Study Scholarships - Master Studies for All Academic Disciplines

Welcome to our scholarship database!
Here you will find information about our DAAD scholarship programmes for international students and researchers as well as offers from other selected funding organisations.

Please also take note of our important scholarship information.

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Study Scholarships - Master Studies for All Academic Disciplines • DAAD

Overview
Application requirements
Application Procedure
Contact and Consulting
Submitting an application

Please note:
The usage of the application portal is possible only to a limited extent with mobile devices. Please use your desktop computer. Technical requirements

Overview

Eine Druckversion dieser Ausschreibung (PDF) steht Ihnen in den weiteren Registerkarten (z.B. „Bewerbungsvoraussetzungen“) zur Verfügung.

A print version of this announcement (PDF) is available in the further tabs (e.g. “Application requirements”).

Objective

This scholarship programme offers you the opportunity to continue your academic education in Germany with a postgraduate course of study. The scholarships are funded by the German Federal Foreign Office.

Who can apply?

You can apply if you have completed your first degree (e.g. Bachelor’s or Diplom) at the latest by the time the funding period begins.

Please note: For applicants from artistic disciplines and the field of architecture, the DAAD offers the following scholarship programmes:

Architecture
Fine Art/Design/Film
Performing Art
Music

What can be funded?

The programme provides funding for

a whole postgraduate or Master's degree programme completed at a state or state-recognised university in Germany
or
one year of study in Germany as part of a second or Master's degree completed at your home university. The general condition is that the academic credits you gain in Germany are recognised by your home university. Moreover, the standard period of study at your home university should not be exceeded as a result of the study year in Germany.

Funding for a Master's programme already started in Germany cannot be granted.

Duration of the funding

Depending on the length of your chosen programme, the scholarship is intended for visits of between 10 and 24 months.
The scholarships are awarded for the duration of the standard period of study for the chosen programme (up to a maximum of 24 months). Please state the entire period for which you wish to apply for a scholarship in your application. If you are planning a 2-year degree programme, you must indicate two years as the desired scholarship duration in your application. After the first year of study, your academic achievements will be assessed. If this shows that you will successfully complete your programme within a reasonable period of time, the scholarship will continue as planned.
The scholarship usually begins on 1st October of the following year, or earlier if you take a German language course prior to the study programme.

Value

Scholarship payments of 992 euros a month
Payments towards health, accident and personal liability insurance cover (see also our important information for scholarship applicants / section F, point 4)
Travel allowance
Annually study allowance of € 460

Under certain circ*mstances, you can apply for the following additional benefits after start of funding:

Monthly rent subsidy (please read the important scholarship information / section F, point 9)
Monthly allowance for accompanying members of family. Please also read our important information for scholarship applicants / section F, point 3
In case of a disability or chronic illness: on application, a subsidy may be provided for justified additional costs, incurred in Germany due to the disability, 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, section F, point 8)
Green Mobility Top Up (Support for climate-friendly travel) or reimbursem*nt of carbon offset payments for air travel

To allow you to improve your language skills in preparation for your stay in Germany, the DAAD offers the following benefits:

Payment of course fees for an online language course after receipt of the Scholarship Award Letter
if necessary: German language course (2, 4 or 6 months) before the start of the study visit in Germany; the DAAD decides whether to fund participation and for how long depending on German language skills and project. Participation in a language course is compulsory if the study programme is taught in German.
Allowance for a personally chosen German language course during the scholarship period
Reimbursem*nt of the fee for a TestDaF or DSH test, which you can take either in your home country after you have received your Letter of Award or in Germany during your funding period.

Please note that the DAAD does not cover tuition fees (important information for scholarship applicants / section F, point 7).]

Selection

An independent selection committee consisting of specialist scientists reviews applications.

The Selection criteria are:

Academic qualification

Academic achievements
School leaving certificate, if applicable
Course of studies
Knowledge of the language(s) of instruction or working language(s)
If applicable, relevant internships, work experience

Quality of the study project

Quality of the study project and of the preparation (preliminary information, choice of degree programme, host university and establishment of contacts)
Integration of the project into the academic career path

Potential of the applicant

Motivation: academic and personal reasons for the stay in Germany, German language skills (if different from the working language);
Prospects: Significance of the stay in Germany for further academic, professional and personal development.
Extracurricular commitment: extracurricular knowledge and skills, social commitment.

In addition, the selection committee will give due consideration to aspects of equal opportunities, on which you can provide information in the application form.

For further information on the selection procedure, please refer to the Important Scholarship Information / Section E.

Application requirements

What requirements must be met?

Please check if the following criteria are fulfilled:

As a rule, your university degree should not date back more than 6 years at the time of the application deadline. Please read our important information for scholarship applicants / Section A, point 2.
You yourself are responsible for ensuring your application for admission to the German university for your chosen study programme is submitted by the due date. It is therefore important that you find out about admission requirements, application and enrolment deadlines at your host university and regulations regarding entry into Germany in good time. If you have not yet received notification of admission at the time of application, you must submit this before the funding period begins. A Scholarship Award Letter from the DAAD is only valid if you have been admitted to study at the host university named in your application.
If the degree programme includes a period of study or work placement outside Germany lasting several months, this period abroad is usually only funded under the following conditions:
- The study visit is essential for achievement of the scholarship objective,
- the visit does not take place in the home country, and
- it is no longer than a quarter of the scholarship period. Longer periods cannot be funded, even partially.
Your application cannot be considered, if you have been resident in Germany for longer than 15 months at the application deadline.

