Doctoral scholarship

The doctoral scholarship is open to German doctoral students who are admitted to a doctoral program at a state or state-recognized university in Germany, an EU country, or Switzerland. Foreign doctoral students who are admitted to a doctoral program at a state or state-recognized university in Germany are also eligible to apply.

Foreign students who plan to spend a longer research stay outside of Germany during their doctorate should also apply for this scholarship.

This scholarship is awarded within the framework of the guidelines of the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR).

Eligibility requirements for the doctoral scholarship:

• Admission to a state or state-recognized university in Germany or abroad
• Admission to a doctoral program in Germany or abroad
• Excellent academic record
• Social commitment in accordance with the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation
• Very good German language skills (proof of language acquisition - level B2, even if you are writing your dissertation in English)
• No doctoral completion scholarships are awarded
• Dual funding with other public funds (e.g., simultaneous receipt of other public scholarships or receipt of unemployment benefits and a scholarship) is not permitted.
• Those who have already received a scholarship/funding for their doctorate from another institution can only receive further funding from the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation if this previous funding was for less than three years. Any previous funding will be counted towards the time period, i.e., deducted from our maximum funding period of three years.

Only foreign nationals who have been admitted to a German university for their doctorate or who are in Germany for a research stay as part of their doctorate are eligible to apply for the scholarship for doctoral candidates from abroad.

The Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, with funding from the Federal Foreign Office (AA), awards scholarships to foreign students who come to Germany to pursue their doctorate or to conduct research as part of their doctorate.

Funding requirements for international doctoral candidates:

• Admission to a state or state-recognized university in Germany or abroad
• Supervision by a university lecturer in Germany
• Excellent academic record
• Social commitment in the spirit of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation
• Very good German language skills (proof of language acquisition - level B2), even if you are writing your dissertation in English)
• You have not been in Germany for more than 15 months at the time of application. This applies unless you have already studied in Germany or began your doctorate or research stay in Germany more than 15 months ago.
• For a doctorate at a German university (doctoral admission in Germany required), the maximum funding period is three years.
• Those who have already received a scholarship/funding for their doctorate from another institution can only receive further funding from the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation if this previous funding was for less than three years. Any previous funding will be credited towards our maximum funding period of three years.
• No doctoral completion scholarships are awarded.
• The duration of funding for a research stay in Germany as part of a doctoral program at a foreign university (doctoral admission from the foreign university is required) depends on the time requirements of the research stay; it is a maximum of three years.
• Private stays abroad in the country of origin or in third countries are not eligible for funding.
• Duplicate funding with other public funds (e.g., simultaneous receipt of other scholarships from public funds or receipt of unemployment benefits and a scholarship) is not permitted.
• Duplicate funding with other public funds is not permitted; different scholarships will be offset against each other.

If you are planning a longer research stay outside Germany during your doctorate, please apply for the doctoral scholarship.