DAAD Graduate Scholarships for Study/Research in Germany

If applying through UIC as a partner university and seeking “priority candidate” status, complete but do NOT submit the application in the DAAD portal until the national deadline. The campus process provides 48 hours to revise materials. You will be responsible for contacting Benn Williams, the DAAD advisor at UIC, for the sharing of application components for the campus review process well before the campus deadline. He does not have access to the application portal.

Check list:

1. Online application (please register for the Online Portal via DAAD scholarship database)
2. Curriculum vitae  (max. 3 pages)
3. Study proposal (max. 3 pages): should include a narrative about academic and personal reasons for the planned study explaining why a particular program has been chosen and how it will further your educational and career goals. No format restrictions regarding font, spacing and paragraphs. [Pro-tip: single-spaced, full justification, 10- or 11-point TNR font with one-inch margins.]
4. Letter of admission to a study program in Germany: If this is not available at the time of the application deadline, this can be subsequently submitted before the scholarship-supported study program begins.
5. Information about your preferred master program:
   Additional info for master’s degree applicants:
   • Applicants who will be starting their master’s program in Germany: submit this form ‘Information about your preferred master programmes’ [see link below]. When completing the DAAD recommends listing up to 5 potential degree programs to avoid a situation in which you are granted a scholarship but end up not getting accepted into a master’s program. However, when writing your proposal, you should focus on your first choice, and briefly mention additional programs at the end of your proposal.
   OR
   • For a study period in Germany as part of an American or Canadian postgraduate or master’s degree: submit proof that the academic credits earned in Germany will be recognized by your home institution (e.g., letter from your department’s director of graduate studies).
6. University degree certificate(s), if applicable (e.g. Bachelor or Master): If your studies have not been completed at the time of the application deadline, the certificate must be submitted before the scholarship-supported study program. [Many Registrars can provide a certificate of completion; or scans of diplomas.]
7. Transcripts of ALL university studies, making sure that individual grades are listed as well as the explanations of the grading system which are usually on the back.
8. DAAD German language evaluation form / Sprachnachweis (see link below): If you have any knowledge of German, submit this document signed by a faculty member (professors or teaching assistants) of the German Department at your institution. If you have no knowledge of German and your study language in Germany is English, be sure to submit this certificate anyway, indicating that your study language is English, and write at the top “No knowledge of German”.
9. One recent, supporting letter of recommendation from a university professor in your major subject or discipline. Please regard the instructions given on the tab ‘Submitting an application’ for uploading the recommendation. As an alternative, in the current application procedure the recommendation can be sent to the DAAD New York office by post rather than uploading it on the portal.

Please disregard the following requirement on our head office’s website:
Other documents you think might be of relevance to your application (e.g. certificates of employment, proof of placements).

• Recent UIC DAAD recipient
• Study Check List
• DAAD US-specific database
• Studiengangsinfo-2025
• Sprachnachweis

If applying through UIC as a partner university and seeking “priority candidate” status, complete but do NOT submit the application in the DAAD portal until the national deadline. The campus process provides 48 hours to revise materials. You will be responsible for contacting Benn Williams, the DAAD advisor at UIC, for the sharing of application components for the campus review process well before the campus deadline. He does not have access to the application portal.

Check list:

1. Online application (please register for the Online Portal via DAAD scholarship database)
2. Curriculum vitae  (max. 3 pages).
3. List of publications (max. 5 pages), if applicable.
4. Letter of motivation (1-2 pages) : Description of academic and personal reasons for your planned project in Germany, answering the following question: What do you hope to gain from your project in Germany (personally, professionally, for your career)?
5. Extensive and detailed description of the research proposal (max. 5 pages) which has been discussed with the academic adviser and a description of previous research work.  [Pro-tip: single-spaced, full justification, 10- or 11-point TNR font with one-inch margins.]
6. Schedule of planned research work
7. Proof of admission to doctoral studies:
   • for currently enrolled doctoral students, Nr. 11 below (all university transcripts) fulfills this requirement.
   • for those who will be enrolled by the beginning of funding but not at the time of the application deadline, please upload a confirmation of admission before the funding starts.
8. Letter confirming supervision by an academic adviser in Germany, which refers to the applicant’s proposal and confirms that the host institute will provide a workplace.
9. Declaration from the scientific supervisor in Germany : on safety-relevant and ethical aspects of the research project.
10. University degree certificate(s), if applicable (e.g. Bachelor or Master) [Often available via a college Registrar; or scans of diplomas.]
11. Transcripts of ALL university studies; make sure that individual grades are listed as well as the explanations of the grading system (which are usually on the back).
    • Doctoral level transcripts (if applicable)
    • Master’s level (or JD) transcripts (if applicable)
    • Undergraduate transcripts
12. DAAD German language evaluation form / Sprachnachweis (see link below): If you have any knowledge of German, submit this document signed by a faculty member (professor or teaching assistant) of the German department at your institution. If you have no knowledge of German and your research language in Germany is English, be sure to submit this certificate anyway, indicating that your research language is English, and write at the top “No knowledge of German.” (Please note that German is not a requirement for the Research Grant.)
13. One recent, supporting letter of recommendation from a university professor in your major subject or discipline. Please regard the instructions given on the tab ‘Submitting an application’ for uploading the recommendation. As an alternative, in the current application procedure the recommendation can be sent to the DAAD New York office by post rather than uploading it on the portal.

Please disregard the following requirement on our head office’s website:
Other documents you think might be of relevance to your application (e.g. certificates of employment, proof of placements).

• Recent UIC DAAD recipient
• Research Check List
• DAAD US-specific database
• Sprachnachweis