DAAD scholarship opportunities

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Explore the DAAD scholarship opportunities available for potential applicants below:

Notes:

  • UNHCR is not in the position to assist with the cost of language testing.
  • UNHCR is not responsible for granting the opportunity and cannot respond to questions. For further information, please contact the master’s courses’ contact persons.
  • Note that these opportunities are not specifically tailored to the refugee situation. If you feel comfortable disclosing your situation, do not hesitate to discuss your specific situation with the master’s courses contact persons.
  1. Development-Related Postgraduate Courses (EPOS) for specific courses

The scholarships offer foreign graduates from development and newly industrialized countries from all disciplines and with at least two years’ professional experience the chance to take a postgraduate or Master’s degree at a state or state-recognized German university, and in exceptional cases to take a doctoral degree, and to obtain a university qualification (Master’s/PhD) in Germany.

Scholarships are open for specific courses only. Please find the brochure on the courses through this link. 

Application requirements:

  • Candidate works either for a public authority or a state or private company in a developing country and, 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.
  • Candidate holds a Bachelor’s degree (normally four years) in a related subject.
  • Candidate 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.
  • Language requirements:
    • For courses in German: level of B1 at the time of application is a requirement
    • For courses in English: adequate language skills according to the respective courses

Application deadlines ranging from August 2025 to March 2026 depending on the courses

Application procedure: Applications have to be sent to the respective course directly

Provide the required documents directly to the university (please consult the specific website of the courses)

  • Completed and signed checklist
  • EPOS application form (please type your answers or make sure they are easy to read)
  • A curriculum vitae in reverse chronological order without any unexplained gaps (please use the europass template)
  • One Letter of Motivation with detailed reference to academic, professional and personal reasons for applying for the programme.
    IMPORTANT: When applying for more than one postgraduate course (maximum 3 courses), please also give detailed reasons for your choice of courses and prioritisation in the letter of motivation. Please submit a uniform letter of motivation to all postgraduate degree programmes of your choice.
  • Letter of recommendation from your current employer; the letter must include official letterhead, signature and official stamp and must be of current date (not in a sealed envelope)
  • Certificate(s) of Employment from the employer(s) showing at least two years of relevant work experience after the Bachelor’s degree up to the time of application and if possible, a guarantee of re-employment from your current employer upon returning home. The certificate of employment from the current employer should, if possible, include a guarantee of re-employment after returning to the home country.
  • Recent proof of Language Skills:
    o English – IELTS or TOEFL (Note: The institutional TOEFL is not accepted)
    o German – required for courses taught in German
  • Copies of your higher education degree certificates. Please provide a certified translation if the original is not in German or English, and make sure these are clearly legible.
  • Copy of your full set of transcript of records. Please provide an explanation of the grading system if this is not part of the transcript.

IMPORTANT: keep a soft copy of your application readily available in case selected. You will need to upload your application to the DAAD Portal if contacted by DAAD.

  1. Helmut-Schmidt-Programme (Master’s Scholarships for Public Policy and Good Governance – PPGG)

The Helmut-Schmidt-Programme, the DAAD strives to contribute to promoting good governance and civil society structures in developing and emerging countries. You can find the available Master’s courses in this brochure and the scholarship announcement here.

Application requirements:

  • a conclusive account and motivation of your academic, professional and personal motivation for the study endeavour in Germany and for choosing and prioritising the master’s courses (this motivation should clearly relate to the goals of the Helmut-Schmidt-Programme)
  • practical experience relevant to the programme (professional experience or internships, political activities or service to your community, such as volunteering or work for charities or NGOs)
  • a first higher education degree completed with above-average grades (upper third)
  • The candidates’ last university degree should not date back more than six years (date of issue not before 1 January 2019).
  • All master’s courses have their own selection criteria (degree, grades, language skills, practical experience, etc.) that must be met in addition to the DAAD’s selection criteria
  • Language proficiency is dependent on the chosen master’s course

Application deadlines: from 1 June until 31 July 2025

Application procedure: Applications have to be sent to the respective course directly

Provide the required documents directly to the university ( please consult the website of the course of your choice)

The required application documents are:

  • a ticked off checklist and list of criteria, signed by hand (print it out, sign it by hand, scan it and include it in your documents), indicating place and date of issue
  • the DAAD application form
  • a single letter of motivation (even when applying for two master’s courses) including the date of issue and a precise account of your academic, professional and personal reasons for wishing to participate in the Helmut-Schmidt-Programme, as well as a detailed explanation of your choice of master’s course(s), indicating why your first choice of master’s course is your first choice, why your second choice is your second choice and how they will advance you academically and professionally, max. two pages long. You must provide the same letter of motivation to both courses you are applying for.
  • a curriculum vitae in reverse chronological order including the date of issue (format: europass, please note: the europass template does not include a date, please add it yourself) with exact information about your studies and practical experience; gaps of three months or more must be explained
  • copies of your higher education degree certificates. Please provide a certified translation if the original is not in German or English and make sure these are clearly legible.
  • a copy of your full set of transcript of records including an explanation of the grading system. Please provide a certified translation if the original is not in German or English and make sure these are clearly legible.
  • confirmations of relevant professional experience or internships and/or proof of relevant political activities or service to your community, such as volunteering or work for charities or NGOs, on headed paper, including an original (not scanned) or code certified digital signature, the date of issue and a stamp. If necessary, please provide a certified translation
  • proof of English language skills
  • a current written reference from your current employer or from a university lecturer only if you are a student at present, on headed paper, including an original (not scanned) or code certified digital signature, the date of issue and a stamp. If necessary, please provide a certified translation