DAAD Scholarship : Procedure, Documents, Benefits & More

The DAAD Scholarship offers graduate students pursuing doctoral and postdoctoral programs. They are mainly for research and study visits at German universities and non-university research institutions. Internships may be funded in some cases as well. The German Academic Exchange Service or DAAD offers financial support to more than 100,000 international and German researchers and students through this scholarship. It is the biggest such funding entity in the world. 

DAAD offers short term and research grants for post-doctoral and PhD aspirants along with one-year research grants for those who are doctoral candidates. You may also get funding for University winter and summer language courses. Grants for extensive doctoral courses are given to those from either threshold or developing nations. You can also check out options for a DAAD scholarship for Indian students to pursue a Master’s course. 

The Hilde Domin Programme supports students with risks of being denied educational and subsidiary rights in their home nations. They may be nominated by a legal organization/entity for this purpose. DAAD also offers Sur-place and Third Country Programmes where young researchers and scientists, and students receive financial assistance for graduate, doctoral or postdoctoral courses in their home regions/nations.

Scholarships in Germany

• Scholarship for MS in Germany
• Heinrich Böll Foundation Scholarships in Germany
• Deutschlandstipendium National Scholarship Programme

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How to Apply for DAAD Scholarships? 

You should always apply after carefully checking the DAAD scholarship eligibility criteria. You can apply online after registration at the official DAAD website. You should first choose your scholarship programme and then go to Submit application in the list of scholarships. This tab can be viewed only when the application is ongoing. The Application Procedure tab is where you can view the last date for submitting your application. 

Requirements and Important Documents for DAAD Scholarships 

• There is no specific age limit for these scholarships. 
• Referring to the Call for Applications (www.funding-guide.de) under Application Requirements will help you get a better idea of each programme. 
• You have to furnish one reference from your teacher at university (if applicable in your category). Teachers with doctoral degrees may write this reference, highlighting the student’s academic accomplishments, personal and academic attributes, feasibility and planning of the research project and the importance of this scholarship for the student’s career. 
• You may submit applications in either English or German. Documents in any other language should be translated into any of the two. 
• DAAD may seek certified documents after the selection. 
• Your project supervisors may be academic staff/teachers working at a German institution. They should issue a letter confirming academic supervision wherever applicable. 
• Students have to provide a Letter of Motivation, talking about their personal and professional objectives for studying within three pages. When applying for any educational scholarship or specialist/language program grant, it is a must. 

For Masters 

Master’s course aspirants need to submit the following documents: 

• Completion of the Bachelor/Diploma degree when starting the scholarship-backed course. 
• Applications are not chosen if aspirants have stayed in Germany for more than 15 months by the deadline for submission. 
• Confirmation of admission by the German university. 
• Language skills certificate (TestDaF or DSH for German or IELTS/TOEFL for English). 
• CV/Resume. 
• Letter of Motivation. 
• Academic certificates and all certifications. 
• Degree certificate from the university showing the final grade obtained. 
• Certificate of co-curricular activities or employment if required. 

DAAD Scholarship Stipend Amount

DAAD Scholarships are not loans, i.e. they do not require repayment. They offer monthly payments of €861(INR 73,720) and €1,200 (INR 1,02,746) for graduate students and doctoral/PhD candidates, respectively. They also provide travel allowances at a flat rate. Students may also obtain personal liability, accident and health insurance funding in some cases. The scholarship rates usually increase to €2,000 (INR 1,71,244) for teachers, assistant professors and lecturers, while professors get €2,150 (INR 1,84,087). 

Format of Letter of Motivation for DAAD Scholarships

The letter of motivation will talk about your personal and professional objectives for choosing to study here within a maximum of three pages. Here is a sample structural format that you can use: 

• Education & Skill-Sets- Your course, semester count, degree information, details of any internship/professional experience, awards/prizes won, and specific skill-sets and knowledge. 
• Motivation (Academic) Reasons- Your reasons for choosing the course, university and expectations regarding your study experience in Germany. 
• Scholarship Application Reasons- Your reasons for applying to the DAAD Scholarship, specific expectations, roadmap on accomplishing your academic, personal and professional objectives, etc. 
• Personal Information- Co-curricular activities, accomplishments, interests and your personal attributes. 

Selection Criteria for the DAAD Scholarship

The main criteria include: 

• Project Quality- Properly planned project for research and study purposes, courses tailored for continuing education, structured educational or language programs and other information highlighted in the motivation letter. 
• Academic Accomplishments- Academic achievements are evaluated, including language proficiency in some cases. 

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