How to Apply for DAAD Scholarship: Tips To Apply To Win

If you are planning to study in Germany on scholarship, then the DAAD scholarship should be your number one consideration. The DAAD, aka German Academic Exchange Service, offers one of the most prestigious, fully funded scholarships out there. The scholarship gives students from developing countries the opportunity to further their education at German universities.

The scholarship comes with benefits like a payment of tuition fees, accommodation costs, health insurance, travel grants, and a monthly stipend of €750 or €1000 for Masters and Doctoral students, respectively. This is an annual scholarship that opens in August and closes in October of each year. The scholarship duration is usually 12-24 months for Masters and 36 months for PHD. Are you already salivating at the thought of getting this scholarship? Well, in today’s post, we give you tips on how to apply to win the DAAD scholarship. If you are new to this channel, you are welcome. Consider subscribing to After School Africa to continue exploring opportunities and watching videos like this one below:

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What does it take to be eligible for a DAAD scholarship?

This is the first question you should ask yourself before you begin to apply for any scholarship.

There are requirements for candidates who wish to apply for the DAAD scholarships and it is paramount that you meet the requirements before you apply.

To be eligible, your BSC degree must be less than 6 years old. You are expected to have a minimum of two years of professional working experience. The course you are applying to study must have a duration of more than 12 months and less than 36 months. You can still apply for the scholarship if your degree is older than six years old in cases where accidents, childbirth or disability is the reason for your inability to apply earlier. If you do not yet meet any of these criteria, like the job experience part, for instance, it is advisable to attain them before applying.

Here are tips when applying for the scholarship.

1. Apply on time

The importance of applying for a scholarship or anything for that matter on time cannot be overemphasized. Information on the deadlines for the submission of applications can be found on the scholarship website. You also find country-specific information on when to submit. Applications can only be processed when they have been submitted in full, including all required papers and documents. Incomplete applications (including missing papers or documents) cannot be processed by the DAAD and will result in the applicant’s exclusion from the selection process. Applying on time will allow you time to gather your documents and avoid issues that may arise due to late submission.

2. Apply for Degree courses and Universities recognized by DAAD

When applying for the DAAD scholarship, you are expected to apply to the universities in Germany directly and not DAAD. These universities will pick the initial nominees before DAAD finally picks the final winners. You should choose universities and courses recognized by the scholarship scheme. DAAD represents 365 higher education institutions in Germany, including 100 technical universities, 162 general universities, and 52 colleges. The scholarship is only valid if the university you applied to study at is accredited. For this reason, you should make inquiries about universities recognized by the scholarship before you apply. It is also important to apply to universities before their deadline dates. Some universities in Germany stop accepting applications by the end of September; others stop accepting applications by mid-October. The DAAD scholarship allows you to apply to up to three universities at a time.

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3. Prepare the three classes of documents you will need

The three classes of documents you will need for the DAAD scholarship include academic history documents, career history documents, and the DAAD application form. Your academic documents include documents like your university degree, your university transcript, school leaving certificate, and English proficiency test. Note that your course in Germany will be taught in English unless you can prove that you are proficient in German.

Your career history documents will include your letter of employment at your current job, a letter of recommendation from your current employer, and your CV. These documents should prove that you have been working for a minimum of two years in a firm related to the course of study you applied for. Get these documents ready ahead of time before applications start. You will need to convert these documents to PDF format, scan them, and send them to the three universities you intend to apply to as part of your application process.

4. Sell yourself with the motivation letter

A lady who won the DAAD scholarship recounted how when she met with her contact officer for the first time, he told her she got that far because of her superb motivation letter. The motivational letter is one area the committee heads straight to get an idea of why you deserve the scholarship. The letter is a short piece of writing about you: your past, your ambitions, your personality, and your interests. The motivation letter must be hand-signed and should make references to your current occupation and how the scholarship, if gotten, will help you do better in that career after your education. Your motivation letter could essentially be the deal-breaker for you. Get personal, tell stories, and sell yourself to the scholarship board. Take note of the maximum word requirement, however, which for the DAAD scholarship is a maximum of two pages. 

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5. Apply to universities with high acceptance rates

A key part of getting the DAAD scholarship is getting admitted to study in Germany. Since you are expected to apply to a German university yourself and choose a course yourself, it would be wise to choose a university with a high acceptance rate. There are great universities with high acceptance rates.  The Schiller International University and the Berlin International University of Applied Sciences have some of the highest acceptance rates among German Universities.

6. Prepare ahead of time for your Interview

If you are shortlisted for the scholarship, you will be scheduled for a telephone interview with the university staff. You have to be able to answer questions on why you chose the university, the course, your plans, and if you intend to pursue a PhD after your Masters. You must train yourself for these likely questions so that you don’t stammer or falter when you get the questions. Additionally, you could research the questions previous candidates got during their interviews and use that as a template to prepare.

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7. Apply to study in English

But first:

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The DAAD scholarship allows students to choose to study either in German, English, or both. Go for English straight up. It may seem tempting to apply to study in both languages to learn the German language, but there will be plenty of chances for you to learn German once in Germany. Do not complicate your application process by applying to study in a language you are not proficient in, given that you will be asked to submit proof of your proficiency. Besides, studying in German will mean you will probably be seeing less of fellow international students, as most students who study in German are Germans and German-speaking countries. So choose English.

The DAAD scholarship is a great scholarship with amazing benefits. Thousands of students from developing countries have benefitted immensely from the scholarship. With a DAAD scholarship, you are allowed to study at some of the best universities in Europe, all expenses paid. Put effort into your application. Take your time on the application. Get someone to help you when necessary. We hope we have been able to assist you with these tips. If we have, tell us about it in the comment section below. Also, share this video with friends and give us a thumbs up. If you are yet to subscribe to the After School Africa channel, now is a good time to do that.  Until next time, YOUR SUCCESS MATTERS!