Objective

The aim of the scholarship programme is to support the qualification and employability of young
academics and future professionals from developing and emerging countries. It offers the opportunity to
continue their academic and professional career in innovation-driving STEM fields in Germany with a
Master’s degree in mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and engineering.

Who can apply?

The scholarship programme is aimed at high-achieving students from developing and emerging
countries who would like to complete a Master’s degree in the STEM subjects at a German university.
You can apply if you have completed your studies with a first degree recognised in Germany (e.g.
Bachelor's degree) by the application deadline at the latest.
If you already have a Master's degree, you cannot apply.

What can be funded?

Funding is available for a complete Master's degree (full-time, on-campus) at a state or state-recognised
university in Germany in the STEM subjects of mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and
engineering.
Interdisciplinary degree programmes must have a designated STEM focus.
It must be a tuition-free Master's degree programme.
Funding for a Master's programme already started in Germany cannot be granted

Duration of the funding

Funding is provided for 10 months to a maximum of 24 months.

It depends on the standard period of study of the chosen full-time Master's degree programme.
Please state the entire period for which you wish to apply for a scholarship in your application. For
example, if you are planning a 2-year degree programme, you must directly indicate two years as the
desired scholarship duration in your application.
After the first year of study, your academic achievements will be assessed. If this shows that you will
successfully complete your programme within a reasonable period of time, the scholarship will continue
as planned.
The scholarship usually begins on 1st October of the following year, or earlier if you take a German
language course prior to the study programme.

Value

 monthly scholarship payments of 992 euros

 payments towards health, accident and personal liability insurance cover (see also our important
information for scholarship applicants / section F, point 4)

 travel allowance

 annual study allowance of 460 euros

Under certain circumstances, you can apply for the following additional benefits after start of funding:
  monthly rent subsidy (see important information for scholarship applicants, section F, point 9)

 monthly allowance for accompanying members of family. Please also read our important
information for scholarship applicants / section F, point 3

 In case of a disability or chronic illness: on application, a subsidy may be provided for justified
additional costs, incurred in Germany due to the disability, that are necessary to realise the
project in Germany and that are not covered by a third party; whether and to what extent a
subsidy will be paid will be reviewed and determined on an individual basis (see important
information for scholarship applicants, section F, point 8)

 reimbursement of carbon offset payments for air travel

To allow you to improve your language skills, the DAAD offers the following benefits on application (only
for a funding period of more than six months):

 Payment of course fees for an online language course after receipt of the Scholarship Award
Letter

 if necessary: German language course in Germany before the start of the research project; the
DAAD decides whether to fund participation and for how long depending on German language
skills and project.

 Allowance for a personally chosen German language course during the scholarship period

 Reimbursement of the fee for a TestDaF or DSH test, which you can take either in your home
country after you have received your Letter of Award or in Germany during your funding period.

Please note that the DAAD does not cover tuition fees important information for scholarship applicants /
section F, point 7).

Selection

Only complete applications with all mandatory documents will be considered. Incomplete applications
will be excluded for formal reasons.
A pre-selection will be made based on the submitted application documents. The pre-selected applicants
will be invited to a (digital) interview with an independent selection committee of university teachers.
The personal interview is a decisive element in assessing the authenticity of the application and the
individual qualities of the applicants and evaluating them appropriately.

The selection criteria are are:

Academic qualification

 academic achievements

 course of studies

 knowledge of the language(s) of instruction or working language(s)

  if applicable, relevant internships, work experience

Quality of the study project

 Quality of the study project and of the preparation (preliminary information, choice of degree
pro-gramme, host university and establishment of contacts)

 Integration of the project into the academic career path

Potential of the applicant

 Motivation: academic and personal reasons for the stay in Germany, German language skills (if
different from the working language);

 Prospects: Significance of the stay in Germany for further academic, professional and personal
development.

 Extracurricular commitment: extracurricular knowledge and skills, social commitment.

In addition, the selection committee will give due consideration to aspects of equal opportunities, on
which you can provide information in the application form. Examples of ‘special life circumstances’ are

 disability

 chronic or prolonged illness

 raising children

 caring for relatives

 refugee background

 extensive employment required to finance studies.

For further information on the selection procedure, please refer to the Important Scholarship
Information / Section E.

B. Preparing your application

 1. In the Call for Applications a so-called "letter of motivation" must be submitted. What does
this mean?

In a letter of motivation, you are required to describe your professional and personal reasons for your
planned project in Germany on at least one and no more than three pages.
A letter of motivation gives you the opportunity to describe your personality and the reasons why you
are applying for DAAD funding in your own words. The following information and questions will help you
write an informative letter of motivation.

 Facts about your education, skills and knowledge

 Studies: study programme, number of semesters, if applicable, degree

 Professional experience, if applicable

 Specialised knowledge, skills and language skills

 Prizes and awards (if applicable)

 Academic motivation

 Why do you wish to take the study programme or attend the language or
specialist course for which you are applying?

 What appeals to you about your chosen university?

 What do you hope to gain from your stay in Germany (personal, professional, for
your career)?

 Reasons for applying for a scholarship

 Why are you applying for a DAAD scholarship?

 What do you expect of this scholarship?

 How will the scholarship help you achieve your academic, professional and
personal goals?

 Personal interests

 Here you can outline special extracurricular achievements and commitments or

personal qualities that say something about your character.

 2. The calls for applications for research grants require a so-called "proposal". What does this
mean?

A proposal is a detailed and precise description of the project you have agreed to complete with your
academic supervisor. In a proposal, you define the goals of your research work, reflect upon theoretical
and methodical procedures and you describe the individual steps. You have to prepare and formulate the
proposal yourself. Taking over proposals from others is a violation of the Rules of Good Academic
Practice [pdf-file].

The objective

 What is the subject of your research project?

 Which steps are planned?

 What is the time schedule for your planned research project?

The structure

The proposal (unless otherwise stated in the scholarship announcement, maximum of 10 pages) should
contain details about:

4. The research field in general and the current state of research literature:

 What is the current state of research?

 Which theories/work of other academics will you draw upon?

 What theoretical framework or scientific models will you use? Explain the reasons why
you are drawing on this theory or model. Are there competing theories/models and, if
so, why are you not using these in your project?

 What is your research question?

2. Key research questions (hypotheses), research objectives and academic relevance of the
project:

 What do you intend to find out?

 What goals are you pursuing with your project?

3. Research strategies/methods:

 How do you intend answering the research questions?

 How do you want to collect data (document analyses, quantitative or qualitative survey,
experiment, etc.)?

 Which academic literature will you use?

 How will you evaluate results?

 What preparation have you already done or intend doing before funding begins?

4. Ethical issues/anticipated difficulties related to collecting data

5. Research bibliography: List of books and essays upon which your work is based.

Please note that the time plan must be uploaded to the DAAD portal as a separate document.