Scholarships in Germany: Development-Related Postgraduate Courses Educating Professionals for Sustainable Development

(Entwicklungsbezogene Postgraduiertenstudiengänge Ausbildung von Fach- und Führungskräften für nachhaltige Entwicklung – Stipendien in Deutschland ) Offered by The German Academic Exchange Service or DAAD (German: Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst)

From among the large number of postgraduate courses offered by German institutions of higher education, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) supports a carefully chosen selection of programmes of particular interest to junior executives from developing countries. These degree courses, which consist of one to two years of concentrated study, provide young, academically-trained professionals in leading positions from developing countries with the opportunity to engage in postgraduate education and training in their particular field or profession.

What is covered by the scholarships:

  • Monthly stipend of 850 euros for graduates or 1,200 euros for doctoral candidates
  • Payments towards health, accident and personal liability insurance cover
  • Travel allowance, unless these expenses are covered by the home country or another source of funding.

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

  • Monthly rent subsidy
  • Monthly allowance for accompanying members of family

For most of the postgraduate courses (see description of the respective courses) a preparatory German language course of 2 to 6 months prior to the beginning of the courses is part of the DAAD scholarship. The participation in these preparatory German language courses is mandatory!

Participants must successfully pass the language examination DSH 2 or TestDaF 4 before the start of the study course. Therefore, a minimum German language level of B1 at the time of application is a requirement that needs to be proofed by providing a current certificate.

Note: It is not possible to pass the required German language courses (DSH or TestDaF) without any previous basic knowledge in the German language (at least B1 Level), even with the preceding six-month intensive course in Germany. Passing the language test is a formal prerequisite for matriculation at the respective German university

Required Documents for a DAAD scholarship application:

  • Signed DAAD application form with current date (the application form is available in the link below)
  • Personally signed CV (please use the sample europass form available at https://europa.eu/europass/en) with current date
  • Personally signed Letter of Motivation (with reference to current occupation and choice of postgraduate programme(s), two pages maximum) with current date.
  • IMPORTANT: When applying for more than one postgraduate course (maximum 3 courses), you have to submit one motivation letter explaining why you are applying for these specific courses and why you chose that priority.
  • Letter of recommendation from your current employer; the letter must have letterhead, a signature and official stamp and must be of current date (not in a sealed envelope)
  • Certificate(s) of Employment from the employer(s) that prove a minimum of two years of relevant working experience (after the bachelor degree) at the time of application and if possible, a guarantee of re-employment from your current employer upon returning home.
  • All applicants must submit proof of at least two years of professional work experience and state their current work situation at the time of application.
  • Proof of Language Skills: – English – IELTS or TOEFL (Note: The institutional TOEFL is not accepted) – German – required for courses taught in German
  • Copies of Academic Degrees (certified translation if necessary)
  • Copies of Academic Transcripts, incl. grading-scale (certified translation if necessary)

The complete applications have to be submitted in English or German to be considered. Incomplete applications cannot be considered. If applying to more than one course, please list courses in order of priority in the DAAD application forms and do not change these priorities in the respective application.

The Typical Scholarship Holder:

  • Works either for a public authority or a state or private company in a developing country and, as such, is engaged in the planning and execution of directives and projects with emphasis on development policies having a bearing on technological, economic or social areas.
  • Holds a Bachelor’s degree (normally four years) in a related subject.
  • Has completed an academic degree with far above average results (upper third) and at least two years of related professional experience after the first degree (bachelor) at the time of application.
  • His/her academic degrees should normally not be more than six years old.

Applicants who have been resident in Germany for longer than 15 months at the application deadline cannot be considered

Application deadline

Depending on the chosen study programme; please check the scholarship brochure or the website of your chosen study programme. (you can download it below)

Where to apply

Application process with full detailed instruction and more information are available on the official brochure under the following links: Applicants should apply directly to the chosen study programme

Application form:
http://www.daad.de/medien/deutschland/stipendien/formulare/forschungsstipendium_en.pdf

List of the available programs with each deadline: Deadline list

Official website of DAAD:
https://www2.daad.de/deutschland/stipendium/datenbank/en/21148-scholarship-database/?status=3&origin=190&subjectGrps=F&daad=&intention=&q=&page=1&detail=50076777

Official brochure:
https://www.daad.de/medien/der-daad/medien-publikationen/publikationen-pdfs/2019_epos-broschuere-21-22.pdf