The Heinrich Böll Foundation, Germany’s Green political foundation, funds international students to take a Master’s degree or PhD at a state or state-recognised university in Germany. The Federal Foreign Office pays for these awards.
It supports up to 100 international scholars, mainly from DAC countries, among up to 1,600 scholars overall. Two rounds run each year, closing 1 March and 1 September.
Benefits & funding
- Master’s: €992 a month, plus up to €100 for health insurance.
- PhD: €1,500 a month plus up to €200 for health insurance (financial-support page; the June 2025 PhD info sheet lists €1,400 plus €100 mobility).
- By circumstance: tuition reimbursed up to €10,000 a year, German course fees, €38 a month, family and child allowances.
- Runs for the standard study period (one extra semester possible), or three years for a PhD (up to six months’ extension); other income is offset.
Eligibility
- International applicants with a first degree (Master’s route) or graduate degree (PhD route) earned abroad.
- Priority, not a requirement: DAC-country applicants not yet living in Germany; the applying page names the EU and DAC countries as its target group.
- Refugees may apply regardless of nationality or residence status.
- German at B2 or DSH II, with certificate (info sheets say DSH 1).
- Master’s: full-time, at least four semesters, applied for before starting; from the 1 March 2027 round, Master’s applications only for first-cycle programmes (applying page).
- PhD: topic, exposé, supervisor and preliminary work in place.
- No age limit; no parallel BAföG or other scholarship; no reapplying after rejection at the final interview.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.
Education required
Bachelor · Master
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Application process
- 1Prepare the application in German, a civic-engagement reference, and an expert reference (two for a PhD, one from the supervisor) from a different person.
- 2Register on the online portal, open six weeks before the deadline, and submit everything, including references sent by referees, by 1 March or 1 September.
- 3Shortlisted applicants interview with an academic advisor, then online with a three-to-four-member committee, generally in German.
Program timeline
Spring 2027 portal opens
Jan 15, 2027
Application deadline
Mar 1, 2027
Committee interviews
May–July 2027
Award decisions
June–July 2027
Funding starts
By Oct 1, 2027