The Carlo-Schmid-Programm is run by DAAD with Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes and financed mainly by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space. It places qualified German students and recent graduates in internships with international organisations, EU institutions, and selected NGOs.
Applicants may target one or two advertised roles, and each application must match the role’s duties and requirements. Placements last four to eight months and are accompanied by introductory and summer seminars and alumni activities. The 2026/27 application cycle is closed; placement listings are refreshed annually around mid-December.
Benefits & funding
- A monthly scholarship rate set by destination, using DAAD rates for doctoral candidates.
- A travel-cost grant based on the destination country.
- Health, accident, and personal liability insurance for the placement period.
- Conditional family benefits may be requested after funding begins.
- Introductory and summer seminars plus activities with the programme’s alumni association.
Eligibility
- German citizenship is required.
- Applicants must have completed at least two Bachelor semesters by the deadline, or hold a recent university degree; current doctoral students are also eligible.
- A university degree generally must be no more than two years old at the deadline; doctoral students and graduates of legal or teacher traineeships may apply up to three years after their last university degree.
- The programme is open across academic disciplines and expects strong academic results and prior engagement with international topics.
- English at CEFR C1 must be documented in an accepted format; another language is required only when the chosen placement says so.
- Each advertised role may impose additional degree, language, or subject requirements.
Can you apply?
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Eligible nationalities
Germany
Education required
Bachelor Enrolled · Bachelor · Master Enrolled · Master · PhD Enrolled · PhD
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Application process
- 1Review the current placement profiles and their role-specific requirements.
- 2Choose one or two placements; if choosing two, identify the first-listed role as the priority.
- 3Register in the DAAD portal and complete the German-language application form.
- 4Upload separate German and English CVs and motivation letters, an English list of relevant academic work, certificates, English transcripts, C1 English evidence, and the mandatory language-evidence form; add any role-specific language proof.
- 5Submit the complete online application before the deadline because late documents and post-deadline additions are not accepted.
Program timeline
DAAD application portal opened for the 2026/27 cycle.
Dec 12, 2025
Application deadline.
Feb 5, 2026, 13:00 Bonn time
Preliminary selection with participating organisations.
March–April 2026
Digital final selection.
May 19, 2026 to May 22, 2026
Finalists received selection results.
Early to mid-June 2026
Final scholarship confirmations.
Early July 2026
Earliest internship starts.
September 2026
Placement listings are normally refreshed for the next programme year.
Around mid-December each year