Top Scholarships in Germany for International Students

©iStock.com/cofkocof Germany is one of the most popular study destinations for international students, with internationally recognised degrees and many English-taught Master’s and PhD programmes. Most public universities charge no tuition fees for most programmes, although some states charge students from outside the EU, for example €1,500 a semester in Baden-Württemberg, and you still need money for living costs. The DAAD, Germany’s political foundations and the church scholarship organisations offer scholarships in Germany that pay a monthly stipend for living costs, often with health insurance and travel, and some also pay tuition fees. DAAD Scholarships in Germany for International Students » DAAD Scholarships for Development-Related Postgraduate Courses (EPOS) (Germany) The DAAD’s Development-Related Postgraduate Courses programme (EPOS) gives scholarships to graduates from developing countries with at least two years’ professional experience for selected Master’s courses, and in some cases a PhD, at German universities. Scholarships last 12 to 42 months depending on the course and pay €992 a month for graduates (€1,400 for doctoral candidates), with payments towards health insurance. You apply directly to the course, and deadlines depend on the course, usually about a year before it starts. The scholarships cover development-related fields such as economics and development management, development cooperation, engineering, natural and environmental sciences, medicine and public health, and media studies. DAAD Helmut-Schmidt-Programme (Public Policy and Good Governance) (Germany) The DAAD’s Helmut-Schmidt-Programme, funded by the Federal Foreign Office, supports future leaders from developing and emerging countries who want to promote democracy and social justice in their home countries. Scholars take an English-taught Master’s at one of seven German universities, such as the Willy Brandt School of Public Policy in Erfurt (which adds a tuition waiver), the University of Duisburg-Essen and the University of Passau, with a DAAD monthly stipend. Applications open on 1 June and close on 31 July each year, for courses starting the following autumn. The scholarships cover public policy, governance and public administration, international relations, civil society, peace and conflict studies, social protection, nonprofit management, and development and socio-economic policy. DAAD Study Scholarships for Master’s Studies (Germany) DAAD Study Scholarships help excellent graduates from many countries take a full Master’s degree in Germany. They pay €992 a month, with payments towards insurance and a travel allowance, for 10 to 24 months depending on the course. Applications open on 1 June and the deadline depends on your country, so check the DAAD scholarship database for yours. The scholarships cover Master’s programmes in any academic subject; the DAAD runs separate study scholarship programmes for STEM subjects and for art, music, film and architecture. DAAD Research Grants – Doctoral Programmes in Germany (Germany) This DAAD programme, funded by the Federal Foreign Office, lets excellent graduates, mainly from developing and emerging countries, complete a full doctorate in Germany, either an individual project with a supervisor or a structured PhD programme. It pays €1,400 a month and a research allowance of €460 a year, with payments towards insurance and travel, for up to four years, with progress reviewed each year. Deadlines depend on your country. The scholarships cover doctoral research in any subject at German universities and non-university research institutes. DLR-DAAD Research Fellowships (Germany) The DLR-DAAD Research Fellowships let international researchers work at an institute of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) on one of the research offers it publishes with the DAAD. Doctoral fellows doing their PhD in Germany receive €1,760 a month for 36 months, and can also receive a travel allowance, health insurance and family allowances. Applicants must not be German nationals, and they apply for a specific DLR institute, not a university. The scholarships cover research in aeronautics, space, energy and transportation. See also the Deutschlandstipendium, €300 a month for high-achieving students of any nationality at participating German universities, regardless of income. German Foundation Scholarships for International Students » Heinrich Böll Foundation Scholarships (Germany) The Heinrich Böll Foundation, Germany’s Green political foundation, gives scholarships to international Master’s and PhD students, with priority for applicants from developing (DAC) countries who do not yet live in Germany. Master’s scholars from outside the EU receive €992 a month plus up to €100 for health insurance, and tuition fees in Germany can be reimbursed up to €10,000 a year; PhD scholars receive €1,500 a month. Master’s programmes must last at least four semesters, applicants need German at B2 level, and the next deadlines are 1 March 2027 and 1 September 2027. The scholarships cover all disciplines, with special consideration for STEM subjects (especially environmental sciences), economics, the arts, administrative science and management, and journalism. Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Scholarships (Germany) The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Germany’s social democratic political foundation, awards up to 40 scholarships a year to students from Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe who are already enrolled at a German university or have a doctoral supervisor there. Scholars receive a monthly stipend, health insurance costs and a social and political seminar programme, and must show German at C1 level. Deadlines depend on your study stage, so check the FES scholarship pages before applying. The scholarships cover all academic subjects and postgraduate programmes, except postgraduate courses in medicine. Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Scholarships (Germany) The Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, the political foundation linked to Germany’s Christian Democrats, supports around 300 international scholars from more than 50 countries. Its scholarships are for a Master’s of at least four semesters, a doctorate or a research stay at a German university, normally for two years (Master’s) or three years (PhD), with a monthly stipend, seminars and mentoring. Applicants already living in Germany apply by 15 July each year; others apply through KAS offices abroad when their region is open. German at B2 level is required by the start of studies. The scholarships cover Master’s and doctoral studies in any subject at German universities and universities of applied sciences. Friedrich Naumann Foundation Scholarships (Germany) The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, Germany’s liberal political foundation, gives scholarships to students from outside the EU for a full-time Master’s or PhD in Germany. Scholars receive a monthly stipend and contributions to health and long-term care insurance, and PhD scholarships normally last three years. Applications are made online between 1 and 30 April or between 1 and 31 October. The scholarships cover Master’s and doctoral studies in any field, except second degrees, LLM and MBA programmes, part-time degrees and doctorates in medicine and dentistry. Rosa Luxemburg Foundation Scholarships (Germany) The Rosa Luxemburg Foundation funds international Master’s and PhD students who live in Germany for their studies and plan to return home afterwards, giving preference to women, people in social need and people with disabilities. The international scholarship is a stipend for living costs (tuition fees are not covered), and international PhD students are funded for up to two years, with possible extensions. Master’s students apply in their first Master’s semester by 1 October; PhD deadlines are 1 April and 1 October. German at B2 level is required. The scholarships cover all disciplines, with STEM subjects and public administration especially encouraged; PhD funding excludes medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine. KAAD Scholarships (Germany) KAAD, the scholarship organisation of the Catholic Church in Germany, supports young professionals from developing countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America, and from Eastern Europe, who want to do a Master’s, a PhD or a research stay in Germany. Applicants must have a degree and professional experience at home and be Catholic or Christian (or be proposed by a Catholic partner), and they apply through KAAD’s partner committees in its focus countries; KAAD can fund a German course of up to six months in Germany. Students already in Germany can be proposed by their Catholic university chaplaincy. The scholarships cover postgraduate studies and research in any field that prepares scholars for leadership in the social, technical and cultural development of their home countries. The post Top 10+ Scholarships in Germany for International Students first appeared on Scholars4DeV.