Would you like to study, carry out research or learn German in Germany and are you looking for funding? Every year, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) supports well over 100,000 German and international students and researchers around the globe – making it the world's largest funding organisation of its kind. Learn more about our scholarship options.
Objective
This scholarship programme offers you the opportunity to complete your doctoral degree in Germany. The scholarships are funded by the German Federal Foreign Office.
Who can apply?
You can apply if you have above-average qualifications and you completed your Master's degree or Diplom, or in exceptional cases a Bachelor's degree, at the latest by the time the funding period begins.
What can be funded?
The programme provides funding for a doctoral project at a state or state-recognised institution of higher education or a non-university research institute in Germany. This can be either:
- an individual project supervised by a university teacher (doctoral supervisor), or
- participation in a structured doctoral study programme
Research phases outside Germany can also be funded if these are critical for the successful completion of your doctoral degree. Another requirement is that the visits should constitute no more than one quarter of the anticipated total funding period. You must provide details about the planned visits in your study plan and time schedule in your application documents.
Duration of the funding
- Funding is provided for a maximum of four years; the length of the funding period is decided by a selection committee and depends on your project and study plan.
- Grants are initially awarded for a maximum of three years. Your academic achievements will be assessed once a year. If this shows that you will successfully complete your doctorate within a reasonable period of time, the scholarship will continue as planned. You can apply for an extension of the scholarship for a possible fourth year of funding.
- Funding must begin in 2026.
Value
- Monthly payments of 1,400 euros
- Payments towards health, accident and personal liability insurance cover (see also our important information for scholarship applicants in website www.daad.de)
- Travel allowance
- annual research allowance of € 460
- monthly rent subsidy (please read the important scholarship information in website www.daad.de)
- monthly allowance for accompanying family members. Please also read our important information for scholarship applicants in website www.daad.de.
- In case of a disability or chronic illness: on application, a subsidy may be provided for justified additional costs incurred abroad that are necessary to realise the project in Germany and that are not covered by a third party; whether and to what extent a subsidy will be paid, will be reviewed and determined on an individual basis (see important information for scholarship applicants in website www.daad.de)
To enable you to improve your language skills in preparation for your stay in Germany, DAAD offers the following services:
- Payment of course fees for an online language course after receipt of the Scholarship Award Letter
- if necessary: Language course (2, 4 or 6 months) before the start of the research stay in Germany; the DAAD decides whether to fund the grant holder's participation and for how long depending on language skills and project. If a language course scholarship is granted and the working language at the host institute is German, participation is compulsory.
- Allowance for a personally chosen German language course during the grant period
- Reimbursement of the fee for a TestDaF or DSH test, which you can take either in your home country after you have received your Scholarship Award Letter or in Germany during your funding period.
Benefits from third parties are partially credited towards the DAAD scholarship. Information on this can be found in the important scholarship information in website www.daad.de.
Selection
An independent selection committee consisting of specialist scientists reviews applications.
The selection criteria are:
1. Qualification
- Academic achievements (grade point average, development of grades)
- Academic progress
- Knowledge of the language(s) of instruction or working language(s)
- If applicable, scholarly achievements after graduation, (e.g. publications, lectures, conference papers)
2. Quality of research project
- Quality of research proposal and preparation (originality, topicality and relevance of the project, choice of host institution and first contacts)
- Feasibility and consistency of study plan and schedule
- Incorporation of project within the overall doctorate (in terms of content and time), if relevant
3. Potential of applicant
- Career prospects: significance of the research project and stay in Germany for further academic, professional and personal development
- Motivation: academic and personal reasons for wanting to visit Germany, German language skills (if different from working language)
- Non-study-related activities: non-study-related knowledge and skills, civic engagement
The selection committee also gives due consideration to equal opportunities; you can provide relevant information in the application form.
For more information on the selection procedure, go to Important Scholarship Information in website www.daad.de.
