Students sitting on the stairs of a red brickwork building.

Highly qualified final year undergraduate students or those who have received an undergraduate degree of all disciplines may apply for the DAAD Study Scholarship for a full Master's degree program at a German university or for study at a German university as part of a postgraduate or Master's degree program completed in the home country.

Click here to search a database of international Master's programs in Germany. If you are interested in carrying out an independent study/research in Germany, please refer here: Research Grant

Study Scholarship for Graduates of all Disciplines

Eligibility

  • 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.
  • US/Canadian students in the first year of a Master’s degree program in Germany may apply to fund their second year.
  • Applicants may not have been living in Germany for more than 15 consecutive months by the time of application deadline.

Terms of Award

  • Monthly stipend of EUR 750
  • Payments towards health, accident and personal liability insurance cover
  • Travel subsidy, unless these expenses are covered another source of funding.
  • One-off study allowance

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

  • Contribution towards tuition fees that may be charged by the university (max. EUR 500  per semester)
  • Monthly rent subsidy
  • Monthly allowance for accompanying members of family

To enable scholarship holders to learn German in preparation for their stay in the country, DAAD offers the following services:

  • Payment of course fees for the online language course "Deutsch-Uni Online (DUO)" (www.deutsch-uni.com) for six months after receipt of the Scholarship Award Letter
  • A very limited number of scholarship recipients may be awarded an additional two-month intensive language course grant. This language course grant is decided upon by the independent selection committee and does not require a separate application.
  • Allowance for a personally chosen German language course during the scholarship period
  • Reimbursement of the fees for the TestDaF test which has either been taken in the home country after receipt of the Scholarship Award Letter or in Germany before the end of the funding period
  • As an alternative to the TestDaF for scholarship holders who have taken a language course beforehand: the fee for a DSH or GI (Goethe Institute) examination taken during the scholarship period may be reimbursed.

Please note :

  • 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.

Funding Period

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, 2018 - September 30, 2020)
  •  Applicants who are already in Germany in the first year of a Master's program at the time of their application may apply for a scholarship for the second year of study (12 months: October 1, 2018- September 30, 2019) ; an extension is not possible.
  •  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, 2018- July 31, 2019) ; 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, 2018-July 31, 2019) ; an extension is not possible.

Application Guidelines & Checklist

The application procedure occurs online through the DAAD portal. Your reference has to be sent to gradscholar(at)daad.org and by post to the DAAD New York office.

The portal will close automatically at 11 PM Central European Time (5 PM EST/4 PM CST/3 PM MTN/2 PM 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 the DAAD campus coordinator, and submit your application to them; there may be an earlier university internal deadline. (if you miss your university’s deadline, you may alternatively submit your application to DAAD New York) Please note this doesn’t apply to performing/visual artists.
  • Not at a DAAD Partner University: follow the general application guidelines.
2.  Application Checklist outside of artistic fields

Please use the following list to ensure you submit a complete application. 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.

