Germany Hilde Domin Fully Funded Scholarship Program for Students at Risk:

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) administers the scholarship programme “Hilde Domin Programme” with funds from the Federal Foreign Office (AA). The programme serves to support students and doctoral candidates from across the globe, who are at risk of being formally or de facto denied educational or other rights in their country of origin, and to provide these students and doctoral candidates with an opportunity to begin or complete a study or research degree at a higher education institution in Germany. With the Hilde Domin programme the DAAD makes an important contribution to the implementation of the Feminist Foreign Policy.

Students and doctoral candidates nominated and accepted under the programme will receive a scholarship for a degree course of personal choice and according to individual qualifications. The scholarship is sufficient to cover the necessary costs incurred during their study or research stay.

The long-term goal of the scholarship programme is to enable students and doctoral candidates to complete their higher education studies resp. research project in a secure environment, to be able to contribute towards meaningful political, economic as well as social development in their countries of origin (respectively in Germany or third countries) upon completion of their studies in Germany. All MA and PhD beneficiaries of the scholarship programme will further be qualified in an accompanying interdisciplinary programme, to enhance the prospects of a free development of their personality and their contributions towards society.

Potential candidates cannot themselves apply for participation in the Hilde Domin Programme, but are nominated by the management (presidiums/rectorates) of an institution or organisation which is a legal entity domiciled in Germany and which carries out an activity in the field of science, research and teaching and/or the protection of human rights, the promotion of peace and democracy or the rule of law.

All nominations shall formally be made by respective nominating institutions and organisations who are requested to fill in the nomination form online (the link is provided upon request). Thereafter, on the basis of an initial plausibility check, suitable candidates will be contacted by the DAAD and invited to apply via the DAAD online application portal. The application documents submitted by the candidates are then verified by the DAAD for completeness and formal correctness. The final selection of candidates will be carried out by independent selection committees appointed by the DAAD. Both the status of risk and academic performance are assessed as part of the selection process.

Important to note: Multiple nominations do not bear any advantages. One nomination per candidate is sufficient. Institutions and organisations entitled to nominate may nominate as many candidates as they deem eligible. Nominations submitted through other channels (e.g. via email, post or fax) cannot be considered or accepted.

Also important: The DAAD can only award a limited number of scholarships. Please only nominate candidates for this programme who, in addition to being individually at risk, also demonstrate good academic prospects for studying in Germany. Proposed candidates should have sufficient knowledge of German or English (corresponding to level B2) by the nomination deadline to be able to complete a study degree programme/research project in the respective language.

Brief Details:

• Nominations Deadline for Summer Semester 2025: 15 March 2024
• Application Period for Summer Semester 2025: 19 March – 16 April 2024
• Winter semester 2025/26 intake: 
  • Nominations deadline: until 15th September 2024
  • Application period: 19th March until 16th April, 2024
• Country: Germany
• Organizer: German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)
• Funded By: Federal Foreign Office (AA) 
• Degrees Level: Bachelor, Masters, and Doctoral
• Eligible Countries: Worldwide, except EU, EEA, and EFTA
• Fields of Study: All fields except human medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, pharmacology, and law.
• Gender: Male/Female 
• Duration: 
  • Bachelor: 4 years (1-year preparatory course and up to 36 months the studies);
  • Master: 24 months; and
  • Ph.D.: 48 months 

Target Group:

Students and doctoral candidates worldwide* who are at risk of being formally or de facto denied educational rights and/or other rights in their country of origin, due to their ethnic, sexual, gender or religious identity and/or their political or civic engagement. By definition of the DAAD, political, civic and similar engagement encompasses either the participation in groups or individual actions based on liberal and democratic principles aspiring to contribute to a positive social change in communities.

Eligibility Criteria:

Students and doctoral candidates from all academic disciplines can be nominated, apart from human medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, pharmacy, and law

• who can prove or credibly demonstrate a threat to their personal well-being or safety (e.g. physical violence, arrest, denial of civil and educational rights, etc.) to the nominating institution
• who are in possession of educational certificates that enable entrance to a higher education institution and warrant the pursuit of a desired higher education qualification according to the anabin database
• who may not be already residing in Germany or the European Union at the time of nomination

Important to note: Nominations for the fields of visual arts, performing arts, design, visual communication, music, film, and architecture can be submitted only by accredited higher education institutions and require a letter by that institution confirming the academic ability of the candidate in the foreseen discipline and that the institution is willing to enrol the candidates in case of the award of a scholarship.

Benefits:

As a rule, the duration of funding for a

• bachelor’s degree is: up to 36 months (plus 12 months preparatory course/”Studienkolleg” in exceptional cases)
• master’s degree is: up to 24 months
• doctoral degree is: up to 48 months
• a monthly scholarship payment of 934 EUR for bachelor and master students resp. 1,300 EUR for doctoral candidates
• a health, accident and personal liability insurance cover
• a travel allowance based on your country of origin resp. present residence
• if applicable, participation in a preparatory German language course (of two, four or six months) according to the previously acquired and required language skills for the intended course of study or doctoral project
• additional financial benefits

Required Documents:

• Online application form;
• Document of valid identification (passport or NID);
• A tabular version of the applicant’s CV; 
• Motivational letter (1 to 2 pages) explaining the applicant’s professional and personal motives for completing a study course at a German university;
• Status of Risk (1 to 2 pages) explaining a threat or risk to the applicant’s well-being, particularly their right to education, and the safety of their life in general;
• Proof of academic progress or graduation;
• Certificates of English or German fluency of minimum level B2 or higher not more than two years old;
• Proof of acceptance to German universities;
• Documents of one’s current academic standing (bachelor, master, or doctoral student)

Important Dates:

Nominations of suitable candidates can be submitted online at any time.

In principle, there are two selections per year. The application periods are based on the start of the academic semesters.

The following time periods and deadlines apply for nominations and applications for the upcoming academic semesters:

Planned start of studies summer semester 2025

• Nominations: until 15th March 2024
• Application period: 19th March until 16th April 2024

Planned start of studies winter semester 2025/26

• Nominations: until 15th September 2024
• Application period: 17th September until 15th October 2024

Access to the DAAD online portal is open to all formally eligible applicants during the application periods. If no application is received within an application period, respective candidates would have to be nominated again before the next nomination deadline.

For more details about this fully-funded scholarship by the Hilde Domin Program, please check the frequently asked questions (FAQ) or visit the DAAD website.

In case of any problems applying via the DAAD online portal and need technical support, please get in touch with +49 (0) 228 882 8888) or email portal@daad.de.