Language skills

The language of instruction for study programmes in Germany is German. In international programmes, the language of instruction is English, or German and English.

When you apply to the DAAD for a scholarship, you must provide proof of your level of proficiency in the language of instruction (German, English, or German and English) in your chosen study programme.

If the language of instruction is German, the following certificates are usually eligible: TestDaF, DSH, Deutsches Sprachdiplom der Kultusministerkonferenz (DSD), Goethe-Zertifikat, Österreichisches Sprachdiplom, telc Deutsch and onSET Deutsch.
If the language of instruction is English, the following certificates can be submitted, for example: Cambridge English, Cambridge Business, IELTS, ISE, TOEFL iBT, TOEFL Essentials, TOEIC, PTE Academic and onSET English.

In the section 'Application procedure' under 'Application documents', find out whether specific certification is required for your country of origin.

Application Procedure

Application deadline

Application deadlines are updated annually in the second quarter. In most cases, they are in the same period as the previous year. You can find the current dates here:

Application documents

Certificates, proof of credits, certifications and translations may be scanned in non-certified form and uploaded to the DAAD portal. The DAAD reserves the right to request certified copies of the documents.

Documents to be uploaded to the DAAD portal:

Online application form
Full curriculum vitae in tabular form (max. 3 pages)
Statement about academic and personal reasons for the planned study project in Germany (letter of motivation; 1 - 3 pages). Please also read our important information for scholarship applicants / Section B, Point 1. Please upload the letter of motivation under 'study project/motivation' in the DAAD portal.
Letter of admission to the study programme at the host university in Germany. If you have not yet received notification of admission at the time of application, you must submit this before the funding period begins.
If you are planning to do a second degree or Master’s programme in Germany, you must submit the form 'Information about your preferred master programmes'. Please upload the form duly completed under 'course profile' in the DAAD portal.
If you are planning to spend time studying in Germany as part of a second or Master's degree programme abroad, you must submit proof that credits acquired in Germany will be recognised by your home university.
Current overview of grades/ transcript of records with individual grades (to be uploaded under 'university degree certificates' in the DAAD portal)
University degree certificate indicating final grade(s): the certificate must be subsequently submitted by the time funding starts if you have not yet completed your programme at the time of application. Please upload your certificate under 'university degree certificates' in the DAAD portal.
Proof of knowledge of language(s) of instruction in the chosen study programme (should be no older than 2 years). Please refer to 'Application requirements' to find out which proofs can generally be submitted. Depending on the country, specific documents may be required, which are listed below, if applicable. Please submit certificates via the DAAD portal even if the university does not require proof of language skills.
One recent, supporting letter of recommendation from a university teacher which provides information about your qualifications. Please regard the instructions given on the tab 'Submitting an application'.
Other documents you think might be of relevance to your application (e.g. certificates of employment, proof of extracurricular engagement)

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If you submit documents in your national language, please include German or English translations.

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The application procedure occurs online through the DAAD portal.
Please note that the access to the application portal only appears while the current application period is running. After the application deadline has expired, the portal for this programme is not available until the next application period.

Please note

Your application is only valid if you submit all the required documents to the DAAD portal by the application deadline.
(If documents are to be submitted by post, please send them as soon as possible. The postmark date serves as proof that they have been dispatched on time.)
The DAAD portal closes at 24.00 hrs. (CET or CEST) on the last application day. If possible, please do not send your application on the final date in case technical problems occur.
Incomplete applications cannot be considered. You are responsible for ensuring that your applications are complete.
The application documents remain with the DAAD. Your personal data is saved by the DAAD in accordance with the Federal Data Protection Act and with the EU Data Protection Regulation insofar as this data is needed to process the application.

Contact and Consulting

More detailed information

DAAD website section 'Important information for scholarship applicants'
DAAD website section 'Study programmes and language courses'
DAAD website section 'Plan your studies' to help you prepare for your stay in Germany
Campaign website https://www.study-in-germany.de/en/

Submitting an application

General information on the application via DAAD portal

Applications for this scholarship programme are possible in the period June until the stated application deadline.
Click on 'Application portal' at the bottom of the page to go to the DAAD portal. There you will be provided with an online application form to enter your application data.

This is what you have to do:

1. Register in the DAAD portal (Read notes about registering in the portal >>)

2. Request recommendation form
You can generate the recommendation form in the DAAD Portal as a writable PDF under 'Request recommendation form'. It can only be generated during the application period. Please send it to your university teacher and ask him or her to complete the form in full. When you have received it back, upload it in the portal under 'Letter of Recommendation'.

3. Applying online in the DAAD portal (Read notes on applying in the portal >>)

Prepare application documents
If necessary, translate documents (unless they are already in German or English).
Scan paper documents and save in PDF format. You can only upload PDF files to the portal.
Fill out the application form and upload the application documents to the portal in PDF format. Translations, if applicable, should be uploaded together with the document issued in the original language.
Submit the application online.