.
The dates of birth of children and periods of childcare or care of relatives or longer periods of absence due to illness or disability should be indicated in the application form; the last free text field "Other comments / Information" is available for this purpose. DAAD reserves the right to ask you to submit appropriate supporting documents.
Proof of disabilities or illnesses can be provided in the form of a disability card or medical certificate. If possible, the medical certificate should indicate the periods of absence.
Information about studying abroad with a disability or chronic illness is provided in the following: .
Other circumstances must also be justified and substantiated with supporting documents.
Yes, in programmes which require a first university degree, you can apply in your last year of study. You must then meet all the academic requirements set out in the Call for Applications by the time your funding period begins. Also, you can hand in your degree later; it must be submitted before the start of the funding period.
Yes, if you have been in Germany for a maximum of 15 months by the closing date for applications and the Call for Scholarship Applications makes no other specifications.
An application from your current country of residence is possible under certain circumstances:
- If you wish to apply for a short-term (up to 6 months), you must have lived and have been normal resident in your country of residence for at least one year at the time of application.
- If you would like to come to Germany for more than 6 months, you must also have obtained your last degree (e.g. /) in your country of residence or obtain this degree by the time the scholarship period begins.
In any case, you can apply from your country of origin, even if you currently live in another country and meet the above requirements. Your country of origin is usually the country in which you have spent most of your life and may differ from your nationality.
We strongly recommend that you seek information and advice to find out which scholarship programmes are available to you. Contact persons are listed in the under "Contact and advice".
Dual nationals must apply from their country of origin (usually the country where you have spent most of your life). If the requirements are met, an application from the current country of residence is also possible, as described above (A.5). Nationality alone does not entitle you to apply from a country you have never lived in and are not currently living in.
Under certain conditions, foreign nationals may also apply for funding programmes abroad
- You are enrolled in a study programme at a German university with the aim of obtaining a degree from the German university, or
- You are doing your at a German university
and want do go abroad during this time. This regulation does not apply to international students/ who are already being funded with an “Incoming DAAD scholarship” in Germany.
In addition, persons of equal status to Germans according to § 8 Para. 1 Number 2ff. Paragraph 2, Paragraph 2a, and Paragraph 3 BAföG can apply. In this context, the wording of the law applies, which can be found .
Furthermore, it is checked to what extent there is a connection to Germany and whether there is a justified expectation that you will return to Germany after the end of the temporary stay abroad.
A funding in your home country is usually excluded.
Programmes for funding abroad for students in Germany are listed in our database .
Principally yes: DAAD offers many programmes that are open to almost all subjects, although restrictions apply to some subjects (e.g. medicine). There are also subject-specific programmes that are aimed at very specific subject areas, such as architecture, music or computer science. In the , you can select the scholarships programmes that are offered for your subject group.
Not all programmes require a general minimum language level for funding applications. Depending on country of origin and programme, however, certain language skills may be expected. You can find out which requirements these are in the "Application requirements" section of the Call for Applications. Please read these requirements thoroughly to find out what applies to your programme.
For scholarships in Germany, however, the following generally applies: when you submit your application, you must provide proof of your current proficiency in the language of instruction (German, English, or German and English) in your chosen study programme.
If you would like to assess your German language skills yourself, you can take the free placement tests of e.g. or the
The , for example, offers a free placement test for English.
Yes, you can learn German in online courses. For example, the as well as offer special online courses in German. For holders whose funding lasts longer than six months, DAAD will pay the costs of one DUO module.
Furthermore, you can find a wide range of free online content for learning German on Deutsche Welle on
No, DAAD are awarded to applicants wishing to complete a full-time course of study with compulsory attendance in Germany. This is why applicants wishing to take a blended learning or distance/e-learning programme or part-time programme (e.g. dual course of study) are not eligible for DAAD funding.
If you are already funded by the DAAD, another German funding organization or
another state agency in Germany, you cannot receive a from the DAAD.An Erasmus scholarship is not compatible with a full DAAD scholarship. Scholarship
holders in the "University Summer Courses in Germany" and "University Winter
Courses in Germany" programmes as well as those who receive a partial scholarship from DAAD can also take advantage of ERASMUS funding.
In a letter of motivation, you are required to describe your professional and personal reasons for wishing to study in Germany on at least one and no more than three pages.
A letter of motivation is required when you apply for a study or a grant for a language or specialist course. This letter gives you the opportunity to describe your personality and the reasons why you are applying for DAAD funding. The following information and questions will help you write an informative letter of motivation.
- Facts about your education, skills and knowledge
- Studies: study programme, number of , if applicable, degree
- Professional experience, if applicable
- Specialised knowledge, skills and language skills
- Prizes and awards (if applicable)
- Academic motivation
- Why do you wish to take the study programme or attend the language or specialist course for which you are applying?
