DAAD Scholarships for Development-Related Postgraduate Courses

DAAD has a long tradition of uniting people and academia. Founded in Heidelberg in 1925 on the initiative of a single student, the DAAD has since become one of the most important funding organisations in the world for the international exchange of students and researchers.

With its development-oriented postgraduate study programmes, the DAAD promotes the training of specialists from development and newly industrialised countries. Well-trained local experts, who are networked with international partners, play an important part in the sustainable development of their countries. They are the best guarantee for a better future with less poverty, more education and health for all. The scholarships offer foreign graduates from development and newly industrialised countries from all disciplines and with at least two years’ professional experience the chance to take a postgraduate or Master’s degree at a state or state-recognised German university, and in exceptional cases to take a doctoral degree, and to obtain a university qualification (Master’s/PhD) in Germany.

Criteria

To be eligible, applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Works either for a public authority or a state or private company in a developing country and, as such, is engaged in the planning and execution of directives and projects with emphasis on development policies having a bearing on technological, economic or social areas.

• Holds a Bachelor’s degree (normally four years) in a related subject.

• Has completed an academic degree with far above average results (upper third) and at least two years of related professional experience after the first degree (bachelor) at the time of application.

• His/her academic degrees should normally not be more than six years old.

• Applicants who have been resident in Germany for longer than 15 months at the application deadline cannot be considered

• For courses in English: IELTS (Band 6) certificate or TOEFL (minimum score: 550 paper based, 213 computer based, 80 internet based)Note: Some courses may expect a different level. For detailed information see the relevant course description on the following pages.

• For study courses in German (scholarship includes a preparatory 6-month German language course in Germany): Successful passing of the language examination DSH 2 or TestDaF 4 before the start of the study course. Therefore, a minimum German language level of B1 at the time of application is a requirement, that needs to be proofed by providing a current certificate.Note: It is not possible to pass the required German language courses (DSH or TestDaF) without any previous basic knowledge in the German language (at least B1 Level), even with the preceding six-month intensive course in Germany. Passing the language test is a formal prerequisite for matriculation at the respective German university.

Application process

Applications have only to be sent to the respective course directly! Please refer to their respective websites for the application procedure (e.g. online application), for the application deadline and the documents to be submitted. Applications sent to the DAAD will not be forwarded to the respective course/university.

You can apply for up to three courses. If applying to more than one course, please list courses in order of priority in the DAAD application forms (see 7. Choice of host university/institution in Germany) and do not change the priorities in the according application form.

Note: The complete applications have to be submitted in English or German to be considered. Incomplete applications cannot be considered. When applying for more than one postgraduate course (maximum 3 courses), you have to submit one motivation letter explaining why you are applying for these specific courses and why you chose that priority. If this information is ignored, the application cannot be considered or an already awarded scholarship might be withdrawn. Please check with the requirements of the according University whether certified copies are required.

Make sure that you have a copy of each document of your application ready, as those documents (as PDF files) have to be uploaded to the DAAD Portal in case you are suggested for a DAAD scholarship.

Application deadline:

Depending on chosen study programme; please check scholarship brochure or the website of your chosen study programme.

Visit DAAD website for further details on this scholarship.