KAAD Scholarship Program – Germany

UPDATE 2012

Scholarship Overview

Scholarship Program 1 is addressed to post-graduates and to academics who already gained professional experience and who are interested in postgraduate studies (or research stays) in Germany. This program is administered by regional partner committees, staffed by university professors and church representatives. Normally documents are submitted to the committee of the applicant’s home country.

• Above-average performance in studies and research
• The orientation of your studies or research towards permanent reintegration in your home region (otherwise the scholarship is turned into a loan),
• Religious and social commitment (activities) and willingness to inter-religious dialogue.

Host School(s)

• Study in Germany

Field(s) of Study

• There is no specific subject-preference. However, the selection board has often given preference to courses and subjects that they felt to be of significance for the home country of the applicant.

What does the scholarship cover?

• Tuition Fees

How many scholarships are given?

• Not Stated – “numerous”

Which countries are targeted?

• AFRICA – The focus countries in Africa today are: Ghana, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe and Kenya. Uganda and Tanzania are counted to be part of the focus region East Africa, apart from Kenya. There are four Partner Committees which are also responsible for the adjoining countries of the above mentioned. In addition, there are local partner bodies, or contact persons in the partner countries of Cameroon and Nigeria.
• ASIA – Countries of major focus are: Bangladesh, Indonesia, Cambodia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and China.
• LATIN AMERICA – Countries of major focus are Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil.
• Near and Middle East – Countries of focus of our scholarship programs for post-graduate academics are: Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine/Israel and Syria.

Am I Eligible to Apply?

KAAD’s mission is to give scholarships mainly to lay members of the Catholic Church. This means, that there is a preference for Catholic applicants. Among the scholars there is however also a limited number of: Protestant Christians, Orthodox Christians (especially from Ethiopia), Muslims.

For the scholarship program 1 of KAAD you can apply if you:

• come from a developing or emerging country in Africa, Asia, the Middle East or Latin America
• have a university degree and professional experience from your home country
• want to acquire a master’s degree or a PhD at a German university or do a post-doctoral research project (2-6 months for established university lecturers) at a German university
• are a Catholic Christian (or general belong to a Christian denomination). Candidates from other religions can apply if they are proposed by Catholic partners and can prove their commitment to inter-religious dialogue
• possess German language skills before starting the studies (KAAD can provide a language course of max. 6 months in Germany).

LANGUAGE – All beneficiaries of KAAD scholarships (except for in-country-scholars) need to know German. This is especially important for scholars whose study program includes German (some Master programs are bilingual German/English; some PhD-study programs include oral exams in German). But even for scholars whose studies are entirely in English, KAAD emphasizes knowledge of the German language.

How to I Apply – Next Steps

• The first request is placed through filling a questionnaire and sending it to the KAAD offices per Email – af3[at]kaad.de. This questionnaire can be downloaded from the KAAD home page. In the course of the application process, more documents need to be provided by the applicant and the KAAD-Partner-Committees are involved.
• If the pre-selection process has been positive for the applicant, the application is passed on to an independent selection board, which sits twice per year (in March and in September).

Closing Date:

• Applications to be tabled in the March-session of the selection board need to be complete by end of November the previous year.
• Applications for the September selection need to be complete by end of June.

How do I get more information?

• FAQ’s – http://kaad.de/fileadmin/kaad/pdf/FAQs_Africa_Department.pdf
• Questionnaire – http://kaad.de/fileadmin/kaad/files/Fragebogen_AF.rtf
• Website – http://kaad.de/1/scholarships/scholarship-program-1/