Finding Scholarships
Welcome to our scholarship database!
Here you will find information about our DAAD scholarship programmes for international students and
researchers as well as offers from other selected funding organisations.
Study Scholarships - Postgraduate Studies in the Field of Architecture • DAAD
Overview
Eine Druckversion dieser Ausschreibung (PDF) steht Ihnen in den weiteren Registerkarten (z.B. „Bewerbungsvoraussetzungen“) zur Verfügung.
A print version of this announcement (PDF) is available in the further tabs (e.g. “Application requirements”).
Objective
This scholarship programme offers you the opportunity to continue your education in Germany with a postgraduate or continuing course of study in the field of architecture. The scholarships also promote the exchange of experience and networking amongst colleagues.
Who can apply?
You can apply if you have gained a first university degree in the areas of Architecture, Interior Design, Monument Conservation and Building in Existing Contexts/Reconditioning of Old Buildings, Urban Planning/Urban Development, Landscape Architecture, Landscape Planning at the latest by the time they commence their scholarship-supported study programme.
What can be funded?
In this study programme, you can complete
- a Master's degree/postgraduate degree leading to a final qualification
or - a complementary course that does not lead to a final qualification (not an undergraduate course)
Funding for a Master's degree programme/a postgraduate degree programme that has already started in Germany cannot be granted.
If you are enrolled in a Master or postgraduate degree programme which includes a study period abroad, funding for this period abroad is usually only possible under the following conditions:
- The study visit is essential for achievement of the scholarship objective,
- the visit does not take place in the home country, and
- it is no longer than a quarter of the scholarship period (for joint and double-degree programmes up to 50%, if this is specified in the study regulations). Longer periods cannot be funded, even partially.
When selecting the desired degree programmes, please take care that they provide a minimum number of CP (credit points according to the European Credit Transfer System/ECTS) for the area of Design/Projects.
This means for degree programmes with
- 120 CP at least 45 CP
- 90 CP at least 34 CP
- 60 CP at least 23 CP.
Projects in the area of preservation of historical monuments and construction in existing buildings/restoration of old buildings are also supported.
Other DAAD scholarship programmes are available for applicants from the field of History of Architecture or applicants with a scientific project.
Duration of the funding
Master's degree programme:
- Between 10 and 24 months depending on the length of your chosen study programme or project
- Start: usually from 1st October of the following year after the application, or earlier if a German language course is taken prior to the study programme
- The scholarships are awarded for the duration of the standard period of study for the chosen study programme (up to a maximum of 24 months). Please state the entire period for which you wish to apply for funding in your application. For example, if you are planning a 2-year degree programme, you must directly indicate two years as the desired scholarship duration in your application. After the first year of study, your academic achievements will be assessed in a further funding procedure. If this shows that you will successfully complete your programme within a reasonable period of time, the scholarship will continue as planned.
Complementary studies not leading to a final qualification
- one academic year
- Start: usually from 1st October of the following year after the application, or earlier if a German language course is taken prior to the study programme
Value
- A monthly payment of 992 euros
- Travel allowance
- One-off study allowance
- Payments towards health, accident and personal liability insurance cover
- Monthly rent subsidy (please read the important scholarship information / section F, point 9)
- Monthly allowance for accompanying members of family. Please also read our important information for scholarship applicants / section F, point 3.
- In case of a disability or chronic illness: on application, a subsidy may be provided for justified additional costs incurred abroad that are necessary to realise the project in Germany and that are not covered by a third party; whether and to what extent a subsidy will be paid will be reviewed and determined on an individual basis (see important information for scholarship applicants, section F, point 8).
- Green Mobility Top Up (Support for climate-friendly travel) or reimbursement of carbon offset payments for air travel
To allow you to improve your language skills in preparation for your stay in Germany, the DAAD offers the following benefits:
- Payment of course fees for an online language course after receipt of the Scholarship Award Letter
- if necessary: German language course (2, 4 or 6 months) before the start of the study visit in Germany; the DAAD decides whether to fund participation and for how long depending on German language skills and project. Participation in a German language course is compulsory if the language of instruction or working language is German at the German host institution.
