The practice-oriented study programs at universities of applied sciences (HAW, formerly known as Fachhochschulen) are highly regarded in Germany and around the world. The DAAD supports HAW students during their stays abroad and the universities in collaborative projects with international partners. More information about the entire HAW.International program initiative is available at www.daad.de/HAW .
Students in bachelor's, master's, and diploma programs at German HAWs receive scholarships through this program for a stay abroad as part of their studies or thesis.
Table of Content
Summary
- Application DeadlineAugust 29, 2025
- Study LevelMasters
- SponsorDAAD
- Eligible CountryAll Countries
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Benefits
- A monthly scholarship rate determined by the host country: Scholarship calculator (in this program, the rates apply to undergraduate/graduate students). The scholarship rates are conditional for grants awarded in the 2025/2026 academic year.
- Travel allowance , the amount of which varies depending on the host country,
- Health, accident and private liability insurance benefits,
- For study visits: subsidy for any tuition fees up to a maximum limit (depending on the destination country). Further information can be found in ourimportant scholarship informationin Section D / Point 4.
- for final theses: Grant for travel in the host country that is directly related to the project.
- a grant for a language course accompanying the scholarship (national language or language of instruction or work): Further information
In addition, you can apply for further benefits after the start of the funding:
- Family benefits for accompanying spouses or life partners and/or children: Further information can be found in ourimportant scholarship information / Section D, Point 7
- In the case of a disability or chronic illness: upon request, a subsidy may be granted for justified additional costs incurred abroad, which are necessary to realize the project in the host country and which are not covered by a third party; whether and to what extent a subsidy will be paid will be assessed and determined on an individual basis: Further information
Third-party contributions are partially credited towards the DAAD scholarship. The amount of the credit is calculated individually after the scholarship has been awarded. Information on this can be found in theimportant scholarship information in section E
Note for scholarship holders of the scholarship funding organizations: If you receive a DAAD scholarship, you are not permitted to claim an overseas supplement from the funding organizations. Ongoing domestic payments from the funding organizations will be credited towards the DAAD scholarship. Further information can be found in ourimportant scholarship informationin Section E, Point 2.
Requirements
- Applicants must be enrolled at a state or state-recognized university of applied sciences or university of applied sciences (HAW) or at the Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University or the Gera-Eisenach Cooperative State University.
- Students in the Bachelor's or Diploma program must be at least in the second semester or in the second half of the first year of study at the time of application.
The DAAD requires applicants to research the relevant information (residence and travel formalities) for the feasibility of their project themselves. The DAAD provides some important information on its country pages , but contacting the host institution is usually also required.
Interview Dates and Process
After an initial pre-selection based on the submitted documents, successful applicants are invited to a personal interview before the selection committee.
In the case of a very high volume of applications, the pre-selection may be conducted in two stages: In the first step, academic performance is assessed, taking into account individual, specific life circumstances. In the second step, the applications are comprehensively evaluated by the relevant selection committee members.
The personal interview can take place at the DAAD in Bonn or virtually. Watch our video about the scholarship selection process.
The selection committees are composed according to academic and, if applicable, regional criteria. The honorary committee members are appointed by the DAAD Executive Board and are primarily university lecturers from German universities. They review the applications and decide on the award of scholarships. Former DAAD scholarship holders may also be involved in the selection process. DAAD employees chair the selection meeting but do not have voting rights.
Further information can be found in ourimportant scholarship informationin section C.
Language skills:
- You must prove that, at the time of application, you already have the language skills required by the host institution for admission to the course or necessary for the realization of the project.
Selection criteria:
- Quality of the project, measured by the study or research plan and letter of motivation; the quality of the project includes the following aspects: justification for the stay abroad and, if applicable, the choice of host institution, plausibility and feasibility, status of preparation for the stay abroad, integration into the academic career, connection with professional prospects; for theses, also: relevance of the project and its integration into the overall concept of the thesis (content/time).
- previous academic qualifications, measured by academic achievements and reports,
- language and cultural knowledge,
- extracurricular knowledge, interests and extracurricular activities.
Application Documents
- Online application form,
- tabular CV,
- Detailed description of the study plan (study plan, as a separate document) or the project within the framework of the final thesis (research plan, max. 5 pages as a separate document),
- if travel to the host country is planned for final theses: cost estimate for travel to the host country with confirmation from the supervising professor at the German university,
- Explanation of the professional and personal motives for the planned project (letter of motivation),
- Certificate of higher education entrance qualification (e.g. Abitur or Fachabitur) with individual grades,
- For Bachelor's or Diploma students: List of all tutorials and seminars attended so far (transcript of records, including credit points and grades according to ECTS)
- For Master's students: a list of all tutorials and seminars attended to date (transcript of records, including credit points and ECTS grades) from the Master's program, as well as a bachelor's degree certificate. (If the bachelor's degree certificate is not yet available: a list of all tutorials and seminars attended to date (transcript of records, including credit points and ECTS grades) from the Bachelor's program, as well as the final certificate must be submitted by the start of the scholarship at the latest.)
- Proof of language proficiency (or more than one proof if there are multiple target countries) of your current knowledge of the language(s) of instruction or work at your target institution, which may be necessary for the successful implementation of your project. If your project includes field research or interviews, you must also provide proof of knowledge of the local language if this differs from the language(s) of instruction and work. This proof must not be older than two years by the application deadline. Please submit either the DAAD language proficiency form or another language certificate recognized by the DAAD .
If you use the DAAD language proficiency form, you can have your language skills assessed at your German university. To do this, contact your university's language center or an authorized examiner in the department for the respective foreign language. You can find instructions for authorized examiners and language centers on how to fill out the form here . If your university does not have a language center or department for the respective foreign language, we have described the procedure for you in the FAQ under "Note on application documents" (see further down). Proof of language proficiency can only be waived in exceptional cases. Please read ourimportant scholarship information (A.9 to A.15)If such an exception applies to you, please upload a document with a brief explanation in the portal under "Language Certificate".
- A current, supporting letter of recommendation from a university lecturer or a doctoral research assistant or assistant (see alsoimportant scholarship informationSection B, Item 10), which provides information about your qualifications. For final theses, the letter of recommendation must be issued by the thesis supervisor. The letter of recommendation consists of a section freely written
by the reviewer and a cover sheet . Both must be submitted. Further information on the letter of recommendation can be found in the “Application” tab under “The application process step by step”. In the current application procedure, the letter of recommendation can be sent by post to the following address as an alternative to uploading it on the portal: DAAD, Kennedyallee 50, 53175 Bonn. The postmark will then be used to determine whether it has been sent by post on time .
Note on the application documents
Detailed answers to questions about the application can be found in our FAQ .
Application Deadline
August 29, 2025How To Apply
Are you qualified and interested in this opportunity? Kindly go to
DAAD on www2.daad.de to apply
- Applications for this scholarship are made online via the DAAD portal.
- The DAAD portal closes at midnight (CET or CEST) on the last day of applications. Please submit your application a few days before the application deadline, if possible. This way, you'll be on the safe side in case of technical problems. The postmark is the date of the application for timely mailing of letters of recommendation.
- Subsequent applications after the specified application deadline are no longer possible.
- Incomplete applications will not be considered by the DAAD. You are responsible for ensuring that they are complete.
Data protection: Application documents remain with the DAAD and become its property. Your personal data will be stored by the DAAD in accordance with the Federal Data Protection Act and the EU General Data Protection Regulation to the extent necessary to process your application or scholarship. The documents of unsuccessful applicants will be deleted after a reasonable period of time.
For more information, kindly visit DAAD scholarship webpage.