- What appeals to you about your chosen university?
- What are your expectations of studying in Germany or attending the course (personal, professional, for your career)?
- Reasons for applying for a scholarship
- Why are you applying for a DAAD scholarship?
- What do you expect of this scholarship?
- How will the scholarship help you achieve your academic, professional and personal goals?
- Personal interests
- Here you can outline special extracurricular achievements and commitments or personal qualities that say something about your character.
- Facts about your education, skills and knowledge
A proposal is a detailed and precise description of the project you have agreed to complete with your academic supervisor. In a proposal, you define the goals of your research work, reflect upon theoretical and methodical procedures and you describe the individual steps. You have to prepare and formulate the proposal yourself. Taking over proposals from others is a violation of the
The objective
- What is the subject of your research project?
- Which steps are planned?
- What is the time schedule for your planned research project?
The structure
The proposal (unless otherwise stated in the scholarship announcement, maximum of 10 pages) should contain details about:
- The research field in general and the current state of research literature:
- What is the current state of research?
- Which theories/work of other academic will you draw upon?
- What theoretical framework or scientific models will you use? Explain the reasons why you are drawing on this theory or model. Are there competing theories/models and, if so, why are you not using these in your project?
- What is your research question?
- Key research questions (hypotheses), research objectives and academic relevance of the project:
- What do you intend to find out?
- What goals are you pursuing with your project?
- Research strategies/methods:
- How do you intend answering the research questions?
- How do you want to collect data (document analyses, quantitative or qualitative survey, experiment, etc.)?
- Which academic literature will you use?
- How will you evaluate results?
- What preparation have you already done or intend doing before funding begins?
- Ethical issues/anticipated difficulties related to collecting data
- Research bibliography: List of books and essays upon which your work is based.
Please note that the time plan must be uploaded to the DAAD portal as a separate document.
If you wish to carry out individual research or complete a in Germany, you need confirmation from a university teacher that you are being supervised in Germany (see question 2). If you are taking part in a structured doctoral programme, proof of existing contacts to a doctoral programme coordinator must be submitted in the form of respective correspondence.
If you wish to take a in Germany, all you need to provide is information about your chosen study programmes (see "Application procedure" in the Call for Applications).
Hosts can be university teachers or academic teaching staff who work at a state or state-recognised institution of higher education or a non-university research institution in Germany. If possible, the host should have a professorial qualification in an academic field.
These tips on the site will help you find an academic supervisor.
You need a „Letter confirming academic supervision“. With this, your academic host confirms their willingness to support you in carrying out your research project or . You must submit the the confirmation of supervsion together with you application.
Ideally, the letter of confirmation (informal) from your supervisor
- indicates that the description of your research project and schedule have been discussed,
- confirms that a workplace is available for you, and
- indicates which working language is spoken at the host institute.
Application procedures may vary depending on programme. To find out where and how to apply, please read the "Application procedure" section of the Call for Applications in the Scholarship database (). Seek advice if you have any questions.
Contact persons (often in your area) are listed under "Contact and advice". A list of locations and contact data from the DAAD network is available .
What does this mean?
You have to apply online. To do this, you must register in the DAAD portal. In the , first select your chosen programme and then the tab "Submit application". Note that this tab is only shown during an ongoing application period. The closing date for applications is indicated in the "Application procedure" tab.
I have technical problems with my online application. What can I do?
If technical problems occur, the portal hotline is available to help you on weekdays from 9 am to midday and from 2 pm to 4 pm (CET) at (+49) 228/882-8888 or by e-mail at .
Which documents do I have to upload to be able to submit an application to the DAAD portal?
Your application is only complete if you submit all the application documents listed in the Call for Applications. With the exception of references and work samples in the case of artists, these documents must be uploaded to the DAAD portal. References must be submitted by post if they are required in the Call for Application (see question 3). Artistic work samples are uploaded via a media database – you will receive an upload link as indicated in the Call for Aplication. In some cases, individual documents (e.g. university certificate) may be submitted at a later date if this is explicitly permitted in the programme's Call for Applications.
Do I receive confirmation that my application has been received?
Yes, as soon as you have submitted your application online, you will automatically receive confirmation that your application has been successfully submitted and an e-mail informing you that a message has been sent to you via the portal's messaging system. The message confirms that your application has been received.
References in scientific subjects should be written by university teachers with a doctoral degree who can provide information about the following:
- What are your academic achievements?
- What are your academic and personal qualities?
- Is your project well planned, feasible and relevant?
- What significance does the have for your academic and professional career?
Find out how to generate and submit the reference form in the respective Call for Applications in the Scholarship database ().
