DAAD Graduate Scholarships for Study/Research in Germany

Overview

DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) is a registered members association made up of German institutions of higher education and student bodies.  DAAD provides young people with the opportunity to gain international academic and research experience in Germany.  Since it was founded in 1925, DAAD has provided funding to more than 1.9 million scholars in Germany and abroad.

DAAD has invited UC Irvine to nominate one priority candidate for the Research Grants in Germany Program (formerly the short-term and long-term grant programs).  Candidates who aren’t selected as UC Irvine’s priority applicant are still able to apply; however, they will run in the open competition with candidates with all over North America.  DAAD also offers many additional opportunities for students to study or do research in Germany which students are free to apply for directly. For information on our DAAD funding please visit the Scholarship Database.

Award Information

DAAD offers the following Graduate Scholarships:

• Study Scholarships(USA) &  Study Scholarship(Canada): final year undergraduate students or those who have received an undergraduate degree of all disciplines for a full master’s degree program at a German university, or for study at a German university as part of a postgraduate or Master’s degree program completed in the home country.
• Research Grants in Germany (USA) &  Research Grants in Germany (Canada): doctoral students in a US/Canadian program (or those who will be enrolled by the beginning of funding) interested in a research project in Germany for funding between 2-12 months, or those who have already completed a PhD (postdocs) for funding between 2-6 months
• Research Grants-Bi-nationally Supervised Doctoral degrees/Cotutelle (USA) & Research Grants-Bi-nationally Supervised Doctoral degrees/Cotutelle (Canada) : doctoral students who have admission to a doctoral program at the time they begin their grant-supported research. The aim of this program is the funding of bi-national doctoral projects at the home university and at a university in Germany.

Important Dates

Application Opens:  August 26, 2026
UCI Submission Deadline (for priority candidate consideration): October 8, 2026 by 11:59pm PST
Priority candidate will be notified by October 28, 2026
DAAD External Deadlines:  October 30, 2026

Please note: applicants for the Short-Term Research Grant and applicants in the artistic fields do not apply via the internal process and should follow application instructions on the DAAD website. 

Eligibility Criteria

Detailed eligibility criteria can be found on the DAAD Website.

You can apply if you:

• are doing your doctorate at a university or research institution outside Germany or
• have already completed your doctorate (post-doc, up to 4 years after completing your doctorate)
• You cannot apply if you are doing your entire doctorate at a German university.

Candidates will be evaluated on:

• General and subject-related preparedness, and suitability of the applicant
• Subject-related quality, preparation, and feasibility of the proposal
• Reasons for wanting to study/conduct research in Germany
• Quality of reference/recommendation letter

Proof of Proficiency in the language(s) of instruction in the chosen study program:

Study Programs Taught in English

• English language proficiency is waived if you:
  • Are a native English speaker from the United States, Canada (except Quebec), the UK, Singapore, Ireland, Australia, or New Zealand; OR
  • Are an international student who earned (or will earn) a bachelor’s degree taught entirely in English from an accredited U.S. or Canadian institution within the past three years.
• All other Applicants: Submit one of the following: Cambridge English, Cambridge Business, IELTS, ISE, TOEFL iBT, TOEFL Essentials, TOEIC, PTE Academic, onSET English or Duolingo English Test
• Applicants from Quebec: Submit one of the following: One of the English language proficiency certificates listed above; OR A degree, official transcript, or CEGEP Diploma of College Studies from an English-language institution in Quebec.

Study Programs Taught in German: Submit one of the following as proof of German language proficiency:

• A completed DAAD German language evaluation form (Sprachnachweis) (also available for download on respective funding page), signed by a faculty member (professors or teaching assistants) from the German Department at your institution; OR
• A recognized German language certificate, such as TestDaF, DSH, Deutsches Sprachdiplom der Kultusministerkonferenz (DSD), Goethe-Zertifikat, Österreichisches Sprachdiplom, telc Deutsch, onSET Deutsch

Waived if you are a native German speaker from Austra or Switzerland (“Deutschschweiz”) who earned (or will earn) a bachelor’s degree from an accredited U.S. or Canadian institution within the past three years

Application Process

Applicants should submit the following by the UCI internal deadline of October 8, 2026 by 5:00pm PST in order to be considered for the priority nomination.  Be advised, students may still be apply to DAAD fellowships directly if not selected for the UC Irvine priority nomination.

1. Submit all requested documents via the DAAD online-portal
   1. note:  once submitted to DAAD, changes and edits are no longer possible to the application
2. Send the reference form (available on the DAAD portal) to your recommenders and ask them to email a signed copy to Turner Dahl at tdahl@uci.edu
3. Once the applicant has submitted all required documents via the online portal in DAAD, a PDF file of the application summary will become available.  Include this in your application to the UC Irvine’s internal priority candidate application.

Forms

DAAD North America: Application Checklist for Study Scholarships of All Academic Disciplines

DAAD North America: Application Checklist for Research Grants in Germany

Stipulations

Research Grants: For foreign nationals currently living in the USA or in Canada, the following eligibility rules apply:

• For stays up to 6 months, you must have been living in the USA or Canada for at least one year at the time of application.
• For stays between 7-12 months, you must have been living in the USA or Canada, and have gained your last degree in the USA or Canada or will be gaining it before the beginning of your funding period

Contact

fellowships@rgs.uci.edu or contact Turner Dahl at tdahl@uci.edu