Applications never go to DAAD itself
This is one of DAAD’s more structurally particular programmes: you never apply to DAAD directly. Applications go straight to whichever of the seven eligible master’s courses you’re targeting, to a maximum of two, ranked in a single motivation letter you submit to both. Anything sent to DAAD itself is explicitly not forwarded on your behalf.
Explicitly aimed at producing leaders for the Global South
DAAD’s own stated objective is more pointed than “study public policy in Germany”: the programme is framed as supporting future leaders from developing and emerging countries who want to promote democracy and social justice in their home regions, with graduates prepared specifically for future leading positions in the Global South. Fields of study are chosen for their relevance to the social, political and economic development of the applicant’s own country, not for general academic interest, which is part of why the eligibility bar leans as heavily on practical and civic experience as it does on grades. It sits alongside DAAD EPOS as one of two separate DAAD tracks built specifically around development-related postgraduate study, though EPOS covers a much wider range of course subjects and isn’t limited to public policy and governance.
What the money covers, and the one course that pays less
The money is solid where it applies: a current rate of 992 euros a month, tuition fully waived, health insurance in Germany, travel allowances, and a mandatory German language course before your studies even start. The one carve-out is the Social Protection course at Bonn-Rhein-Sieg, whose blended-learning format pays a reduced 500 euros a month during its online fourth semester.
Two eligibility cutoffs worth checking before you invest time
Two eligibility cutoffs are easy to miss and worth checking before you invest time in an application: your last degree can’t be older than six years, and you can’t have spent more than the past 15 months living in a country outside the DAC list of developing and emerging countries. Applicants from India and the People’s Republic of China face an additional step other nationalities don’t: submitting an APS Certificate alongside the standard application.
No next round announced yet
The 2027 round closed at the end of July 2026 with no next round yet announced. If you’re reading this after that window, check DAAD’s own announcement page directly before assuming the same June-to-July pattern will repeat, since DAAD’s current page covers only the 2027 intake and gives no indication yet of when a 2028 call might open.