DAAD scholarships | An overview

About DAAD scholarships

The DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) provides assistance to over 100,000 students and researchers from Germany and other countries around the globe. This makes it the world’s largest funding agency.

The DAAD provides Research Grants – One-Year Grants for Doctoral Candidates to Ph.D. candidates from nearly every country of origin. A grant for a complete Ph.D. program in Germany is primarily available to applicants from developing and transition countries.

If you are a citizen of an industrialized nation, you may have the opportunity to receive a scholarship for a Master’s degree in Germany.

The Hilde Domin Programme is available to students and doctoral candidates who may face the risk of being denied educational or other privileges in their home country. Keep reading to learn more about DAAD scholarships, their benefits, requirements, and more.

What are the benefits of DAAD scholarships?

DAAD Scholarships are extremely popular in Germany, and students can significantly profit from them. Before delving into the various forms of DAAD scholarships, consider the following advantages-

Scholarship stipend

The scholarship recipients and the scholarship program determine the scholarship payout. After completing the DAAD scholarship qualifying requirements, you can access its benefits. The following are the stipends for various programs-

• The stipend for the Master’s program is EUR 861
• The stipend for the Doctoral program is EUR 1200
• For university assistant teachers, the stipend is EUR 2000
• Professors have a stipend of EUR 2150

Travel 

Rest assured that all travel expenses to and from your destination would be comprehensively covered by the esteemed DAAD scholarships.

Family member benefits

The DAAD provides an allowance for accompanying spouse/children. It also provides insurance benefits to spouses and children. Scholarship holders will only receive family benefits if the program lasts longer than six months. The scholarship will not pay family benefits if the stay lasts under six months.

Health insurance

Most DAAD scholarships provide health insurance for scholarship recipients.

People with disabilities

People with impairments or chronic illnesses can benefit from DAAD scholarships. The DAAD offers assistance to disabled or chronically ill scholarship recipients who are studying or conducting research abroad. They can cover up to 10,000 euros in extra expenses that result from their disability or illness if other funding sources do not cover them. The DAAD will evaluate and determine the amount of these additional charges upon request.

Eligibility

DAAD scholarships have over 100 opportunities for students from various backgrounds and professions, so the eligibility criteria can vary greatly. However, all students should meet the qualifying criteria and DAAD scholarship standards.

The DAAD scholarships are for students who intend to study full-time with mandatory attendance in Germany. The b below criteria are applicable for obtaining a DAAD scholarship for a bachelor’s or master’s degree. The basic DAAD Scholarship eligibility criteria for all international students are as follows-

• Two years of relevant and demonstrated work experience, research, and teaching/graduate assistantship are necessary.
• Comply with the DAAD’s language standards.
• Applicants should have completed their bachelor’s degree within the past six years to qualify. Degrees earned more than six years ago will not have consideration.
• It is mandatory to have been a resident of your home country for at least one year before applying for a visit to Germany for up to six months.
• Completing the most recent degree in your home country is an absolute requirement if you intend to stay there for more than six months.

Requirements

Consider the following DAAD scholarship requirements for master/graduate-

Language prerequisites

An IELTS band score of 6 is a must. If you give TOEFL, a minimum score of 550 paper-based, 213 computer-based, and 80 internet-based is necessary for English courses. Having excellent English skills will benefit you.

For courses taught in German

You must have a DSH 2 or Testdaf 4 certificate for enrollment. A level B1 certificate is necessary at the time of the application.

Academic in school

The required minimum aggregate for different degree programs is 8.5 CGPA or 85% or equivalent.

Documents required 

International students must provide certain mandatory documents to qualify for the DAAD scholarship. Check below for a list of the required documents for both bachelor’s and master’s programs in Germany. Meeting these requirements is essential for being considered for the scholarship.

• You must have your online application form
• CV or resume is necessary
• You must provide a Certificate of Enrollment from your home institution to prove your current enrollment status.
• The home institution fills and stamps NOC (No objection certificate).
• You must submit the application form to the German host filled in by the German supervisor.
• You must have an invitation letter from the German supervisor.
• Submit the reference from the university teacher of your home institution.
• Letters of motivation are necessary if you are applying for a study scholarship.
• The detailed proposal required if applying for a research grant
• You must submit university degree certificates indicating final grades.

DAAD scholarship deadline

Most universities require the submission of DAAD scholarship applications by July 15th for the winter semester and January 15th for the summer semester.

The DAAD scholarship deadlines will vary depending on your chosen degree and university. You should confirm the deadlines with your university.

German universities that accept DAAD scholarships

Many universities in Germany accept DAAD scholarships. You can search for a university that meets your requirements. Here are some noteworthy universities and international programs supported by DAAD that accept these scholarships.

DAAD programs	Universities
Development Cooperation	Ruhr-Universität Bochum Universität Bonn Hochschule Rhein-Waal
Economics/Business Administration/ Political Economics	HTW Berlin Georg-August-Universität Göttingen Universität Leipzig
Engineering and related sciences	Technische Universität Dresden Europa-Universität Flensburg Universität Stuttgart Universität Oldenburg Hochschule für Technik Stuttgart
Mathematics	Technische Universität Kaiserslautern
Regional and Urban Planning	Technische Universität Berlin Technische Universität Dortmund Universität Stuttgart
Agricultural and Forest Sciences	Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn Technische Universität Dresden Georg-August-Universität Göttingen Universität Hohenheim
Natural and Environmental Sciences	Universität Bremen Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg Universität Greifswald Technische Hochschule Köln
Medicine/Public Health	Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg Freie Universität Berlin Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Social Science, Education, and Law	Technische Universität Dresden Munich Intellectual Property Law Center (MIPLC)
Media Studies	Deutsche Welle Akademie Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn Hochschule Bonn Rhein-Sieg

Key takeaways

• The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) scholarships provide a plethora of opportunities for students, graduates, and researchers to pursue their academic ambitions in Germany. 
• One of the unique features of the DAAD scholarship is that it supports a diverse range of disciplines, including social sciences, engineering, natural sciences, and humanities. 
• The scholarships offer a generous monthly allowance, covering living expenses, health insurance, and travel expenses. 
• Another benefit of the DAAD scholarship is that it provides language courses to help students improve their German language skills, which can benefit academic and career prospects. 
• Additionally, the scholarship offers a valuable opportunity to experience German culture and academic excellence, leading to personal growth and global networking.

Other advantages may include a onetime research allowance, family allowances, or cash for language lessons, depending on the scholarship program. If you are an overseas education aspirant seeking information about global universities, please don’t hesitate to contact us!

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FAQs

Q1. Can you work while you are on your DAAD scholarship?

Answer- You are permitted to work part-time while on a scholarship. You need the consent of DAAD and your supervisor or course coordinator. DAAD will deduct any monthly income above EUR 450 from the scholarship payment.

Q2. Is there an age limit for the DAAD Scholarship program?

Answer- There are no age restrictions. However, the most recent academic degree should not be older than six years old.

Q3. Can you apply for multiple DAAD scholarships?

Answer- Yes, it is possible to apply for multiple DAAD scholarships as long as the scholarships are for different programs.