The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) is offering the opportunity to complete your doctoral degree at a state or state-recognised institution of higher education or a non-university research institute in Germany. 

Candidates can opt for a traditional PhD by research with a German supervisor, whom they must identify themselves, or participate in a structured PhD programme on offer at a German university.

Detailed information about the Research Grants in Germany can be found at: Research Grants in Germany

Degree Level

Non degree for PhD and Post Doctoral candidates

Deadline

15 October 2024

Who can apply?

Applicants must:

  • Must have above-average qualifications and should have completed your Master's degree or Diploma, or in exceptional cases a Bachelor's degree, at the latest by the time the funding period begins;
  • Must be doing 
    • an individual project supervised by a university teacher (doctoral supervisor), or
    • participation in a structured doctoral study programme
  • Should not have graduated any longer than six years before the application deadline;
  • If you have already started your doctorate, it also applies that the start of the doctorate should not be longer than 3 years ago;
  • A Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree of 2nd class upper division level and a Master of Arts/Master of Science degree are required;
  • Good German language skills - especially for students taking arts subjects - are usually a requirement for study and research projects in Germany. Exceptions are possible if the project is carried out in English;
  • A prior language course of 4 to 6 months is generally included in the scholarship.

Your application cannot be considered, if you have been resident in Germany for longer than 15 months at the application deadline.

Fields of Study

The scholarship can be taken up for all fields

Scholarship Benefits

Under certain circumstances, you can apply for the following additional benefits after start of funding:

  • monthly rent subsidy, only for a funding period of more than six months (see important information for scholarship applicants, section F, point 9)
  • monthly allowance for accompanying members of family, only for a funding period of more than six months; 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)
  • Green Mobility Top Up (subsidy for climate-friendly travel) or reimbursement of carbon offset payments for air travel

To enable you to improve your language skills in preparation for your stay in Germany, DAAD offers the following services:

  • Payment of course fees for an online language course after receipt of the Scholarship Award Letter
  • if necessary: Language course (2, 4 or 6 months) before the start of the research stay in Germany; the DAAD decides whether to fund the grant holder's participation and for how long depending on language skills and project. If a language course scholarship is granted and the working language at the host institute is German, participation is compulsory.
  • Allowance for a personally chosen German language course during the grant 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 Scholarship Award Letter or in Germany during your funding period.

Application Process

The DAAD funding application is online through the DAAD application portal.

Contact

The DAAD Information Centre Johannesburg can be contacted for support, advice and information:

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Documents and Links

Research Grants – Doctoral Programmes in Germany

Important information for scholarship applicants 

Notes on applying in the portal

Notes about registering in the portal

Application portal

Note

Please note that this opportunity is not offered by the Department of Higher Education and Training. Applicants are required to undertake their own research into programmes and institutions and are responsible for ensuring that the qualifications will be recognised in South Africa by contacting the South African Qualifications Authority and the relevant professional bodies. If there are any discrepancies in the details provided, the information given by the sponsor supersedes the details provided above. No additional financial support will be provided by the Department of Higher Education and Training.

 
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