- Allowance for a personally chosen German language course during the scholarship period
- Reimbursement of the fee for a TestDaF or DSH test, which you can take either in your home country after you have received your Scholarship Award Letter or in Germany during your funding period.
Please note that the DAAD does not cover tuition fees.
Selection
After you have uploaded your application documents to the DAAD portal, the DAAD will first carry out a formal check. It will be checked whether the application requirements have been met and whether the application is complete. If this is the case, you will be asked to submit your work samples.
A special DAAD committee made up of professors from German universities makes the final decision about scholarships in the field of architecture. The decision is based upon written applications and work samples which have to be submitted (see:www.daad.de/extrainfo).
Selection criteria
- the artistic qualification and artistic maturity, measured by study achievements and work samples
- the quality of the project as measured by the study plan and the letter of motivation
For further information on the selection procedure, please refer to the Important Scholarship Information / Section E.
Further information
Admission to the University
Confirmation of a scholarship does not automatically guarantee admission to one of the host universities. The respective university decides whether or not to offer scholarship holders a place. In most cases, applicants are required to take an entrance examination. Please find out in time about admission requirements (see also the following information under "Language skills") and application deadlines and interview dates at your chosen university, and bear in mind that these may be several months before the planned start of your studies or even before the DAAD awards the scholarship. We cannot cover the costs of the entrance examination. If an applicant is offered a scholarship by the DAAD but fails to be admitted to any of the universities indicated in the application, he/she may not make use of the scholarship that has already been awarded.
Application requirements
What requirements must be met?
Please check if the following criteria are fulfilled:
- As a rule, your university degree should not date back more than 6 years at the time of the application deadline. Please read our important information for scholarship applicants / Section A, point 2.
- Your application cannot be considered, if you have been resident in Germany for longer than 15 months at the application deadline.
Language skills
The language of instruction for study programmes in Germany is German. In international programmes, the language of instruction is English, or German and English. To apply for a place at the university, you must submit proof of your language skills (e.g. DSH or TestDaF if the language of instruction is German; e.g. TOEFL or IELTS if the language of instruction is English). Ask your chosen host university about requirements well in advance. For more information about requirements, check out our website.
For English-language degree programmes you must already provide proof of language skills that meet the requirements of your chosen universities with the scholarship application. Please list the language level required by the universities of your choice in the form "Information on the desired degree programmes" (see "Application documents" in the tab "Application procedure").
To apply for admission to a German-language architecture degree programme, the universities generally expect very good German language skills (at least B2, usually C1). For German-language degree programmes, proof of German language skills according to the European Framework of Reference or Test-DaF at the level of a completed B1 must therefore be submitted. Applicants are also expected to acquire the level required by the universities on their own initiative.
Support offer German language skills
If it is possible, you can also make use of the DAAD support offers listed under "Value" to improve your language skills.
Application Procedure
Application deadline
Application deadlines are updated at least once a year. In most cases, they are in the same period as the previous year. You can find the current dates here:
Application documents
Certificates (school leaving certificates are not necessary), proof of credits, certifications and Englisch or German translations may be scanned in non-certified form and uploaded to the DAAD portal. The DAAD reserves the right to request certified copies of the documents.
1. Documents to be uploaded to the DAAD portal:
- Online application form
- Full curriculum vitae in tabular form
- Statement about academic and personal reasons for the planned study project in Germany (letter of motivation; 1 - 3 pages). Please read our important information for scholarship applicants / Section B, point 1.
- Form "Information about your preferred master programmes". Please note that only the degree programmes specified in the form can be considered for a scholarship. If you have already been admitted to one of your desired degree programmes, please complete the form anyway and upload it.
- If available, letter of acceptance from the host university in Germany.
