How to Secure [DAAD 2024-2025 Study Scholarships – Postgraduate Studies in the Field of Music]

About German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)

DAAD scholarship in Germany is a private, federally funded and state-funded, self governing national agency of the institutions of higher education in Germany, representing 365 German higher education institutions (100 universities and technical universities, 162 general universities of applied sciences, and 52 colleges of music and art) [2003]. The DAAD itself does not offer programs of study or courses, but awards competitive, merit-based grants for use toward study and/or research in Germany at any of the accredited German institutions of higher education. It also awards grants to German.

Aim and Benefits of DAAD Postgraduate Scholarship

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)

at a state German college of music of your choice.

The funding of postgraduate studies is possible in the so-called 2nd cycle (usually a four-semester Master’s degree) or a 3rd cycle which usually takes place in two semesters (concert examination, masterclass or PhD in an artistic subject).

A Master’s degree programme in Germany that has already started at the time of the application deadline cannot be funded.

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. Longer periods cannot be funded, even partially.

Value

• A monthly payment of 934 euros
• Travel allowance
• One-off study allowance
• Payments towards health, accident and personal liability insurance cover

Under certain circumstances, scholarship holders may receive the following additional benefits:

• Monthly rent subsidy
• Monthly allowance for accompanying members of family. Please also read our important information for scholarship applicants / section F, point 3
• In the case of a disability or chronic illness: subsidy for additional costs which result from the disability or chronic illness and are not covered by other funding providers: Further information
• Green Mobility Top Up (Support for climate-friendly travel) or partial 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 at the German host institution is German.
• 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 Letter of Award or in Germany during your funding period.

Please note that the DAAD does not cover tuition fees.

Requirements for DAAD Postgraduate Scholarship Qualification

Who can apply?

You can apply if you have gained a first university degree in the field of Music at the latest by the time you commence your scholarship-supported study programme; if this is not possible, you should have at least exhausted all the training options available for your instrument in your country of origin.

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.
• The respective college of music is responsible for deciding age limits for admission, whereby differing rules may be applied depending on the applicant’s academic level and chosen subject.
• Your application cannot be considered, if you have been resident in Germany for longer than 15 months at the application deadline.

Interview date, Process and Venue for DAAD Postgraduate Scholarship

A special DAAD committee made up of professors from German colleges of music makes the final decision about scholarships in the field of music. The decision is based upon written applications and sound recordings 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; the quality of the project includes the following aspects: the justification of the application, the plausibility and feasibility of the project, the state of preparation of the stay abroad, the embedding of the stay in the artistic career as well as the connection with professional perspectives

In addition, the selection committee will give due consideration to aspects of equal opportunities, on which you can provide information in the application form.
For further information on the selection procedure, please refer to the Important Scholarship Information / Section E.

 

Documents Required for Application

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 A, point 1.

Master’s degree/postgraduate study programme leading to a final qualification:

• If available: Letter of acceptance from the host university in Germany
• If possible, confirmation of supervision from a university teacher in Germany
• Candidates for a Master’s degree programme should also attach the form “Information on your desired Master’s degree programmes

Also for all applicants:

• 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 documents submitted in the national language
• Proof of knowledge of the language of instruction (German or English).The language certificate should be no more than two years old.
• Form with an overview of recorded pieces: www.daad.de/extrainfo (“Information about the audio/video files”).

 

Application Deadline

September 28, 2023

 

How to Apply

Interested and qualified? Go to German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) on mydaad.b2clogin.com to apply