German Scholarships: The DAAD Scholarships

As you may know, if you read our ebook, the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) offers scholarships to international students. Basically, they help graduates, Ph.D. and postdoctoral students study in Germany for free. Yes, you can get paid just by studying in another country! If you are interested, this article is perfect for you. We will see the requirements, the opportunities, and the prerequisites of those DAAD scholarships.

1) The opportunities

With DAAD scholarships, you can choose different paths. Whether it’s research, an internship, or following a programme outside of Germany. Yes, some internships are funded by those scholarships, and sometimes you can even go back to your home country to follow a “Sur-place or Third country programme”. You can also choose another country if you would like to.

These scholarships are the perfect opportunity to make the world a better place. You can follow your dream freely, without worrying about finance. With DAAD scholarships, you get a monthly payment and a travel allowance. Most of them also include health insurance, personal liability, or accident insurance. Sometimes, you also get funds to learn a language or help your family. You are sure to find what you are looking for, since the DAAD has 95 scholarships you can choose from.

2) Prerequisites

As stated before, these scholarships aim for graduates, Ph.D. and postdoctoral students. So, if you are an undergraduate, you can’t get a DAAD scholarship. Thus, some of them are only available depending on your status. Undergraduates shouldn’t worry though, they can still apply after their bachelor’s, and studying in Germany is not expensive, anyway.

The prerequisites depend on the scholarship you are asking for. Some scholarships are only available to some countries. For example, Nigerians can only apply to 28 of them. Still, you can always find a good one. The other prerequisites are the academic results or the field of study. Obviously, scholarships are for students with good grades. Some internships are specific to a certain field of study, so you will get more chances to be selected by applying for a specific scholarship rather than a broader one.

Also, you should get an English certification. It will help you with your university and scholarship application. The IELTS certification is no longer mandatory so you can choose from the other alternatives. Make sure you select one that is available in your city or country. Some of them will even allow you to take the test via the Internet.

3) The requirements

Some requirements have to be met to successfully apply for DAAD scholarships. It always depends on the scholarship selected. Here are a few examples:

-You shouldn’t be a German resident for over 15 months at the application deadline.

-You must have received your degree less than 6 years before the application deadline.

-If there is a programme attended outside of Germany during this period, it must be mandatory to be funded by the scholarship.

-Third countries students or German students living abroad should contact the DAAD beforehand to know about other specifics.

-You have to demonstrate your language skills by providing a certificate (IELTS, TOEFL…). As stated before, sometimes you will have to do this to apply for the chosen degree, anyway.

These are only a few examples. Please note that each situation is different, so if you have any doubts, it’s always better to contact the DAAD. For example, there are special derogations for people who have been taking care of children, who are suffering from a chronic illness, or else. If you want to know more, you can also get our special e-book about German scholarships!