If you’re planning to find out how to find and apply for DAAD Scholarships to study in Germany, one worry that stops a lot of applicants before they even start is the German student visa’s block account requirement, which is the proof that you have enough money sitting in a designated account to cover your living costs for a year. Here’s the good news: if you’re funded through a DAAD scholarship, this requirement generally doesn’t apply to you, since your monthly DAAD stipend itself serves as your proof of financial means for the visa process.
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The DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) provides fully or partially funded scholarships for international students, graduates, doctoral candidates, and researchers to study or conduct research in Germany. That makes the DAAD scholarship database one of the most valuable tools available to anyone serious about studying in Germany without needing tens of thousands of euros already saved up.
This guide walks through exactly how to search that database properly, what the filters actually do, and how to read a scholarship listing once you find one worth pursuing.
Where to Start
DAAD runs its scholarship search through a dedicated database, accessible directly at daad.de’s scholarship database. This single tool covers DAAD’s own funded programmes alongside selected offers from other funding organisations, spanning undergraduate, Master’s, PhD, postdoctoral, and faculty-level opportunities – one database for nearly every stage of academic study in Germany.
How the Search Filters Actually Work
The database runs on a set of refinement filters, and using them properly is the difference between scrolling through hundreds of irrelevant listings and finding the handful that actually fit you.
- Country of origin. Set this to your own country first. DAAD scholarships are frequently restricted by nationality or region, so filtering by your country immediately removes listings you’re not eligible for, rather than making you check eligibility one by one.
- Programme type. This determines your academic level: undergraduate, graduate (Master’s), postgraduate research (PhD), postdoctoral, or faculty. If you’re applying for a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree, this generally falls under DAAD’s “study” category. If you’re pursuing a PhD or doctoral research, that falls under “research” instead – these are treated as genuinely separate search categories in the database, so run them separately rather than expecting one filter to surface both.
- Scholarship purpose. Beyond your degree level, specify what you’re actually trying to do – study for a degree, conduct research, complete an internship, or take a language course. If you leave this open, you’ll see a broader mix of programme types, which is useful if you’re not yet sure exactly which route fits you.
- Subject area. Narrow to your specific field like engineering, sciences, law, social sciences, medicine and health sciences, or others. Leaving this open gives you the widest possible results, but narrowing it down considerably speeds up your search once you know your field.
- Funding organisation. There’s a specific option to filter for DAAD-funded programmes only. This matters because the database also lists scholarships funded by other organisations that DAAD simply catalogues, some of which may not be fully funded, or may have different terms entirely. If you specifically want DAAD’s own funding, tick this filter rather than assuming every result on the page is DAAD money.
Once you’ve set your filters, click “Refine your selection” to generate your results.
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A Worked Example: Reading a Programme Listing
Say your search under the “research” category (PhD-level) turns up a Research Grant in Germany, funded directly by Germany’s Federal Foreign Office. Opening the individual listing shows you several distinct tabs: an overview, application requirements, application procedure, and contact details for the country-specific office handling applications from your region.
Here’s where a genuinely useful detail often gets missed: even if a listing is aimed primarily at doctoral candidates, DAAD frequently states that applicants can apply “in exceptional cases” with an excellent Bachelor’s degree alone, provided they’ve completed it by the time funding begins. A “very good” Bachelor’s here typically means a strong upper-second-class result or higher, so don’t rule yourself out of a PhD-level funding listing just because you haven’t yet completed a Master’s, but do read the specific listing’s stated requirement rather than assuming this exception applies universally across every DAAD programme.
What These Grants Typically Cover
Based on DAAD’s published figures in October 2026, a typical doctoral research grant includes:
- A monthly stipend of approximately €1,300 for doctoral candidates (€992 for Bachelor’s/Master’s-level students on study scholarships).
- Full health insurance coverage.
- Travel cost coverage.
- An annual research allowance.
- A rent subsidy on top of the monthly stipend.
- Support for family members accompanying you, including an additional allowance.
- Additional benefits for applicants with disabilities.
Documents You’ll Typically Need
- A CV.
- A list of publications, if you have any (more relevant at PhD level than for Bachelor’s or Master’s applicants).
- A personal statement.
- A research proposal (for research/PhD-level applications specifically).
- A study plan.
- Language proficiency proof – German if your specific programme is taught in German, though this isn’t required if your programme is taught in English.
Check each specific listing’s own “Application requirements” tab directly, since documents vary meaningfully between programmes.
Application Step by Step on How to Find and Apply for DAAD Scholarships
- Visit the DAAD scholarship database directly.
- Set your country of origin first, to immediately narrow results to programmes you’re actually eligible for.
- Choose your programme type – study (Bachelor’s/Master’s) or research (PhD), and run these as separate searches if you’re unsure which level fits you best.
- Narrow by subject area once you know your field, or leave it open if you’re exploring broadly.
- Tick the DAAD-only funding filter if you specifically want DAAD’s own money rather than other listed organisations’ offers.
- Click “Refine your selection” and review each result’s application deadline carefully – many run on annual cycles, and a passed deadline this year usually means the same window reopens roughly the same time next year.
- Open each promising listing and read through every tab – overview, requirements, application procedure, and contact information, before deciding whether to proceed.
- Note the specific deadline and funding start date for your intake, since DAAD programmes commonly run multiple intake windows across a year (for example, a programme might have separate deadlines for a May start versus a September or October start the following year).
- Follow the listing’s own application procedure exactly, submitting through the DAAD portal it links to, with every required document ready.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I really not need a block account if I have a DAAD scholarship?
Correct, in most cases. Since your DAAD monthly stipend itself demonstrates your ability to cover living costs, German visa authorities generally accept a DAAD scholarship confirmation letter in place of the standard block account requirement most self-funded international students need. Confirm this directly with the German embassy or consulate handling your specific visa application, since requirements can vary slightly by circumstance.
Can I apply for a PhD-level scholarship with only a Bachelor’s degree?
Sometimes, yes – some DAAD doctoral research grants explicitly allow this “in exceptional cases,” typically requiring a very strong Bachelor’s result. This isn’t universal across every DAAD programme, so check each specific listing’s stated requirements rather than assuming it applies broadly.
Is every scholarship in the database DAAD-funded?
No. The database also catalogues scholarships from other funding organisations, some of which may not be fully funded. Use the “DAAD-funded only” filter specifically if you want to see just DAAD’s own programmes.
Are deadlines the same every year?
Generally close to it, though not always exact. Most DAAD programmes run on an annual cycle with deadlines falling around the same period each year, but always confirm the current listed deadline directly on the specific programme’s page rather than assuming a past year’s date repeats exactly.
What if my programme is taught in German rather than English?
You’ll need to provide proof of German language proficiency as part of your application. If your specific programme is taught in English instead, this requirement doesn’t apply.
Disclaimer: All programme details, stipend figures, and application information in this post were verified from DAAD’s official scholarship database and related pages as of August 2026. Individual scholarship terms, deadlines, and funding amounts vary by programme and are subject to change without notice. Always confirm current details directly on the specific programme’s listing in the DAAD scholarship database before applying. ScholarWaka is not affiliated with DAAD.
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