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BAMBERG GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

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  7. DAAD Scholarship

Application DAAD Scholarship ▼

General Information
DAAD Scholarships

The DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst) offers a Graduate School Scholarship Programme (GSSP) where structured doctoral programmes in Germany can apply for a DAAD funding commitment for up to four DAAD-funded doctoral scholarships. The scholarships are awarded two scholarships at a time in two consecutive years. Since the scholarship is funded by the DAAD, whose main mission is the internationalisation of German universities, the stipend is targeted at international students. More information on the DAAD and the scholarship can also be found on their website. 

We are looking for candidates with a non-German citizenship who are holding a Master's degree or equivalent in Sociology, Political Sciences, Economics, Statistics, Demography, Empirical Educational Sciences or Psychology. Candidates should propose an original dissertation project fitting thematically into at least one of our four research pillars. The two main criteria are the candidate's proven record of academic excellence on the one hand, and BAGSS' ability to ensure competent, research-led supervision on the other. We are interested in projects that fit with at least one of our School's four Pillars. Proposals cutting across two (or more) Pillars are equally welcomed. A concise overview of the topics that can be supervised by our faculty can be found here.

Candidates should not have lived in Germany for more than 15 months by February 2026. Furthermore, the last final examination for the highest university degree (usually the Master's degree) should not have taken place more than six years prior to February 2026.

As English is the official working language at BAGSS, all applicants are required to demonstrate fluency in English.

The selection process for the DAAD Scholarships comprises two stages. In the first stage, applicants send their application to the Bamberg Graduate School of Social Sciences via our online application form, as described on the following webpages. Our Graduate School selects candidates based on the following criteria:

  • A complete, formally correct application has been submitted by the advertised deadline and in the required fashion.
  • The statutory criteria for admission to doctoral studies at Bavarian universities are met.
  • The research topic for the doctoral thesis, as proposed in the application, matches the academic profile of BAGSS (the Four Pillars).
  • At least one faculty member of BAGSS, who is qualified to examine doctoral theses, agrees to supervise the suggested thesis topic.
  • The complete application has been judged as excellent by a panel of academic assessors from the Graduate School in competition with other applications.

The Graduate School nominates up to two candidates for both scholarships. These candidates are then asked to submit their application materials to the DAAD. Eventually, the DAAD decides upon the successful candidates.

Application Procedure
DAAD Scholarships

Applications are accepted betwenn 10 November 2025 and 10 February 2026.

In order to be considered for a DAAD Scholarship, your application must include the following documents:
 

  1. A cover letter that demonstrates your acquaintance with our programme and your qualifications in your subject area. Please, use this letter also to briefly indicate which BAGSS Pillar(s) suit(s) your research interest best and name at least one BAGSS faculty member who could serve as a supervisor for your project.
  2. Your complete CV - including full contact information.
  3. An abstract of your research proposal (see below #4) of at most 1 page.
  4. Your research proposal of the planned dissertation project (only one research proposal) on at most 4 pages (font Arial, size 11, 1.5 line spacing).
  5. A work schedule. In the work schedule (1 page), planned periods and destinations of research or field trips including a rough cost estimate should be included.
  6. Scans of the following transcripts and certificates. a) School leaving certificates giving the right of entry to higher education in your home country, with individual grades. b) All university transcripts, for the bachelor's, master's or any other degrees, stating all individual grades. c) All university diploma or degree certificates indicating the final grade, including an explanation of the grading system (i.e. maximum attainable grade, minimum grade to pass, etc.). If your transcripts or certificates have been issued in other languages than English or German, then certified translations need to be provided.
  7. Please include also a short self-written statement about your knowledge of German. While the programme is conducted entirely in English, willingness to learn German or improve existing German language skills is expected.
  8. A concise statement on your knowledge of social science research methods. This short, self-written description (not more than half a page, font Arial, size 11, 1.5 line spacing) should contain information on your methodological training or practical experience in applying methods.
  9. Two letters of recommendation. These letters should be sent by your recommenders directly as a scan via e-mail to admissions.bagss(at)uni-bamberg.de. The scan must be sent from an official institutional e-mail address. Please use the form provided by the DAAD, which can be found here.
    (Please do not include the letters of recommendation in your application file. The letters have to be sent directly by your recommenders before they are handed to you.)
  10. Privacy Policy Agreement. This document must be signed. Download the document here.(291.3 KB)

All application materials must be submitted in English (except for certificates and transcripts, which may also be provided in German). Please do not attach any documents other than those requested.

Shortlisted candidates can be asked to provide us with the original or certified copies of their CV and certificates/transcripts. 

 

All documents need to be submitted as a single PDF (max. 30 MB) titled Application_Surname.pdf. Free software for creating PDFs and merging them into a single document is available on the internet. Please arrange your documents in the order mentioned in “What application materials are required?”. 

Please submit your application here. (available once the application portal opens - 10 November 2025)

Two letters of recommendation (scans) need to be sent directly by your recommenders via email to admissions.bagss(at)uni-bamberg.de. The recommendation letters should not be included in the PDF file which you upload.

In case of technical problems, please contact admissions.bagss(at)uni-bamberg.de


? more questions? Visit our FAQ or contact us via admissions.bagss(at)uni-bamberg.de

 

 

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