Study and research in Germany

General Information for Scholarship Applicants

The Scholarship Database contains details on the programmes offered by the DAAD and by other scholarship awarding organisations for foreign students, academics and researchers interested in finding sources of funding to complete study or research stays in Germany.

Besides the programmes listed here, a number of more specialised funding programmes are also available for specific countries or regions which are not mentioned in the database. Information on these can be obtained from the DAAD Regional Offices, the German Missions Abroad (Embassies and Consulates General) or from the relevant offices at universities abroad, for example, the International Office. In addition, you can click here to find the latest announcements and calls for applications for new DAAD programmes.

The scholarships offered by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) are awarded to younger university graduates (and in exceptions, also to advanced students) from all academic disciplines as well as from the fields of music, art, and performing arts. Funding is also available for young and early-stage researchers, university teachers and groups of students completing study visits under the guidance of a university teacher. This support is largely financed by the  Federal Foreign Office from public funds made available to it.

The DAAD policy on awarding scholarships is as follows: the DAAD aims to fund and support foreign students, graduates, doctoral students, and young and early-stage researchers whose previous research and academic achievements place them at least in the top third of their age group and who can additionally be expected in the future to become key players and top performers in their career fields combined with an awareness for the social responsibility which this involves.

Funding is available for stays at state (public) or state-recognised universities and at non-university research institutes in Germany.

As a rule, the minimum age for applications is 18. At the time of application, generally no more than six years should have passed since the graduate gained the last degree; in the case of doctoral students, no more than three years should have passed since starting the doctoral process; and in the case of postdocs, no more than four years should have passed since gaining the doctorate. Depending on the country of origin of applicants, for example, special conditions prevailing in the home country education system, etc., exceptions are possible.  Further country-specific information is available on the DAAD website: www.daad.de/stipendien.

• Application papers and deadlines
• Selection process and selection criteria
• German language proficiency
• Scholarship value and other payments
• Equivalency
• Please take particular note

Application papers and deadlines

Information on the application papers to be submitted can be found in the application form ("Antrag auf ein Forschungs-/Studienstipendium" / "Application for a Research Grant/Study Scholarship), which is available on the DAAD website (www.daad.de/en/form) or can be obtained direct from the German Missions Abroad (Embassies and Consulates General), from the DAAD Lektors, the DAAD Regional Offices, and the DAAD Information Centres (ICs), as well as from partner organisations. Applications for some countries and programmes require that the application form is completed online. Information on this can be found in the country-specific information published on the DAAD Homepage (www.daad.de/stipendien) or on the websites of the DAAD Regional Offices or the DAAD Information Centres (ICs), from where the application forms can be accessed. Applications can only be processed when they have been submitted in full, including all required papers and documents. Most programmes require applications to be submitted in multiple. Incomplete applications (including missing papers or documents) cannot be processed by the DAAD and will result in the applicant's exclusion from the selection process.

You can find information on the precise deadlines for the submission of applications and on the address to which applications must be submitted as well as additional country-specific information by going to the DAAD website: www.daad/de/stipendien. You can also obtain this information direct from the DAAD Regional Offices or from the German Mission (Embassy or Consulate General) in your home country.

Selection process and selection criteria

As a rule, a pre-selection round or an assessment of incoming applications is carried out by a pre-selection committee. The pre-selection committee may be made up of local university teachers (with special consideration given to former DAAD scholarship holders and former Alexander von Humboldt Foundation scholars), of DAAD-placed German university teachers and Lektors, Goethe Institute lecturers, representatives of the relevant ministries, representatives of partner organisations of the DAAD, or of representatives from the relevant DAAD Regional Office. The final decision is generally made by a Selection Committee of German university teachers on which staff members from DAAD Head Office in Bonn also sit. However, the latter only sit on the committee in a non-voting capacity.

The Selection Committee for the final decision is appointed by the DAAD Executive Committee on the basis of academic and regional factors. The Selection Committee members review the submitted applications, in general, and then judge

• the reasons given for the application on the basis of their knowledge of the general and academic circumstances in the applicant's country of origin and in Germany,
  
• the plausibility and feasibility of the project,
  
• the status of preparations for the stay in Germany,
  
• how the stay is integrated into the applicant's study pathway or academic career,
  
• the applicant's academic qualifications and language skills.

Where necessary, the Selection Committee may request additional reports, references or recommendations from representatives of the subject in question.

The applicant's academic qualifications and personal suitability are the decisive factors in all scholarship award decisions. The DAAD Selection Committees will above all base their decision

• on the proof of academic achievements which students submit (credits, certificates, etc.),
  
• on reports, references or letters of recommendation submitted by university teachers, and
  
• on a description of the study or research project in question.

Specifically, the following selection criteria will be taken into consideration:

1. Previous academic achievements and examination results as well as the applicant's particular knowledge in his or her academic field.
   
