Study Scholarship

Please see the following links for details on the individual subject fields and on how to submit an application:

For the US:
Study Scholarships-Postgraduate Studies in the Field of Music.
Study Scholarships-Postgraduate Studies in the Field of Performing Arts.
Study Scholarships-Postgraduate Studies in the Fields of Fine Art, Film, Design/Visual Communication.
Study Scholarships-Postgraduate Studies in the Field of Architecture.

For Canada:
Study Scholarships-Postgraduate Studies in the Field of Music.
Study Scholarships-Postgraduate Studies in the Field of Performing Arts.
Study Scholarships-Postgraduate Studies in the Fields of Fine Art, Film, Design/Visual Communication.
Study Scholarships-Postgraduate Studies in the Field of Architecture.

Send your complete application (artistic fields only) to:

Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst
(German Academic Exchange Service)
Referat ST 23
Kennedyallee 50
53175 Bonn
Germany

Please note:

The DAAD online portal will close automatically at MIDNIGHT Central European Time (6 PM EST/5PM CST/4PM MTN/3PM PST) on the deadline date. Applicants are advised to start the application process at least one week before the closing date.

Results will be announced on the portal by the end of March.

• Students in their last year of undergraduate studies at an accredited US or Canadian university.
• US or Canadian citizens or permanent residents.
• Foreign nationals who live in the USA or in Canada by the time of application deadline are eligible, if your last degree was obtained in the US/Canada, or you will have received a degree in the US/Canada before your scholarship starts. All other foreign nationals may need to apply via a different DAAD office.
• Recent BA/BS or MA/MS graduates who completed their last degree no longer than 6 years ago.
• Applicants may not have been living in Germany for more than 15 consecutive months by the time of application deadline.

• Monthly stipend
• Payments towards health, accident and personal liability insurance cover
• Travel allowance, unless these expenses are covered another source
• One-off study allowance

Under certain circumstances, scholarship holders may receive the following additional benefits:

• Monthly rent subsidy
• Monthly allowance for accompanying members of family
• In the case of a disability or chronic illness: subsidy for additional costs which result from the disability or chronic illness and are not covered by other funding providers: Further information

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. Due to the pandemic, German courses may take place online.
• Allowance for a personally chosen German language course during the scholarship period
• Reimbursement 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 :

• DAAD does not cover tuition
• You are responsible for ensuring your application for admission to the German university for your chosen study program 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 your chosen host university.
• DAAD  scholarship recipients are not permitted to receive supplementary funding through any other German funding body. Supplementary funding from a non-German funding body may in some cases be permitted. However, they would then be treated as additional earnings, i.e. grants exceeding the tax-free income level in Germany (currently EUR 450 per month) would be deducted from the DAAD scholarship, unless the grant payments will be put on hold for the duration of your DAAD scholarship.
• If the degree program includes an additional study abroad (outside of Germany) lasting several months, funding for this period abroad is usually only possible under the following conditions:
  • The additional study visit is essential for achievement of the scholarship objective.
  • The additional study period is no longer than a quarter of the scholarship period. Longer periods cannot be funded, even partially.
  • The additional study period does not take place in applicant’s home country.

For more information about the Study Scholarship, click here.

Please note that we can only offer funding for the following periods.

For a postgraduate or Master’s degree completed in Germany: between 10 and 24 months depending on the length of the chosen study program.

• Applicants who will be starting a 2 year Master’s program in Germany (24 months: October 1, 2023 – September 30, 2025). Please state the entire period for which you wish to apply for funding in your application. For example, if you are planning a 2-year degree program, you must directly indicate two years as the desired scholarship duration in your application. After the first year of study, your academic achievements will be assessed in a further funding procedure. If this shows that you will successfully complete your program within a reasonable period of time, the scholarship will continue as planned.
•  Applicants who are applying only for the first year of a Master’s program or those who will be starting a 1 year Masters’ program in Germany (10 months: October 1, 2023- July 31, 2024) ; an extension is not possible.

For a study period in Germany as part of a postgraduate or Master’s degree completed in a foreign country:

• Usually one academic year (October 1, 2023-July 31, 2024) ; an extension is not possible.

The application procedure occurs online through the DAAD portal. Your reference has to be sent by post to the DAAD New York office.

The portal will close automatically at MIDNIGHT Central European Time (6 PM EST/5PM CST/4PM MTN/3PM PST) on the deadline date. Applicants are advised to start the application process at least one week before the closing date.

1. Check here if your University is a DAAD Partner University.

At a DAAD Partner University: contact your DAAD campus coordinator first and follow the application guidelines for your university’s pre-selection. Please note that your university may have an earlier internal deadline. (if you miss your university’s deadline, you may follow the general application guidelines below). This does not apply to short-term research grant applicants or to performing/visual artists.

Not at a DAAD Partner University: follow the general application guidelines below.

2.  Application Checklist

Please use the Application Checklist to ensure you submit a complete application. Download the checklist here:

These guidelines are region specific for North American applicants only. You will find some different details on the application portal and the DAAD Bonn website, such as maximum pages; the instructions on this checklist supersede any conflicting information potentially found elsewhere.

Certificates, proof of credits, certifications and translations maybe scanned in non-certified form, and uploaded to the DAAD portal.

3. Helpful Links for the Online Portal

• Step by step Manual for Personal Funding.
• Technical support with the online portal, please email portal(at)daad.de.

4. After You Submit Your Application

• Please DO NOT CALL OR EMAIL. You will receive an acknowledgement letter through the portal 8 weeks after the deadline.
• Results will be announced through the portal at the beginning of April.
• Application decisions will not be accompanied with an explanation.
• 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.

• Check out the Manual for Personal Funding on daad.de. On this site you can download manuals to assist with the personal funding section of the DAAD Portal.
• If you seek technical support with the registration or the online application please e-mail portal(at)daad.de.
• If you have questions regarding the DAAD Study Scholarship, please contact kim (at) daad (dot) de.  (Kindly understand that questions already answered by information on DAAD’s website cannot be answered separately).
• A list of previous scholarship recipients can be found here.

See here for Frequently Asked Questions.