Scholarships from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) are available to foreign graduates from developing and newly industrialised countries in all disciplines to pursue a university qualification (Master’s/Ph.D.) in Germany.
Before being considered for a postgraduate or Master’s degree at a state or state-recognized German university, the applicant must have at least two years of professional experience, and in exceptional cases, a doctoral degree.
Eligible fields of study
Masters or Ph.D. courses in
- Economic Sciences/Business Administration/Political Economics;
- Development Cooperation;
- Engineering and Related Sciences;
- Mathematics;
- Regional and Urban Planning;
- Agricultural and Forest Sciences;
- Natural and Environmental Sciences;
- Medicine and Public Health;
- Social Sciences;
- Education;
- Law; and
- Media Studies.
Eligibility criteria
The typical scholarship holder must:
- Currently be employed by a public authority, a state, or a private company in a developing country, where they are responsible for planning and carrying out projects and directives with a focus on development policies affecting technological, economic, or social fields.
- Possesses a Bachelor’s degree (typically earned over four years) in a related field.
- Have earned a bachelor’s degree at the time of application, with significantly above-average grades and at least two years of relevant professional experience.
- His or her academic credentials shouldn’t be older than six years.
- Before starting a study course in German, the applicant must have passed the language test DSH 2 or TestDaF 4 with a passing grade. The scholarship includes a 6-month German language course. As a result, applicants must have at least a B1 level of German at the time of application, and this requirement must be supported by a certificate.
- For English-language courses: Evidence of sufficient language proficiency in accordance with the requirements of the relevant courses
Benefits
The scholarships include monthly payments of 861 euros for graduates and 1,200 euros for doctoral candidates, as well as payments for health, accident, and personal liability insurance and travel allowances unless these expenses are covered by the home country or another source of funding.
Programme duration
The scholarship period for a Master’s is 12 to 24 months (depending on the institution) and 42 months for Ph.D.
Application procedure and deadline
Applications must be made directly to the respective course. The respective course websites have information on the application procedure, the application deadline, and the documents that need to be submitted. The deadline varies depending on the course but falls around August-October 2023.
