Deutschland Stipendium Hinweise en Important Information For Scholarship Applicants

DAAD Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst
German Academic Exchange Service
Homepage / Important information for scholarship applicants [/deutschland/stipendium/hinweise/en/8459-

important-information-for-scholarship-applicants/]
Important information for scholarship

applicants
DAAD/Norbert Hüttermann
The Scholarship Database

[https://www.daad.de/deutschland/stipendium/datenbank/en/21148-finding-
scholarships/] contains details on the programmes offered by the DAAD and
by other scholarship awarding organisations for foreign students, academics
and researchers interested in finding sources of funding to complete study or
research stays in Germany.
Besides the programmes listed here, a number of more specialised funding programmes are
also available for specific countries or regions which are not mentioned in the database.
Information on these can be obtained from the DAAD Regional Offices
[https://www.daad.de/der-daad/kontakt/en/29344-addresses-telephone-numbers/], the
German Missions Abroad [http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/DE/Laenderinformationen/03-
WebseitenAV/Uebersicht_node.html] (Embassies and Consulates General) or from the
relevant offices at universities abroad, for example, the International Office.
The scholarships offered by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) are awarded to
younger university graduates (and in exceptions, also to advanced students) from all
academic disciplines as well as from the fields of music, art, and performing arts. Funding is
also available for young and early-stage researchers, university teachers and groups of
students completing study visits under the guidance of a university teacher. This support is
largely financed by the Federal Foreign Office from public funds made available to it.
The DAAD policy on awarding scholarships is as follows: the DAAD aims to fund and support
foreign students, graduates, doctoral students, and young and early-stage researchers whose
previous research and academic achievements place them at least in the top third of their age
group and who can additionally be expected in the future to become key players and top
performers in their career fields combined with an awareness for the social responsibility
which this involves.
Funding is available for stays at state (public) or state-recognised universities and at non-
university research institutes in Germany.
As a rule, the minimum age for applications is 18. At the time of application, generally no more
than six years should have passed since the graduate gained the last degree; in the case of
doctoral students, no more than three years should have passed since starting the doctoral
process; and in the case of postdocs, no more than two years should have passed since
gaining the doctorate. In the case of postdocs who are applying for a short stay (of up to six
months), no more than four years should have passed since gaining the doctorate. Depending
on the country of origin of applicants, for example, special conditions prevailing in the home
country education system, etc., exceptions are possible. Further country-specific information
is available on our scholarship database.
Application papers and deadlines

Each programme has a specific application process and application form. For information
on which application process applies in each case, please read the respective call for
applications on our scholarship database. Applications can only be processed when they
have been submitted in full, including all required papers and documents. Incomplete
applications (including missing papers or documents) cannot be processed by the DAAD
and will result in the applicant's exclusion from the selection process.
You can find information on the precise deadlines for the submission of applications and on
the address to which applications must be submitted as well as additional country-specific
information by going to the scholarship database. You can also obtain this information
direct from the DAAD Regional Offices
[http://www.daad.de/portrait/kontakt/adressen/08965.en.html] or from the German Mission
(Embassy or Consulate General) [http://www.auswaertiges-
amt.de/DE/Laenderinformationen/03-WebseitenAV/Uebersicht_node.html] in your home
country.
Selection process and selection criteria

As a rule, a pre-selection round or an assessment of incoming applications is carried out by
a pre-selection committee. The pre-selection committee may be made up of local university
teachers (with special consideration given to former DAAD scholarship holders and former
Alexander von Humboldt Foundation scholars), of DAAD-placed German university
teachers and Lektors, Goethe Institute lecturers, representatives of the relevant ministries,
representatives of partner organisations of the DAAD, or of representatives from the
relevant DAAD Regional Office. The final decision is generally made by a Selection
Committee of German university teachers on which staff members from DAAD Head Office
in Bonn also s.t. However, the latter only sit on the committee in a non-voting capacity.
The Selection Committee for the final decision is appointed by the DAAD Executive
Committee on the basis of academic and regional factors. The Selection Committee
members review the submitted applications, in general, and then judge
the reasons given for the application on the basis of their knowledge of the general and
academic circumstances in the applicant's country of origin and in Germany,
the plausibility and feasibility of the project,
the status of preparations for the stay in Germany,
how the stay is integrated into the applicant's study pathway or academic career,
the applicant's academic qualifications and language skills.
Where necessary, the Selection Committee may request additional reports, references or
recommendations from representatives of the subject in question.
The applicant's academic qualifications and personal suitability are the decisive factors in
all scholarship award decisions. The DAAD Selection Committees will above all base their
decision
on the proof of academic achievements which students submit (credits, certificates,

etc.),
on reports, references or letters of recommendation submitted by university teachers,
and
on a description of the study or research project in question.
Specifically, the following selection criteria will be taken into consideration:
Previous academic achievements and examination results as well as the applicant's

particular knowledge in his or her academic field.
Letter from a German university teacher confirming the provision of academic
supervision for the applicant; proof of contacts between the applicant's home and host
institutions.
Where appropriate, proof of German language proficiency.
General questions of character and personality which are of significance to the success
of a stay abroad.
Where appropriate, the development policy significance of the proposed project for the
home country.
The extent to which the applicant will be able to apply the experience gained in
Germany back in the home country (prospects for career re-integration, particularly
relevant in the case of scholarship award decisions for applicants from developing
countries).
Once the application has been reviewed, it will be rated on the basis of a points system.
This is then used to produce a ranking list and finally to award the scholarships in
accordance with the number of available places. Decisions are documented in writing at
DAAD Head Office. Applicants are advised of the results of the selection process. The
diversity of assessment elements, their weighting in relation to each other and the
assurance of absolute confidentiality of the decision-making process in the Selection
Committee mean that applicants are not advised of the reasons for decisions.
German language proficiency