Unless otherwise stated in the Call for Applications, you can submit your application either in German or English. Please note that application documents that are not in German or English, e.g. university certificates, must be translated either into German or English. The translations do not have to be for the application procedure and you may do the translations yourself.
You can find out what language certificates you need when you apply for a in the "Application procedure" section of the Call for Applications.
No, not initially. DAAD reserves the right to request after a positive selection decision has been made.
applications are reviewed by an independent and voluntary selection committee. This may be made up of local and/or German university teachers, researchers and DAAD lectors. Depending on scholarship programme and the local situation, the best applicants may also be required to introduce themselves personally. This can take place either on site, face-to-face, or virtually.
Depending on programme, the selection decision is made either by the local selection committee directly or – in the case of a two-stage selection procedure – by another independent committee of academics in Germany. DAAD staff are not entitled to vote in the scholarship selection procedure.
You can find more information about the selection committees .
No. In order to maintain the independence of our volunteer selection committee members, we must ensure that they can make their assessments without any influence or bias. For this reason, like other funding institutions, we refrain from disclosing the composition of the individual commissions and the names of any additional experts who may have been consulted.
At the same time, strict bias regulations apply to the selection experts: To avoid conflicts of interest/bias, experts are not allowed to evaluate applications from the university’s own faculty or examine applicants with whom they have a personal (supervisory) relationship.
The key selection criteria are:
- The quality of the project
- for study and research visits, courses of continuing education: a convincing and well-planned project (see above, question B.2)
- for structured study programmes and language or specialist courses: a well-founded choice of course, as documented by the letter of motivation (see above, question B.1)
- Academic achievements
- Additional criteria
- Additional knowledge or skills (e.g. through professional or voluntary activities)
- Involvement in academic self-governance, higher education policy issues
- Political, social, cultural, social commitment
In addition, in order to ensure equal opportunities, the selection committee may take into account special life circumstances, about which you can provide information in the application form.
Depending on programme, additional selection criteria may be relevant, e.g. language skills. To find out what applies to your programme, read the Call for Applications in the Scholarship database ().
The payment depends on the academic qualifications of the scholarship holders and on the scholarship programme. Scholars taking a typically receive € 934, and € 1,200. Rates for university teachers are usually € 2,000 for assistant teachers, assistant professors and , € 2,150 for professors. You can find an overview of other possible benefits in each programme's Call for Applications in the Scholarship database ().
Under certain conditions, DAAD offers an allowance for accompanying spouses, child allowance and insurance benefits for spouses, registered partners and children. For holders with a funding period of over six months, please read the Call for Applications in the Scholarship database () to find out if a programme provides for family members. If the funding period is less than 6 months, no family benefits will be granted.
holders and accompanying family members must be covered by health insurance from the first day of their stay in Germany. In many programmes, insurance coverage is part of the scholarship. Please read the "Scholarship benefits" section of the Call for Applications in the Scholarship database ().
If your chosen programme does not include insurance coverage, under certain circumstances you may be able to take out inexpensive health, and . If you have any more questions, contact DAAD's insurance office: or ++49-228-8828770.
holders wishing to work part-time during their scholarship period, i.e. pursue gainful employment or an unpaid , always require the approval of DAAD. Your academic supervisor or course coordinator must also give their consent. DAAD will verify that the part-time employment does not interfere with the purpose of the scholarship. Additional income exceeding € 520 gross per month shall be deducted from the monthly scholarship payment.
A second from an international provider of up to € 520 will not have an effect on your DAAD scholarship. If the second scholarship exceeds this amount, the excess amount shall be deducted from the DAAD scholarship.
A scholarship form another German funding organisation or another state agency in Germany may not be used at the same time as a DAAD scholarship (see also question A.11).
Yes. DAAD does not pay tuition fees for its holders. Even as a scholarship holder, you should therefore ask your chosen host university whether tuition fees are charged for your programme.
Although tuition fees are not generally charged in Germany, studying at some locations is not always free. In the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, international students from non-EU/EEA countries ( and ) at state universities have to pay a fee of € 1,500 per semester. Private universities in all federal states may also charge tuition fees. These can vary. Both state and private universities in all federal states may also charge fees for so-called "weiterbildende Masterstudiengänge" (non-consecutive Master's degrees), that often require previous professional experience or lead to a specific additional qualification. These include, for example, the so-called LL.M degree programmes for law students. Fees for these programmes are sometimes very high so you should find out about them in advance.
Yes, in such cases you can apply for additional benefits which individually supplement the regular scholarship benefits. To do so, please contact the relevant contact person at DAAD following the scholarship selection procedure.
Please note: It is not necessary to specify your disability or chronic illness on the application form but under certain circumstances it may be helpful, for example if your disability negatively impacted your studies or academic achievements and this should be taken into account in the selection procedure. For more details about international mobility, go to .
