Scholarships in Germany

Grants and scholarships in Germany

To cover tuition fees and living expenses, international students can win a scholarship or a grant.

There are three main groups of scholarships in Germany:

• University. German universities can reward students for good performance and achievements in various fields. Information about this should be checked on the websites of universities. These scholarships are usually small and not available at all universities. Moreover, foreigners are often not entitled to them. An exception is the national scholarship program “Deutschlandstipendium.”
• Governmental — from the government of Germany or the EU. Usually, these are large grant programs like DAAD or Erasmus. They are popular among foreigners, so there is very high competition.
• Private. Foundations providing scholarships can be scientific, party-, or church-related. They have special requirements for candidates, and this confuses foreigners. In reality, foundations are often just looking for socially active youth.

Additionally, there are many more private scholarships from companies or organizations. Different opportunities are available to students depending on where they study.

DAAD scholarships

DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst) — German Academic Exchange Service — offers about two hundred scholarships for foreign students. For undergraduates, these are mostly short-term internships. Larger programs are designed for graduate students — Master’s and PhD. In total, DAAD provides about 150 thousand scholarships per year^[1]. They usually cover most of the accommodation, meals, and personal expenses. Deadlines for filing documents vary depending on the program.

DAAD Master Studies for All Academic Disciplines

The most popular DAAD scholarship — Masterstudium für alle wissenschaftlichen Fächer — is available for Master students in all fields of study, except for creative specialties and Architecture. There are separate scholarships for them.

There are two options for participation:

1. A full-fledged Master's program in Germany. The scholarship is awarded for a period of 10 to 24 months, depending on the program. In the mid-point of two-year programs, you will need to prove your academic performance. You can participate in the competition even if you are already studying in Germany in your first year of a Master's degree program and have just learned about such an opportunity.
2. Exchange studies at a German university. The scholarship is paid throughout the first or second year. It cannot be extended further.

In both cases, the payments are the same — 973 USD/month. Approximately that much is usually spent on living in Germany. Additionally, the scholarship covers:

• Insurance
• Partially — travel costs
• One-off study allowance
• Online German language course Deutsch-Uni Online (DUO)
• If necessary — language courses in Germany before starting your studies (mandatory if further studies will be in German)
• Partially — language courses chosen by the student during their studies
• Reimbursement of the fees for the TestDaf or DSH test

DAAD can be obtained to study at a private university, but you will have to pay for the tuition yourself. In special cases, DAAD helps with rent or pays extra money to support other family members in Germany. Any work during your studies must be discussed with a DAAD coordinator.

DAAD requirements

Basic requirements for candidates:

• Graduate from a university no earlier than 6 years before applying;
• Get admitted to one of the German universities. Universities and DAAD make decisions independently. Therefore, in order to receive a scholarship, you need to enroll in at least one of the three programs that you choose when applying;
• Have good/excellent academic performance;
• Submit an appropriate language certificate with the results not lower than those indicated in the requirements of the selected universities.

Those who have lived in Germany for more than 15 months cannot participate in the program. DAAD scholarships cannot overlap with each other and with other programs.

After this particular DAAD program, there is no requirement to return home for a couple of years, as is often the case in large programs. But don’t write in the motivation letter that you want to stay in Germany. This can lead to visa problems.

DAAD application

For the application you need to prepare a lot of documents:

• Online application form
• CV in tabular form (max. 3 pages)
• Motivation letter (1-3 pages)
• Special form indicating your choice of 3 programs
• Formal letter of recommendation
• Copy of a Bachelor's degree certificate indicating final grade(s)
• Current Transcript of Records with individual grade(s)
• Copy of a school certificate
• Language certificate (German TestDaF / Goethe C2 or English TOEFL / IELTS)
• Additional relevant certificates
• Invitation from the university (letter of admission)
• Other achievements

Some documents have special requirements:

• Diploma and an invitation from the university. You can upload them later — after you graduate from your university and enroll in a German one.
• Language certificate. Must be less than two years old. If for some reason, such as the pandemic, you did not manage to pass the exam on time, you can submit an application to the portal without a certificate. But you will have to send it later.
• Special form. Here you write where you want to apply. You can choose a maximum of three programs at the same or different universities.
• Translations. All documents must be translated into English or German. You can do it yourself, without certification.

Certain programs require an international exam certificate — GRE or GMAT. It is important to check what exams at what level are required by your chosen institutions.

Additionally, you can attach recommendations from employers or proof of professional experience, victories in subject competitions, social activities, volunteering, participation in projects. The more achievements, the higher the chances of getting a scholarship.

Some documents will also need to be sent to the regional office of DAAD by courier mail or registered mail:

• A recommendation from the teacher, signed by hand;
• Application summary. A printed pdf file that can be downloaded from the website after submitting an application.

Stages of the DAAD competition

The competition consists of two stages:

1. Applying for a scholarship. After collecting the documents, you submit an online application through the DAAD portal. It usually takes 6 weeks in October-November about a year before the start of the school year. The results of the scholarship competition arrive in April. Сurrent dates must be checked on the website.
2. Submitting documents to German universities. Regardless of the scholarship, you must enroll in one of the programs that you stated in your application during the first stage. In German universities, there are two application deadlines. But the scholarship only starts in October. Therefore, students usually enter the university in the summer, just before the start of their studies.

Important: DAAD may send a Scholarship Award Letter (Stipendienantritt) in advance. But if no university accepts you, it will be withdrawn.

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