ELIGIBILITY:

Students: International students who have completed their first degree abroad can apply prior to starting a Master’s degree program in Germany. 
Priority is given to applicants from DAC countries who have not yet taken up residence in Germany at the time of their application. 

PhD students: International PhD students who have completed their graduate degree abroad may apply for a PhD program in Germany. 
Priority is given to international applicants from DAC countries who have not yet taken up residence in Germany at the time of their application. 

Application deadlines: Fall 2026: 15 July 2026 until 1 September 2026 
Spring 2027: 15 January 2027 until 1 March 2027

Before you start preparing your application, please review the info pages and read the mission statement as well as their info sheets for graduate students and PhD candidates.

Please understand that we can only consider complete applications, with this one exception:

While you should make an effort to submit your certificate of enrollment (or at least a confirmation of university admission) along with your application, this document may be submitted at a later point, but no later than the interview in the third stage of the selection process. If this is not possible, please let us know by when you will submit your enrollment certificate.

Please complete the application using only Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Since space on the application form is limited, please stay within the sections provided. Your full answer must be legible on a paper printout. This also applies to the expert opinions and the reference on your civic engagement.

BENEFIT:

Scholarships for graduate students: International students from non-EU countries who have obtained their entrance qualification for higher education abroad and who come to Germany to pursue a Master’s degree are funded by the Federal Foreign Office (AA). Their scholarship includes: 

A base scholarship in the amount of 992 € / month

A health insurance allowance of up to 100 €

Other optional financial components, which may vary depending on the scholar’s personal situation, including 
reimbursement of tuition fees in Germany of up to €10,000 / year
tuition fees for German language courses
fixed fringe benefits in the amount of 38 € / month
family allowance and child allowances (per child)

Parts of the degree program can be completed abroad if academically necessary; in this case, however, there will be no additional funding for studies abroad. 

Any additional income must be offset against the scholarship payment; to determine such ancillary income, the earnings limit for marginal employment as per Section 8 (1) No. 1 SGB IV applies.

Scholarships for PhD students: International PhD students from non-EU countries who have obtained their entrance qualification for higher education abroad and come to Germany to pursue a PhD are funded by the Federal Foreign Office (AA). Their scholarship includes: 

A base scholarship in the amount of 1,500 € / month

Health insurance: up to 200 €/month

Other optional financial components, which may vary depending on the scholar’s personal situation, including 
reimbursement of tuition fees in Germany of up to €10,000 / year
tuition fees for German language courses
fixed fringe benefits in the amount of 38 € / month
family allowance and child allowances (per child)

Parts of the PhD can also be completed abroad if academically necessary; in this case, however, there will be no additional funding for studies abroad. 
Any additional income must be offset against the scholarship payment; to determine such ancillary income, the earnings limit for marginal employment as per Section 8 (1) No. 1 SGB IV applies.