FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

The funding of the doctoral studies depends on the path to the PhD degree.

• PhD students pursuing their research at a chair or department usually hold a position as research assistant.
• In the case of cooperation projects between academia and industry, the students have an employment contract with the respective company.
• PhD students who enrol in a PhD programme or a graduate school may also take part in a scholarship scheme.
• Please note that students enrolled in a PhD programme have to cover the semester fee (but no tuition fee within the first three years) and costs for the health insurance in addition to living costs.

SCHOLARSHIPS AND SUPPORT PROGRAMMES

Germany offers international students a variety of support schemes. The German Academic Exchange Service (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst, DAAD) is the largest provider of scholarships, particularly for international PhD students. In 2010 alone, the DAAD supported more than 2,900 international PhD students in Germany. Numerous foundations as well as funding and research organisations also support highly qualified international PhD students.

Further information on funding opportunities for PhD students:

• DAAD scholarship database: www.funding-guide.de
• Selected funding schemes: www.research-in-germany.de/funding_phd
• Additional funding data bases: www.research-in-germany.de/funding_databases