Contact
If you meet the eligibility criteria and are interested in applying for this fellowship, please fill out a preliminary questionnaire. You may contact the office with any questions.
Award Details
The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) is the German national agency for the support of international academic cooperation. They are an independent association of the German universities who elect its leadership. They represent the German higher education system abroad, promote Germany as an academic and research destination, and help build ties between institutions around the world. The New York office of the DAAD was founded in 1971 to support academic exchange between the US, Canada, and Germany. The Scholarship provides financial support to over 55,000 individuals per year. The National Deadline varies with each program.
This scholarship is for students entering their final year or those who have received an undergraduate degree in any discipline. This award provides the opportunity to pursue a full Master's degree at a German University or coursework as part of a postgraduate or Master's degree program completed in the home country.
Abroad Award
Term Length: 1 to 2 years
US Citizenship Not Required
- Students in their last year of undergraduate studies at an accredited US or Canadian university.
- US or Canadian citizens or permanent residents.
- Foreign nationals who live in the USA or in Canada by the time of application deadline are eligible, if your last degree was obtained in the US/Canada, or you will have received a degree in the US/Canada before your scholarship starts. All other foreign nationals may need to apply via a different DAAD office.
- Recent BA/BS or MA/MS graduates who completed their last degree no longer than 6 years ago.
- US/Canadian students in the first year of a Master’s degree program in Germany may apply to fund their second year.
- Applicants may not have been living in Germany for more than 15 consecutive months by the time of application deadline.
Students must earn admission into the German graduate program they have selected separately.
Academic excellence and project/institutional fit.
- Monthly stipend of EUR 750
- Payments towards health, accident and personal liability insurance cover
- Travel subsidy, unless these expenses are covered another source of funding.
- One-off study allowance
Under certain circumstances, scholarship holders may receive the following additional benefits:
- Contribution towards tuition fees that may be charged by the university (max. EUR 500 per semester)
- Monthly rent subsidy
- Monthly allowance for accompanying members of family
To enable scholarship holders to learn German in preparation for their stay in the country, DAAD offers the following services:
- Payment of course fees for the online language course “Deutsch-Uni Online (DUO)” (www.deutsch-uni.com) for six months after receipt of the Scholarship Award Letter
- A very limited number of scholarship recipients may be awarded an additional two-month intensive language course grant. This language course grant is decided upon by the independent selection committee and does not require a separate application.
- Allowance for a personally chosen German language course during the scholarship period
- Reimbursement of the fees for the TestDaF test which has either been taken in the home country after receipt of the Scholarship Award Letter or in Germany before the end of the funding period
- As an alternative to the TestDaF for scholarship holders who have taken a language course beforehand: the fee for a DSH or GI (Goethe Institute) examination taken during the scholarship period may be reimbursed.
Please note :
- DAAD scholarship recipients are not permitted to receive supplementary funding through any other German funding body. Supplementary funding from a non-German funding body may in some cases be permitted. However, they would then be treated as additional earnings, i.e. grants exceeding the tax-free income level in Germany (currently EUR 450 per month) would be deducted from the DAAD scholarship, unless the grant payments will be put on hold for the duration of your DAAD scholarship.
- If the degree program includes an additional study abroad (outside of Germany) lasting several months, funding for this period abroad is usually only possible under the following conditions:
- The additional study visit is essential for achievement of the scholarship objective.
- The additional study period is no longer than a quarter of the scholarship period. Longer periods cannot be funded, even partially.
- The additional study period does not take place in applicant’s home country.
The application procedure occurs online through the DAAD portal. Your reference has to be sent to gradscholar(at)daad.org and by post to the DAAD New York office.
The portal will close automatically at 11 PM Central European Time (5 PM EST/4 PM CST/3 PM MTN/2 PM PST) on the deadline date. Applicants are advised to start the application process at least one week before the closing date.
- Online application form
- Full Resume/curriculum vitae in tabular form (max. 3 pages).
- Study proposal (max. 3 pages) : your study proposal should include a narrative about academic and personal reasons for the planned study explaining why a particular program has been chosen and how it will further your educational and career goals. No format restrictions regarding font, spacing and paragraphs.
- Letter of admission to a study program in Germany: If this is not available at the time of the application deadline, this can be subsequently submitted before the scholarship-supported study program begins.
- Information about your preferred master programs (<—Please download & see information below)
—> For Master’s degree applicants:
– Applicants who will be starting their master’s program in Germany: when completing the form, DAAD recommends listing up to 3 potential degree programs to avoid a situation in which you are granted a scholarship but end up not getting accepted into a Master’s program. However, when writing your proposal, you should focus on your first choice, and mention briefly additional programs at the end of your proposal.
– Those who are already in the first year of a master’s degree program in Germany: complete the form, and list your current program.
OR
– For a study period in Germany as part of an American or Canadian postgraduate or Master’s degree: submit proof that the academic credits earned in Germany will be recognized by your home institution (e.g. letter from your department). - University degree Certificate(s), if applicable (e.g. Bachelor or Master): if your studies have not been completed at the time of the application deadline, the certificate must be subsequently uploaded to the portal before the scholarship-supported study program.
- Transcripts of ALL university studies, make sure that individual grades are listed and to include the explanations of the grading system (which are usually on the back).
- DAAD language evaluation form (Sprachnachweis): If you have any knowledge of German, submit this document signed by a faculty member (professors or teaching assistants) of the German Department at your institution. If you have no knowledge of German and your study language in Germany is English, be sure to submit this certificate anyway, indicating that your study language is English, and write at the top “No knowledge of German.” (Please note that German is not a requirement for the Study Scholarship). You can download the form here. Please disregard the following requirement on our head office’s website:
-Other documents you think might be of relevance to your application (e.g. certificates of employment, proof of placements).
Interested? Have Questions?
If you meet the eligibility criteria and are interested in a fellowship or opportunity, please fill out a preliminary questionnaire. Contact the office with any questions: