DAAD scholarship is a full funded scholarship that permits you to study in Germany without spending a dime. In addition, DAAD will pay you monthly stipends for your upkeep throughout your stay in Germany.
German Academic Exchange Service Question,
- How to get a DAAD scholarship?
- what is the DAAD scholarship application process and requirements?
Notwithstanding, it may also interest you to know that DAAD is one of the largest funding organization for international students and researchers. Since its inception in 1925, DAAD have offered millions of scholarships to vibrant and gifted individuals who wish to pursue a course in Germany that will in turn help them develop their country when they return.
Not only that, this scholarship encourages exchange of culture, languages and ideas among Germans and other international societies. Therefore, there are many reasons you may want to take this scholarship for your bachelor and post graduate studies. One of these reasons is that DAAD scholarship is very generous and offers more that 100,000 Germans and international students scholarships each year.
Before we go into the application process, let me briefly tell you what you will stand to gain as a DAAD scholar for your MSc or PhD in Germany.
DAAD Scholarship funding benefits
- Free Tuition to study in any of the DAAD approved German schools except in few schools that charge tuition.
- Monthly maintenance allowance; € 750 for undergraduates, € 850 for graduates and € 1,200 for doctoral/PhD students.
- Travel allowance, unless the payment is covered by home country or other funding organization.
- Health, accident and personal liability insurance.
- Family benefits for an accompanying spouse or child.
- Other added benefits are possible which may include monthly rent subsidy and monthly allowance for accompanying members of the family.
Note: Funding can last from 12 months to 36 months depending on the program of study.
Courses covered by DAAD scholarship
DAAD has more than 20,000 different courses to study in Germany for bachelor, masters and PhD degrees. However, scholarships offered for post graduate studies in Germany is dependent on the country of origin. But, most of these courses are development related. Meaning, these courses is a way to empower candidates from developing and under developed countries in making decisions that will help their country after the study.
So, candidates who will apply for any of these development- related post graduate courses (EPOS) are expected to return to their home country after the study or research.
These courses encompasses most fields of study. They includes;
- Economic sciences
- Business administration
- Political economics
- Development cooperation
- Engineering and related sciences
- Mathematics
- Regional and urban planning
- Agricultural and forest sciences
- Natural and environment a sciences
- Medicine/Public health
- Sofia sciences
- Education
- Law
- Media studies
Eligibility for DAAD EPOS scholarship
You must be a graduate from a developing country. Check the eligible countries for DAAD scholarships
Hold a bachelor degree in a related subject far above average (upper third) 2 years cumulative professional working experience (internship, volunteer and non paid works inclusive).
Must be motivated to work towards development of their personal and professional environment after the school/training.
Will be ready to go back to home country after the study.
His/her academic degree should not be more than 6 years old at the time of application.
Selection criteria
The scholarship is open for application for people from all walks of life. Hence, it is important that you have to know the selection criteria that will help you stand out from other applicants. The DAAD selection team are independent researchers, German lecturers and teachers who base their selection on the following;
Academic qualifications: Preference is paid to candidates with good academic grades shown by their transcripts, academic reference, curriculum vitae and language certificates.
Personally developed skills: These skills can be through professional or voluntary activities. Also, the candidates are accessed by their commitment to political, social, cultural, leadership and self-governance development through their curriculum vitae or certificates if applicable.
Quality of the study project: Here, you need to convince the judges why you choose your preferred course of study, how it will help in developing your professional career, your drive, motivation e.t.c. You can actually make it worthwhile by writing a good motivational letter and research proposal, then link it to how you intend to develop yourself and society through it.
Documents required for post graduate DAAD scholarship
To have a swift DAAD application process, there are some documents the applicant should get ready before the deadline for each course.
Note: Applicants should note that DAAD scholarship deadline is different from that of the school. Therefore, its encouraged that the candidate gets him/herself acquainted with the different deadlines for each course.
So, it is strongly on to you that you gather this document earlier before the application starts for earlier Approval. Some of the documents includes;
- A valid travel international passport
- Academic transcripts from your previous schools
- Degree certificate
- School leaving certificate
- A motivational letter
- An academic recommendation letter
- A professional recommendation letter
- Research proposal
- curriculum vitae (Europass format)
- Filled and signed copy of DAAD scholarship form
- Minimum of one year proof of work experience in a low or middle income country.
- Proof of language proficiency (check each course for the language of instruction)
DAAD scholarship application process
This is a guide to help walk you through the DAAD scholarship application process. Therefore, all you need to do is to make sure that you keep track of each stage and follow up your application as required of you. The steps includes;
Search for the course: The DAAD official website is easy to navigate and contains up to 20,000 different courses that one can take in Germany. These courses includes the free tuition, scholarships and the paid tuition courses. So, the first step to getting the scholarship is to find out available scholarships for your country .
However, if your country is among the list of developing countries, you can check the development-related postgraduate courses (EPOS) at DAAD EPOS scholarship database.
Visit the official school website: The EPOS document contains the courses, the school that offers it, the language of instruction, the deadline for DAAD scholarship application and the direct link to the official school website. In that case, it requires of you to visit the school website and get yourself acquainted with the school specific application procedure and documents to submit.
In addition, the school will be in the best position to tell you the right way to post your documents and provides you with any additional information with regards to your application.
Get your documents ready:
From the selection criteria above, you will understand that the quality of your documents determines your success in getting the scholarship. Generally, let your recommendation letters be of current date, with a letter head and an official stamp.
Secondly, you can proof your worth through your motivation letter. In other words, make it catchy and let it be development oriented and linked to the course you are pursuing.
Finally, spice up your curriculum vitae with experiences, certifications and skills that will make you special for the scholarship. However, it is a terrible offence to lie about your achievements.
Apply through the school:
Find the school mode of application at the school website and apply directly to the school of your choice. A selection committee in your school will suggest potential candidates to DAAD for scholarship.
Wait for a notification from DAAD:
The DAAD selection committee also reviews your document and will ask you to send copies of your documents if found worthy.
Note: The scholarship award notices are sent out around the end of April (for university summer courses and intensive language courses). The award notices for the university winter courses will be out around mid October. The candidates, whose applications are not accept, either receive a letter of rejection or notification that they have been wait listed. Depending on the postal delivery in your home country, it can take between two and six weeks until you receive notification.
Visit the DAAD scholarship website for more details.
You can still read our related scholarship posts for International students from Asia, Europe, America and Africa;
Or you can click to follow up this scholarship opportunities down the page and proceed with your registration to gain the award in order to Study, Work and Live Abroad in Germany(The German Academic Exchange Service).
