DAAD Scholarships

The DAAD is a registered association whose members are German higher education institutions and their student bodies. Most of its money comes from the federal government, above all the Federal Foreign Office and the research ministry, with further funding from the EU, companies, foundations and foreign governments.

Every scheme it runs, and a selection of other funders' schemes, is listed in the DAAD scholarship database. You filter it by your country, your subject and your stage, and each entry is a full call for applications: eligibility, what is paid, the documents, and the deadline for applicants from your country. The call is the rulebook; general pages give the principles, but the call decides.

DAAD scholarships are grants, not loans, and do not have to be repaid. They do not cover tuition fees.

Study Scholarships for master's studies in all disciplines fund graduates for the standard length of a master's in Germany, 10 to 24 months, or for a year abroad within a master's at home. They pay 992 euros a month, a study allowance of 460 euros a year, insurance, travel on request and, if needed, a German course of two, four or six months before the degree. Your last degree should be no more than six years old, and you arrange your own admission to the university. Funding usually starts on 1 October.

Research Grants for Doctoral Programmes in Germany fund a full doctorate: normally three years at first, with annual review, up to a maximum of four. Your master's should be no more than six years old and, if you have already started the doctorate, it should have begun within the last three years. The grant pays 1,400 euros a month, a research allowance of 460 euros a year, insurance and optional rent, family and language support. Short-term Research Grants fund doctoral candidates for 2 to 12 months and postdocs, within four years of their doctorate, for 2 to 6 months.

Development-Related Postgraduate Courses (EPOS) fund graduates from developing and newly industrialised countries with at least two years of professional experience to take selected master's or, exceptionally, doctoral courses in Germany, for 12 to 42 months. Applicants choose up to three courses and apply to the courses first; the DAAD only asks for a full application if a course selects you. Other lines include STEM scholarships, the Hilde Domin Programme for students at risk, bi-nationally supervised doctorates, and In-Country/In-Region scholarships for study in one's own region.

The standard monthly rates are 992 euros for master's students and 1,400 euros for doctoral candidates and postdocs, 2,000 euros for assistant professors and 2,150 euros for full professors. The DAAD's overview page still gives 1,300 euros for doctoral candidates; the current calls give 1,400 euros from February 2026. The DAAD itself notes that the payment will not always cover all living costs.

Most programmes add a lump-sum travel allowance, health, accident and personal liability insurance, and a research or study allowance. For funding longer than six months there are family allowances of 276 euros a month for a partner and 259 euros per child where no state benefit applies, and in some programmes a rent subsidy of up to 350 euros a month for single holders in high-rent areas.

Other income is limited: part-time work needs the approval of the DAAD and your supervisor, and income or other scholarships above 603 euros a month are deducted. You cannot hold a DAAD scholarship at the same time as one from another German public funder.

Applications are judged by independent selection committees of university teachers and researchers, often including DAAD lecturers abroad. Depending on the programme, a local committee decides alone, or a second committee of German academics decides after it. The best candidates may be invited to introduce themselves in person or online. Committee members are not named, and they may not assess applicants from their own university or people they know or supervise.

Committees look at three things: academic qualification (grades and how they developed, progress, language skills, relevant experience), the quality of the study or research project (its feasibility, how well it has been prepared, how it fits your career, and for research its originality and work plan), and your potential (your motivation for Germany, your prospects, and your commitment beyond your studies). Disadvantages from disability, chronic illness, caring for children or relatives, working to finance your studies or a refugee background are taken into account.

Scholarships are for full-time study or research with attendance in Germany: distance, online, blended and part-time programmes are not eligible, and you must live in Germany for the whole award. Holders need health cover from the first day; the DAAD insurance covers most pre-existing conditions but not all, so anyone with a listed condition or who is pregnant should contact the DAAD before accepting.

Some three million people have been supported by the DAAD since 1925. Former holders can apply again for certain programmes for academics, generally no more than once every three years.