The level of German language proficiency which applicants are required to have is
primarily dependent on the planned study or research project. Foreign students wishing to
matriculate at a German university must, as a rule, present proof of adequate proficiency in
the German language.
Students can prove their German language skills by presenting one of the following
language proficiency certificates: the "Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang
(DSH)" or the "Test Deutsch als Fremdsprache (TestDaF)". However, students who gained
the "Abitur" school leaving certificate at a German school abroad or who hold one of the
following language certificates – "Sprachdiplom der KMK (Stufe 2)", or
"Feststellungsprüfung" in Germany by a "Studienkolleg", or "Goethe-Zertifikat C2", or "telc
Deutsch C1 Hochschule" – will also be exempted from this requirement.
The DSH and TestDaF (TDN) certificates are each made up of three stages or levels:
DSH-1, DSH-2, DSH-3 and TDN 3, TDN 4, TDN 5. An adequate knowledge of German is
considered to have been proven when applicants pass the DSH with at least a grade point
average score of DSH-2 or when applicants achieve at least TDN 4 level language skills in
all TestDaF examination sections. In the case of lower scores (i.e. DSH-1 or TDN 3), the
university in question is responsible for deciding on admission.
You can find detailed information on the TestDaF here

[http://www.daad.de/deutschland/nach-deutschland/voraussetzungen/en/6221-german-
language/] on the DAAD website or direct from http://www.testdaf.de/
[http://www.testdaf.de/]. You can sit the TestDaF at numerous test centres in Germany and
abroad. For the addresses of the test centres, just go to the above website.
The DSH can be taken at universities in Germany and at some foreign universities. You
can find further information on the DSH here [http://www.daad.de/deutschland/nach-
deutschland/voraussetzungen/en/6221-german-language/] on the DAAD website or on the
website of the Professional Association of German as a Foreign Language (Fachverband
Deutsch als Fremdsprache – FaDaF) [http://www.fadaf.de/].
Many universities offer free-of-charge language courses to prepare students for the DSH
or TestDaF. However, the number of universities that charge fees for these courses is
increasing. This means that the number of free-of-charge places on such courses is very
limited. Courses offered by (private) language schools outside the university sector will
certainly charge fees.
Although the DAAD does place a greater emphasis on the academic qualifications which
applicants hold than on their German language skills, applicants will nevertheless be
expected to take every opportunity to gain and improve their knowledge of German while
they are still in their home country. When it awards a scholarship, the DAAD reserves the
right to make it a condition that the applicant provides proof of adequate language skills in
the form of a language proficiency certificate before leaving for Germany. In any case, we
strongly advise all applicants who are nominated for a scholarship to make use of every
opportunity open to them to improve their knowledge of the German language in the time
between submitting their application and leaving for Germany.
Scholarship value and other payments
The DAAD essentially differentiates between individual scholarships and group
programmes. Besides a monthly payment, which the DAAD determines on the basis of the
scholarship holder's academic level, individual scholarships generally include other
payments as well, such as travel expenses, health insurance, accident insurance, and
personal/private liability insurance. Details can be found in the individual programme
descriptions.
Equivalency
Even very well qualified foreign applicants may find integration into the German academic
system difficult to manage due to the differences in the structures of the various higher
education and general education and training systems. Only the host faculty at the German
university of your choice is responsible for deciding on the equivalency, level and
placement of any academic qualifications that you gained in your home country, and, in
particular, of any final degrees you hold. For their part, the faculties base their decision on
recommendations issued by the Central Office for Foreign Education - Zentralstelle für das
ausländische Bildungswesen (ZAB) [http://www.kmk.org/zab/home.htm] -, which is a unit of
the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs, the Ständige
Konferenz der Kultusminister in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (KMK)
[http://www.kmk.org/].
Please take particular note
Applicants, who have been resident in Germany for longer than 15 months at the time of
application, cannot be considered.
You must not draw funding from other German scholarship-awarding organisations or from
other German public authorities at the same time as you are receiving your DAAD
scholarship. Any other foreign support or additional income from secondary employment
will be partly offset against (i.e. deducted) from your scholarship. Scholarship holders must
not take up any secondary employment until they have gained appropriate written approval
from the DAAD.
Information as of September 7, 2016

Deutschland Stipendium Hinweise en Important Information For Scholarship Applicants

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Deutschland Stipendium Hinweise en Important Information For Scholarship Applicants

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Deutschland Stipendium Hinweise en Important Information For Scholarship Applicants

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

DAAD Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst

German Academic Exchange Service

Homepage / Important information for scholarship applicants [/deutschland/stipendium/hinweise/en/8459-

Important information for scholarship

The Scholarship Database

Application papers and deadlines

Selection process and selection criteria

on the proof of academic achievements which students submit (credits, certificates,

Specifically, the following selection criteria will be taken into consideration:

Previous academic achievements and examination results as well as the applicant's

German language proficiency

You can find detailed information on the TestDaF here

Information as of September 7, 2016

You might also like