If you have not yet received notification of admission at the time of application, you must submit this before the funding period begins. Please note that you yourself are responsible for ensuring that you apply for admission at the host university by the due date and that a Scholarship Award Letter from the DAAD only becomes valid if you are admitted to one of the desired host universities specified in your application.
- Confirmation of supervision from a university teacher of the host university in Germany
- A current Transcript of Records with individual grade(s), incl. explanation of grading system
- University degree certificate indicating final grade(s): the certificate must be subsequently submitted before the scholarship-supported study programme begins if studies have not been completed at the time of application.
- German or English translations of all documents submitted in the national language.
- A list of the designs/plans, which are going to be uploaded in the DAAD media database (see: www.daad.de/extrainfo) with detailed information (size, date of creation, place, etc.)
- A declaration (form) that the designs/plans have been produced or created by you.
- Proof of German language skills of chosen study programmes in German according to the European Framework of Reference or TestDaF at the level of a completed B1 must be submitted. The respective language certificate should be no more than two years old.
- Proof of English language proficiency according to the requirements of chosen study programmes in English (e.g. TOEFL, IELTS). The respective language certificate should be no more than two years old.
- Other documents you think might be of relevance to your application (e.g. certificates of employment, proof of placements).
2. Submitting work samples to the DAAD media database:
- If the review of your scholarship application shows that it meets the criteria of the scholarship announcement and is complete, you will receive a link to upload your work samples to the DAAD media database by 25 October at the latest. When you receive the link, please upload the work samples to the media database by 5 November CET at the latest.
- For formal requirements, read: "Additional Information for DAAD Study Scholarships in the Field of Architecture" at: www.daad.de/extrainfo).
All application documents listed under 1. and 2. must be submitted in German or English. Documents in other languages must be translated.
Application documents
The application is submitted in two steps:
1. Submission of the application documents
2. Submission of work samples
1. Submission of the application documents
The application documents are submitted online via the DAAD portal.
Please note that the access to the application portal only appears while the current application period is running. After the application deadline has expired, the portal for this programme is not available until the next application period.
Please note
- Your application is only valid if you submit all the required documents to the DAAD portal (see Item 1) and to the DAAD media database (see Item 2).
- The DAAD portal closes at 24.00 hrs. (CET or CEST) on the last application day. If possible, please submit your application a few days before the application deadline. This means you are on the safe side in the event of technical problems.
- Late or incomplete applications cannot be considered. You are responsible for ensuring that your application is complete.
- The application documents remain with the DAAD. Your personal data is saved by the DAAD in accordance with the Federal Data Protection Act and with the EU Data Protection Regulation insofar as this data is needed to process the application.
Contact and Consulting
More detailed information
- DAAD website section "Important information for scholarship applicants"
- DAAD website section "Study programmes and language courses"
- DAAD website section "Plan your studies" to help you prepare for your stay in Germany
- Campaign website https://www.study-in-germany.de/en/
Submitting an application
General information on the application via DAAD portal
Applications for this scholarship programme are possible in the period June until the stated application deadline.
Click on 'Application portal' at the bottom of the page to go to the DAAD portal. There you will be provided with an online application form to enter your application data.
This is what you have to do:
1. Register in the DAAD portal (Read notes about registering in the portal >>)
2. Applying online in the DAAD portal (Read notes on applying in the portal >>)
- Please indicate your specific area of expertise in the field of architecture in the application form under "Field of specialization": e.g.: Interior Architecture, Historic Preservation, Urban Planning/City Planning, Landscape Architecture or Landscape Planning.
- Prepare application documents
- If necessary, translate documents (unless they are already in German or English).
- Scan paper documents and save in PDF format. Please note that you can only upload PDF files to the portal.
- Fill out the application form and upload the application documents to the portal in PDF format. Translations, if applicable, should be uploaded together with the document issued in the original language.
- Submit the application online.
Please note:
If you have any technical questions or problems your local information and advice centres could not help you with, please do not hesitate to contact portal@daad.de via e-mail.
Please consider possible processing times of your request when you are planning your application.
Funded by:
