The most important providers of scholarships to which doctoral candidates can apply are the 13 German organizations for the promotion of young talent(Begabtenförderungswerke in German).

  • The general conditions (e.g. amount of the scholarship, duration of the scholarship, opportunities to earn additional income) are based on the guidelines of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF (in German)) and therefore differ only slightly between the foundations.
  • Doctoral candidates of all nationalities can apply (in some cases there are also special programmes for international doctoral candidates). However, many foundations expect a good knowledge of German.
  • The application to a foundation should be well prepared together with the supervisor, as it is often not possible to reapply to the same foundation. In addition, attention should be paid to impeccable presentation and language use and compliance with the requirements of the respective foundations. The GSHS office will be happy to advise you.
  • In the case of denominational foundations, membership of the respective denomination is generally required.
  • Membership of the corresponding political party is not required for party-affiliated foundations. However, you should be familiar with the foundation’s basic political values and be able to identify with them.
  • Applications to different foundations are possible, but should not be made indiscriminately (e.g. no applications to foundations with opposing political tendencies).
  • As a rule, social engagement is expected in addition to academic excellence.
  • Many foundations have age limits or limits for academic age (i.e. the time that has passed since the completion of the master’s degree). However, the age limit might be extended for reasons of family leave, illness or similar.

DAAD scholarship database (lists DAAD scholarships and, in some cases, foreign-related funding opportunities from other funding bodies)

Gerda Henkel Foundation (Archaeology, History and Islamic Studies)

Doctoral candidates themselves may not submit proposals to the major research funding organizations (German Research Foundation (DFG), Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), or the EU…) for grants for their research projects. However, postdocs or supervisors can apply for research projects that also include positions for doctoral candidates. However, this involves extensive preparatory work and longer decision-making processes.

Doctoral scholarships and funding for certain material expenses (travel expenses, printing costs, etc.) are also offered by many smaller public, non-profit and private funding providers, sometimes only for certain topics, time periods or specific target groups (e.g. people with care responsibilities). Details can be found, for example, at

Your own network (other doctoral candidates, colleagues, postdocs, supervisors) can often also provide useful tips on finding a scholarship.

Information on the financing of material costs