DAAD Graduate Study/Research Scholarship

Overview:

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) funds and supports international exchange by promoting research and postgraduate study at a German university as part of a postgraduate or Master's degree program completed in the home country (i.e., U.S.) or a full Master’s degree in Germany. Highly qualified graduating seniors, recent graduates, and graduate students from all disciplines are encouraged to apply.

Eligibility:

  • U.S. and Canadian citizen or national OR foreign national whose last degree was obtained in the U.S. or Canada or who will receive a degree in the U.S. or Canada before the award period
    • All other foreign nationals may need to apply via a different DAAD office
  • Senior, recent alumnus/a, or graduate student
    • Alumni must be within 6 years of receiving their most recent degree when they apply
    • Ph.D. applicants who are ABD must apply no more than three years after receiving ABD status

 Application Materials: 

  • A completed application
    • Master’s degree information form (study applicants only)
    • List of publications (5 pages), schedule of planned research, and letter confirming research supervision abroad (research applicants only)
  • Study proposal (3 pages) OR research proposal (5 pages)
    • Supplemental materials (music, fine arts, dance applicants only)
  • One reference form from a faculty member in your field of study
  • DAAD language evaluation form
  • University degree certificate
    • If studies are not completed by time of application deadline, it must be submitted prior to the beginning of the study program
  • Curriculum vitae or resume (3 pages) in tabular form
  • Transcript(s)

Application Procedure:

Office Application Deadline - October 30, 2023

Given that the University is required to nominate one applicant as the priority applicant, there is an office application deadline and a campus evaluation process. To be considered for the campus evaluation process, applicants must submit a copy of their completed application as generated in DAAD's application portal after submission directly to our office via email (urfm@psu.edu) by the date above. A completed application includes the aforementioned materials. References must email their form directly to the office (urfm@psu.edu). Afterward, you will be notified whether you’ve received the priority applicant nomination or not.

Regardless of priority status, all applicants may continue to revise their materials after the campus evaluation process. Furthermore, all applications submitted through DAAD’s application portal will be sent forward to DAAD for consideration in the general applicant pool. Reference forms with signatures must be mailed to DAAD’s New York Office and postmarked by the deadline.

Note: DAAD does offer other graduate scholarships that do not require this nomination process. Applications for those scholarships may be submitted directly to DAAD and have various due dates throughout the year. Please see the specific program’s site for more details. 

            National Application Deadline – November 3, 2023 

Applications must be submitted directly using the respective online application system.

Information
Year at Time of Application: 
Senior or Beyond, Grad Student, Recent Alum
Duration of Award: 
Semester, Full Year or More
Other: 
Non-U.S. Citizen
Procedure: 
Office Nomination
Area of Interest: 
Agricultural Sciences, Architecture, Business, Communications and Journalism, Education, Engineering, Environmental and Geosciences, Life Sciences, Humanities, Information Technology and Computer Science, International Relations Political Science and Law, Mathematics, Music, Nursing and Health Sciences, Physical Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Statistics, Visual and Performing Arts
Earliest Application Deadline: 
Sept. – Dec.
Location: 
International
Penn-State Sponsored: 
No
Fellowship Components: 
Graduate School
Research