2. Letter from a German university teacher confirming the provision of academic supervision for the applicant; proof of contacts between the applicant's home and host institutions.
   
3. Where appropriate, proof of German language proficiency.
   
4. General questions of character and personality which are of significance to the success of a stay abroad.
   
5. Where appropriate, the development policy significance of the proposed project for the home country.
   
6. The extent to which the applicant will be able to apply the experience gained in Germany back in the home country (prospects for career re-integration, particularly relevant in the case of scholarship award decisions for applicants from developing countries).

Once the application has been reviewed, it will be rated on the basis of a points system. This is then used to produce a ranking list and finally to award the scholarships in accordance with the number of available places. Decisions are documented in writing at DAAD Head Office. Applicants are advised of the results of the selection process. The diversity of assessment elements, their weighting in relation to each other and the assurance of absolute confidentiality of the decision-making process in the Selection Committee mean that applicants are not advised of the reasons for decisions.

German language proficiency

The level of German language proficiency which applicants are required to have is primarily dependent on the planned study or research project. Foreign students wishing to matriculate at a German university must, as a rule, present proof of adequate proficiency in the German language.

Students can prove their German language skills by presenting one of the following language proficiency certificates: the "Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang (DSH)" or the "Test Deutsch als Fremdsprache (TestDaF)". However, students who gained the "Abitur" school leaving certificate at a German school abroad or who hold one of the following language certificates – "Sprachdiplom der KMK (Stufe 2)", "Kleines Deutsche Sprachdiplom" or "Großes Deutsche Sprachdiplom" of the Ludwig-Maximilian University of Munich, or the "Zentrale Oberstufenprüfung" of the Goethe-Institute – will also be exempted from this requirement.

The DSH and TestDaF (TDN) certificates are each made up of three stages or levels: DSH-1, DSH-2, DSH-3 and TDN 3, TDN 4, TDN 5. An adequate knowledge of German is considered to have been proven when applicants pass the DSH with at least a grade point average score of DSH-2 or when applicants achieve at least TDN 4 level language skills in all TestDaF examination sections. In the case of lower scores (i.e. DSH-1 or TDN 3), the university in question is responsible for deciding on admission.

You can find detailed information on the TestDaF here on the DAAD website or direct from www.testdaf.de. You can sit the TestDaF at numerous test centres in Germany and abroad. For the addresses of the test centres, just go to the above website.

The DSH can be taken at universities in Germany and at some foreign universities. You can find further information on the DSH here on the DAAD website or on the website of the Professional Association of German as a Foreign Language (Fachverband Deutsch als Fremdsprache – FaDaF) at the website: www.fadaf.de.

Many universities offer free-of-charge language courses to prepare students for the DSH or TestDaF. However, the number of universities that charge fees for these courses is increasing. This means that the number of free-of-charge places on such courses is very limited. Courses offered by (private) language schools outside the university sector will certainly charge fees.

Although the DAAD does place a greater emphasis on the academic qualifications which applicants hold than on their German language skills, applicants will nevertheless be expected to take every opportunity to gain and improve their knowledge of German while they are still in their home country. When it awards a scholarship, the DAAD reserves the right to make it a condition that the applicant provides proof of adequate language skills in the form of a language proficiency certificate before leaving for Germany. In any case, we strongly advise all applicants who are nominated for a scholarship to make use of every opportunity open to them to improve their knowledge of the German language in the time between submitting their application and leaving for Germany.

Scholarship value and other payments

The DAAD essentially differentiates between individual scholarships and group programmes. Besides a monthly payment, which the DAAD sets on the basis of the scholarship holder's academic level, individual scholarships generally include other payments as well, such as travel expenses, health insurance, accident insurance, and personal/private liability insurance. Details can be found in the individual programme descriptions.

Equivalency

Even very well qualified foreign applicants may find integration into the German academic system difficult to manage due to the differences in the structures of the various higher education and general education and training systems. Only the host faculty at the German university of your choice is responsible for deciding on the equivalency, level and placement of any academic qualifications that you gained in your home country, and, in particular, of any final degrees you hold. For their part, the faculties base their decision on recommendations issued by the Central Office for Foreign Education Zentralstelle für das ausländische Bildungswesen (ZAB), which is a unit of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs, the Ständige Konferenz der Kultusminister in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (KMK).

Please take particular note

You must not draw funding from other German scholarship-awarding organisations or from other German public authorities at the same time as you are receiving your DAAD scholarship. Any other foreign support or additional income from secondary employment will be partly offset against (i.e. deducted) from your scholarship. Scholarship holders must not take up any secondary employment until they have gained appropriate written approval from the DAAD.

• Africa Sub-Sahara
• Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Oceania
• Central and Eastern Europe
• Latin America
• North America
• Northern Africa and the Middle East
• Western Europe