Freie Universität Berlin Elsa-Neumann Scholarship Program 2027

The Elsa-Neumann-Scholarship provides funding for doctoral researchers at the four Berlin universities. Scholarships can be awarded either as full scholarships to prepare a doctoral thesis (up to 36 months) or as completion scholarships for advanced doctoral research projects (maximum 12 months).

Table of Content

• Summary
• Benefits
• Requirements
• Application Deadline
• How To Apply

Summary

• Application DeadlineNovember 11, 2026
• Study LevelPhD
• SponsorFreie University Berlin
• City to studyBerlin
• School to studyFreie University Berlin
• Eligible CountryAll Countries

Benefits

• The scholarship amounts to €1,350 per month, plus a lump sum of €100 for research expenses. In addition, scholarship recipients can apply for family allowance and refunds for travel expenses.
• Health, accident and personal liability insurance benefits

Requirements

• Applicants must provide evidence of academic performance well above average (as per Section 2.1 NaFöG) in their master’s degree certificate (or equivalent). We expect your doctoral project to make an important contribution to your academic field. We can only award scholarships to doctoral candidates who are based at one of Berlin’s universities and who are working with an academic supervisor there.
• The applicant’s citizenship is irrelevant to the application process. In the case of an international university degree, you need to provide proof of its recognition as a qualification to pursue a doctorate in Berlin. This can be documented by, for example, an equivalence test or a letter of admission to a doctorate by the doctoral office of your department.
• For applicants from academic subjects with state examinations requirements (teacher training / education and law for example), the first state examination serves as a university degree. In the subject of human medicine, a university degree is only awarded after passing the second medical examination (after the practical year) or respectively, after the third medical examination (after the practical year), in accordance with the old medical licensing regulations (Approbationsordnung).
• We cannot grant an Elsa-Neumann-Scholarship if you have already received funding for your doctoral project from public funds or from publicly funded private institutions. This includes any funding of the doctoral project through employment, e.g., part-time employment as a research assistant. We also consider part-time employment as a research assistant in the context of third-party funded projects as prefunding if your task was in the field of the doctoral project and was suitable for funding your doctorate

Check also:
2026 Fully Funded Humboldt Research Fellowship
2026 Eutopia PhD Co-tutelle Call

Application Deadline

How To Apply

• Please submit your application for a doctoral scholarship on the digital application platform.

For more information, kindly visit the Freie Universität Berlin webpage.