DAAD Helmut-Schmidt-Program for Master’s Scholarships in Germany

DAAD Helmut-Schmidt-Program for Master’s ScholarshipBenefits

The DAAD’s Helmut-Schmidt-Program is funded by the German Federal Foreign Office and offers fully funded financial support to highly qualified applicants from Africa, Latin America, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East.

Eligible Nationalities

All Nationalities

Eligibility Criteria For DAAD Helmut-Schmidt-Program for Master’s Scholarship

Main DAAD selection criteria are:

• your study results so far
• language skills
• political and social engagement
• a convincing description of the subject-related and personal motivation for your studies in Germany
• expected benefit when returning to the home country

Your most recent university degree should have been obtained within the six years prior to the application for the scholarship. Applicants who have resided in a country that is not included in the DAC list of developing and emerging countries for more than 15 months at the time of the application deadline are not eligible.

Below you will find an overview of all documents that should be included in your online application for the Helmut-Schmidt-Programme at the Brandt School.

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How To Apply For DAAD Helmut-Schmidt-Program for Master’s Scholarship

You can submit your application using our online application platform. Only complete applications are accepted.

The following documents are required for an application:

DAAD Application Form

The DAAD Application form should be hand-signed and then uploaded to your online application. Only signed forms are valid.

Hints for filling in the DAAD form:

• cover page: please check “Other programmes” on the first page and specify “Helmut-Schmidt-Programme”
• page 2, no. 10: Study/research projects in Germany: you are free to either leave this section in blank or to write a short summary of your study focus

Curriculum Vitae

Applicants are required to send send a CV (maximum length: two pages) with their application. The CV or resume should elaborate on your academic and professional life so far and also highlight your political and social commitment and your interests. The CV should be hand-signed and dated and then uploaded.

Statement of Purpose

Please submit a personal statement of purpose, hand-signed and dated and then uploaded to your online application. The letter should not exceed two pages. If you have selected only one of the possible study programs /universities, please elaborate on this choice. If you have selected two options, please discuss your academic/professional reasons behind your selection for both study programs/universities.

Diplomas, Degree Certificates and Transcripts

Applicants must submit scans or files of the following diplomas, documents, certificates, and transcripts for the online application:

• Secondary Education Certificate (Abitur, High School Diploma, etc.)
• University degree(s) certificate(s)
• Official transcripts from all colleges, professional schools, and universities (please also add a description of the grading system)

All documents not issued in German or English must be accompanied by certified German or English translations.

IMPORTANT:

Scans/files of all of these documents are sufficient for the online application.

If your application makes it to the shortlist, you will get notified and you will be asked to send us true certified hard copies of your documents via postal mail to:

Universitaet Erfurt
Willy Brandt School
Nordhaeuser Str. 63
99089 Erfurt
Germany

Note: Simple (i.e., non-certified) hard copies of diplomas and certificates cannot be accepted. A certified true copy is a copy (often a photcopy) of a primary document that has on it an endorsement, a stamp or a certificate which serves as proof for this document being a true copy of the primary document. Certified true copies can be obtained from German Embassies/Consulates or other official authorities in your country of residence, e.g. public notaries or the universities/schools in question.  

Please send neither the original documents nor simple copies without certification. 

Please do not sent true certified hard copies before you are asked to do so as we will not be able to return documents.

Proof of First Professional Experience

All applicants have to submit proof of at least one year of work experience. It should be ideally in a field related to public policy. We also take into account voluntary work and internships.

We require the following information about your work experience:

• Name of the company or organisation
• Position held
• Duration: When did you work / since when are you working for the employer (start and end date)
• Type of Employment: Full time / part time, hours per week, paid / voluntary
• Job Specifications: Field of expertise, area of work, key duties, etc.

We will accept a formal letter from your employer containing this information. Your employer can also fill out our Proof of Professional Work Experience Form.Alternatively, you can provide us with an existing reference letter from your employer or a copy of your work contract. We do not require a comprehensive employer referral; we only require proof of the above-mentioned details to be able to properly evaluate your work experience.

If you choose to provide a letter or reference from your employer, please note that it must be dated, bear an original signature and should be written on official letterhead.

If your one year of work experience was not completed within one company or organization (for example two six-month internships), please provide proof for all experiences, totaling one year. If you have more than one year of relevant work experience (for example two years at one company and three years at another), you do not have to provide proof for every job you have had. Other work experience may be listed in your CV and in your application, however, proof is only required for one year.

Please note that you must provide the letter or contract with your online application. It cannot be provided later. The documents you provide must be written in English or German. If your documents are not in English or German, you must provide a sworn translation.

Letter of Recommendation

All applications must be accompanied by one letter of recommendation, signed and recently dated by your university professor or current employer, supplemented by an official letterhead and stamp. Referees can also use the Brandt School’s recommendation form here.

Letters of recommendation must be written in English or German.

There are two ways of providing the reference letters:

1. The applicant provides the referees’ name, institution and official (institutional) e-mail-addresses within the online application. Then, at the moment of your application’s submission, the referee will receive an automatic e-mail providing him/her with an direct upload link to the application. The reference letter can be scanned and then uploaded.
2. The referee can either send the letter directly to the Brandt School (not to the DAAD!) or hand the letter inside a sealed envelope to the applicant who can send us the envelope within a second envelope via postal mail. Our address:

Universitaet Erfurt
Willy Brandt School
Nordhaeuser Str. 63
99089 Erfurt
Germany

Please note that, either way, reference letters should have arrived within 2 weeks after the application deadline (i.e. August 15, 2020)

Proof of English Proficiency

Proof of English proficiency (Test scores must not be older than two years at the time of application). We accept the following scores:

• TOEFL Internet: minimum of 90 points
• IELTS Academic Test: minimum of 6.5 points overall and in all sub-categories
• one of the following language certificates: Cambridge English C1 Advanced (CAE) or Cambridge English C2 Proficiency (CPE).

The deadline for submission of your English proficiency certificates can be extended to a maximum of 30 days after the regular deadline. In order to be able to take advantage of the extended deadline, please submit the document emitted by the test center with proof that your results will be available until then. 

Important note with regard to the worldwide Covid19-pandemic
As the usual, center-based tests appointments for both the TOEFL and the IELTS test are currently unavailable in many countries due to the ongoing pandemic, the Brandt School will – until further notice – also accept the online versions of these two tests, which allow you to do the test online from home and to book appointments on rather short notice.
Please inform yourself well on the respective website on the fees, the necessary hardware (headphones, camera, computer, etc.) and other prerequisites.

TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition

IELTS Indicator

The same minimum pointage thresholds as in the traditional tests apply (see above). 

Important note
Candidates who received their degree from an English-language college or university only need to present an official document or letter issued by the university stating that English has been the medium of instruction.They don’t have to provide an English test result. On the other hand, please note that an excellent test-result will always contribute to your application’s excellence. 

Copy of Your Passport

Applicants are required to upload a scan their passport. Please send copies of the page conatining your photo, your name, date and place of birth.