>>>>1. Submit online: Documents to be uploaded to the DAAD Portal

  • Online application form
  • Full Resume/curriculum vitae in tabular form  (max. 3 pages).
  • Study proposal (max. 3 pages) : your study proposal should include a narrative about academic and personal reasons for the planned study explaining why a particular program has been chosen and how it will further your educational and career goals. No format restrictions regarding font, spacing and paragraphs.
  • Letter of admission to a study program in Germany: If this is not available at the time of the application deadline, this can be subsequently submitted before the scholarship-supported study program begins.
  • Information about your preferred master programs (<---Please download & see information below)
    ---> For Master’s degree applicants:
    - Applicants  who will be starting their master’s program in Germany: when completing the form, DAAD recommends listing up to 3 potential degree programs to avoid a situation in which you are granted a scholarship but end up not getting accepted into a Master’s program. However, when writing your proposal, you should focus on your first choice, and mention briefly additional programs at the end of your proposal.
    - Those  who are already in the first year of a master’s degree program in Germany: complete the form, and list your current program.
    OR
    - For a study period in Germany as part of an American or Canadian postgraduate or Master’s degree: submit proof that the academic credits earned in Germany will be recognized by your home institution (e.g. letter from your department).
  • University degree Certificate(s), if applicable (e.g. Bachelor or Master): if your studies have not been completed at the time of the application deadline, the certificate must be subsequently uploaded to the portal before the scholarship-supported study program.
  • Transcripts of ALL university studies, make sure that individual grades are listed and to include the explanations of the grading system (which are usually on the back).
  • DAAD language evaluation form (Sprachnachweis): If you have any knowledge of German, submit this document signed by a faculty member (professors or teaching assistants) of the German Department at your institution. If you have no knowledge of German and your study language in Germany is English, be sure to submit this certificate anyway, indicating that your study language is English, and write at the top "No knowledge of German." (Please note that German is not a requirement for the Study Scholarship). You can download the form by clicking on the link in the box on the right.

Please disregard the following requirement on our head office’s website:
-Other documents you think might be of relevance to your application (e.g. certificates of employment, proof of placements).

>>>>2. Submit by mail (postmarked Nov. 4th)

  • 1 signed reference form from a university professor in your major field in a sealed envelope. Your reference must send a scan of the signed form via email to gradscholar@daad.org. The reference form is available on the DAAD portal, also called referee's report. If necessary, your recommender may mail the reference form to us directly.

Mail signed reference form to :DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service)

Study Scholarship
871 United Nations Plaza
New York, NY 10017

Your application is only complete when we have received your complete electronic application via the online portal and reference by post (postmarked Nov. 4th). Please note that incomplete or late applications will not be accepted.

3. Helpful links for the online portal
4. Are you ready? In order to start your application, please go to the scholarship database using the links below:US: Study Scholarships for Graduates of All Disciplines.
Canada: Study Scholarships for Graduates of All Disciplines.Select your status and your country of origin (please note that country of origin is in fact the country in which you are living and from where you are applying).

5. After you submit your application:

  • Results will be announced through the portal at the end of March.
  • Please DO NOT CALL OR EMAIL. You will receive an e-mail notification 8 weeks after the deadline.
  • Application decisions will not be accompanied with an explanation.
  • The application documents remain with DAAD. Data relating to applicants is saved by the DAAD in accordance with the Federal Data Protection Act insofar as this data is needed to process applications.

Application Dates and Online-Portal

Applications to this program are currently not possible. Please see the program details for more information.

Applications to this program are currently not possible. Please see the program details for more information.

  • In addition to the online application, you are required to mail 3 copies of the “Application summary” (PDF File), which is generated in the DAAD Portal after the online application procedure has been completed.
  • The portal will close automatically at 11 PM Central European Time (5 PM EST/4PM CST/3PM MTN/2PM PST) on the deadline date. Applicants are advised to start the application process at least one week before the closing date.
  • Please ensure we receive the paper application no later than one week after the portal deadline (one-sided, not stapled). Your application is only complete when we have received both your electronic and paper application.

Study Scholarship for Artistic Fields

Application Guidelines for Artistic Fields

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

For the US:
Study Scholarship for in the Field of Music.
Study Scholarship for Performing Arts.
Study Scholarship for Fine Art, Film, Design/Visual Communication and Film.
Study Scholarship for Architecture.

For Canada:
Study Scholarship for in the Field of Music.
Study Scholarship for Performing Arts.
Study Scholarship for Fine Art, Film, Design/Visual Communication and Film.
Study Scholarship for 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 11 PM Central European Time (5 PM EST/4PM CST/3PM MTN/2PM 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.

Video: How to apply

Video: How to apply

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Questions?

  • Check out the Manual for Personal Funding.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.org. (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.

Learn to Navigate the DAAD Online Portal

Learn to Navigate the DAAD Online Portal

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