Updated on 06 June 2023

The DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) is an association of universities and student bodies in the Federal Republic of Germany and supports students, graduates and academics worldwide with more than 100 programmes.

There are mainly annual, short-term and research scholarships, but there are also grants for group programmes, study trips and internships (see PROMOS). The DAAD scholarship database is useful when looking for the right programme (available only in German).

For the one-year scholarship, you can only apply once a year for the following academic year (different application deadlines!). The scholarship application is submitted online directly to the DAAD.

For study visits in Western Europe, very good language skills (e.g. English, French, Spanish) are required. In other languages, basic knowledge is often sufficient together with a certificate from the host university that (e.g.) English is sufficient as a foreign language.

The assessment of language skills (DAAD language certificate) can be done via the Language Centre of the TU Berlin (ZEMS). They can issue language certificates for Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French and Chinese. A fee of 80€ is charged for this.

For applications to US universities, a TOEFL test is generally required. You should inquire about the respective minimum score in good time with the host university.

For consultations and inquiries about these programmes, please contact International Student Services.