Each year, an independent selection committee of academics and international education experts is assembled to select the Undergraduate Scholarship grantees. This committee looks for students who:

• are currently second and third year students and will be in their third and fourth year during their stay in Germany
• are seeking DAAD support for a 4-10 month period in Germany during the German academic year
• possess outstanding academic records and personal integrity, as evinced by both their grades and letters of recommendation
• have well-defined study, research or internship plans for their stay in Germany
• submit the DAAD language evaluation form with their application, although German language competency is not mandatory
• demonstrate an interest in contemporary German and European affairs and who explain the significance of their project in Germany to their future studies, research or professional goals
• are enrolled, full-time students in an undergraduate degree-granting program at an accredited North American college or university
• will return to the US or Canada after the scholarship period to complete their bachelor's degree

What can be funded?

• Study abroad & exchanges
• internships of 3 months or less as part of a semester of study abroad
• internships of up to 10 months that are a mandatory and integral part of the course of studies
• senior thesis research stays

Important note:

If you are planning to spend the summer semester in Germany, you must apply by January 31st of the previous year.
If you are studying in Germany in the spring of 2018, you must apply in January 2017.
If you are planning to study in Germany this coming spring of 2017, you are not eligible to apply.

Value

Monthly stipend of EUR 650, health, accident and liability insurance, travel allowance.

Please visit our Scholarship Database  for detailed instructions about application requirements and procedure.

The application is submitted online through the DAAD Portal. You are also required to mail 3 copies of the “Application Summary” (PDF file), which is generated in the DAAD Portal after the online application process has been completed, to the application address below.

1. Documents to be uploaded to the DAAD Portal:

• Online application form for funding program „Undergraduate Scholarship, 2017" - to be downloaded from the DAAD Portal after registering
• Curriculum vitae (max. 3 pages)
• Statement about academic and personal reasons for the planned study project in Germany (letter of motivation; 1-3 pages; see FAQs for tips)
• Statement of Support and Credit Eligibility, to download click on link in the box to the right.
• Proof of acceptance into Study Abroad Program, Exchange Program, letter by mentor or invitation from a German university. This can be submitted after the rest of the application, but prior to starting the program. In this case, please include in your application a letter from your study abroad office or the program you are applying to, which confirms that you are indeed applying for the respective program.
• College Transcripts(can be scanned and uploaded in non-certified form.)
• Language Evaluation Form (Sprachzeugnis),  to download click on link in the box to the right. If you have any knowledge of German, submit this document signed by a faculty member 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 Undergraduate Scholarship).

2. To be submitted by mail:

• The "Application Summary", which is generated in the portal in PDF format and can be printed out after the online application procedure is completed; please send 3 copies to the application address.
• One reference:
  • The reference form has to be generated and downloaded in the DAAD portal in the section "Request reference".
  • The form has to be completed by a faculty member in your major at your home university.
  • Please send the form by e-mail to your referee and ask for three copies of the completed reference form to be returned to you in a sealed envelope (i.e. signed original + 2 copies of signed original).
  • All 3 copies must included in the complete application package.
  • Your referee must send a scan of the signed form/letter via email to undergrad@daad.org.

Please note that a standard letter of recommendation instead of the above mentioned reference form will only be accepted in extraordinary circumstances. In that case, the instructions above apply as well.

Your paperwork should be in English (even if you are Francophone Canadian), not in German or French.
For Francophone Canadians: You can hand-in transcripts in French. All other documents must be in English.

Please do not call our office; you will receive an e-mail or letter of acknowledgment approximately four weeks after the deadline.

Applicants will receive notification of acceptance in May.

Please send your application (postmarked January 31, 2017) to:

Application address:
DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service)
Undergraduate Scholarships
871 United Nations Plaza
New York, NY 10017

Please click here for Frequently Asked Questions.

Please check our Frequently Asked Questions section.

For technical problems with your online application, please send an e-mail to portal(at)daad.de. Please note that DAAD has only recently moved its application process online. We appreciate your patience and cooperation during this transition.

For questions regarding the navigation of the portal, please consult the "Manual for Personal Funding" and watch the tutorial above.

A list of previous scholarship recipients can be found here.

If you don't find an answer to your question there, please contact us at undergrad[at]daad.org