DAAD Study Scholarships for STEM Disciplines

Who can apply

National of one of 24 eligible countries: Belize, Cambodia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Mexico, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Venezuela, or Vietnam
Completed a first degree recognised in Germany (e.g. a Bachelor's) by the application deadline; cannot apply if you already hold a Master's degree by that date
Admission to a full-time, on-campus Master's degree at a state or state-recognised German university in mathematics, computer science, natural sciences or engineering; the programme must be tuition-free, and interdisciplinary programmes need a designated STEM focus
Funding is only available for programmes starting in winter term 2027/28, and not for a programme already begun
Duration runs 10 months to a maximum of 24 months, matching the standard length of the chosen Master's programme
Degree programmes with an integrated stay outside Germany built into the curriculum are excluded, even if tuition-free
Funding is reassessed after the first year of study and continued only if academic progress is on track

The country list is the detail most worth checking first

The country list is the detail most worth checking before you get invested in this one. DAAD’s marketing copy talks about “developing and emerging countries,” and unlike a similarly worded DAAD programme covering nearly all academic disciplines, this one’s actual eligible-country dropdown backs that framing up: Belize, Cambodia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Laos, Malaysia, Mexico, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Venezuela and Vietnam. That’s a real spread across Latin America, Southeast Asia and the Middle East, but only two African countries (Ghana and Kenya) and zero South Asian countries make the list. If your country isn’t named here, this specific programme isn’t for you, no matter how the general description reads.

DAAD’s own database is unusually unhelpful about the actual deadline

The deadline is the other detail worth flagging, because DAAD’s own scholarship database is unusually unhelpful about it. Every tab we checked, the programme overview, the application requirements, and the country-specific “Submitting an application” flow after selecting Kenya and Graduate status, repeats the phrase “the application deadline” as a placeholder without ever printing an actual date. Independent research on this programme turned up two different figures, 3 September 2026 and 21 October 2026, and we could not confirm either one against DAAD’s official page. Given that funding is fixed for programmes starting in winter term 2027/28, there’s some room here, but don’t assume you have until October without checking the DAAD portal for your own country directly.

Tuition-free is a hard filter, and a 3-year integrated-stay exclusion is easy to miss

Because DAAD does not cover tuition, this only works for a genuinely tuition-free German Master’s programme, check that before you build an application around a specific university. A second filter is easy to overlook: degree programmes with an integrated stay outside Germany built into the curriculum are excluded entirely, regardless of tuition status. The monthly rate of 992 euros plus a 460-euro annual study allowance is solid for German living costs, and the additional benefits (rent subsidy, family allowance, language course support) only kick in after your funding starts, so budget the base rate for your first months regardless.

Funding is reassessed after your first year, not guaranteed for the full term upfront

Funding is reassessed after your first year, not guaranteed for the full term upfront: DAAD reviews your academic achievements at that point, and only continues the scholarship as planned if you’re on track to finish within a reasonable period. Studies usually begin 1 October 2027, though an earlier start is possible if you take a DAAD-supported German language course beforehand; language-related benefits like an online course, an in-Germany language course, or reimbursement of a TestDaF/DSH exam fee are only available for funding periods longer than six months.

Selection runs two stages, and equal-opportunity circumstances are explicitly weighed

Selection runs two stages: a document-based pre-selection weighing academic achievement, course of study, and language skills, followed by an interview, on-site or virtual, with an independent committee of university teachers who assess the authenticity and individual qualities behind the application. The committee also explicitly gives weight to “special life circumstances” disclosed in the application form, including disability, chronic or prolonged illness, raising children, caring for relatives, a refugee background, or having to work extensively to finance your studies, so these are worth mentioning rather than treating as irrelevant to a STEM funding decision.