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German Academic Exchange Service

Requirements

• Applications for DAAD research grants are open to excellently-qualified university graduates who hold a Diplom or Master's degree at the time they commence the grant-supported research and, in exceptional cases, graduates holding a Bachelor's degree or already holding a doctorate/PhD (post-docs).
• It is required that doctoral candidates wishing to take a doctorate/PhD in their home country have been admitted to an appropriate course at their home university.
• The application papers must generally include written confirmation of academic supervision by a professor in Germany and expressly refer to the applicant's project, thereby confirming that the host institute will provide a workplace. If the applicant is planning to complete a doctorate at the German host university, the letter of confirmation must come from the academic supervisor (Doktorvater/Doktormutter) for the applicant's doctoral programme/thesis.
• Applicants who intend to gain their doctorate within the scope of a structured doctoral study programme are required to present a letter of admission from their study programme or at least proof that they are being considered for admission.
• Besides previous study achievements, the most important selection criterion is a convincing and wellplanned research or continuing education and training project to be completed during the stay in Germany and which has been coordinated and agreed with an academic supervisor at the chosen German host institute.
• German language skills are generally required, although the required level also depends on the applicant's project and topic, as well as on the available opportunities for learning German in the applicant's home country. In the natural sciences and in engineering disciplines, in particular, and when English is spoken at the host institute, proof of good English language skills may also be accepted. The DAAD decides on a case-by-case basis whether the applicant can attend a German language course before beginning the research grant (free of charge for the award holder). This option is only available for research grants lasting more than six months. The country-specific information on the DAAD homepage will tell you which language skills are required from applicants from your home country.
• The award of grants is subject to an age limit of 32 years at the time of starting the grant, although exceptions are possible, depending on the country of origin of applicants, for example, special conditions prevailing in the home country education system, etc. The country-specific information on the DAAD homepage will provide you with more detailed information.
• Applicants, who have been resident in Germany for longer than one year at the time of application, cannot be considered.
• Special note for medical students: The special leaflet "Additional information on DAAD-research-grants for applicants from medical fieldsquot; provides information on specific requirements (also available on the Internet www.daad.de/extrainfo   ).

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