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DAAD Research Grants – Doctoral Programmes in Germany

Logo of the German Academic Exchange Service: A blue circle wherein is written DAAD in white capital letters.

Are you a doctoral student or young researcher from abroad? Would you like to do your PhD in Germany? Then apply for a doctoral grant from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). Through this programme, the DAAD provides funding for young academics from numerous countries and disciplines.

What can be funded?

Doctoral programmes at a state- or state-recognised institution of higher education or a non-university research institute in Germany:

  • individual projects under the supervision of a university teacher or academic advisor
  • participation in a structured doctoral study programme

Who can apply?

Requirements for applicants include the following:

  • master's degree or Diplom, or in exceptional cases a bachelor's degree
  • As a rule, applicants should not have graduated longer than six years before the application deadline. If you are already working on a doctoral degree, you should not have started your degree any longer than three years previously.
  • Your application cannot be considered if you have been resident in Germany for longer than 15 months at the application deadline.
  • Additional criteria depend on the applicant's country of origin (see "Terms and conditions of application" below).

What form does funding take?

The main scholarship benefits are as follows:

  • funding for a maximum period of four years, depending on the project; the length of the grant is decided by a selection committee
  • depending on academic level, graduates receive 861 euros and doctoral candidates 1,200 euros per month as well as payments towards health, accident and personal liability insurance cover, a travel allowance in such cases where these costs are not already covered by the candidate's home country or other party, and a one-off research allowance
  • under certain circumstances, additional benefits may be granted

When is the closing date for applications?

The closing date for applications depends on the applicant's country of origin. More information can be found here.

Terms and conditions of application

The terms and conditions of application can be found here:

www.daad.de > Finding Scholarships

Your goal

Are you aiming for a PhD or postdoc position? Here you will find information on your research career in Germany.

A PhD candidate is looking at different funding opportunities.
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