Candidates from developing countries and emerging economies (see list of eligible countries) can apply for a scholarship provided by the Development-Related Postgraduate Course program (EPOS) of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). These scholarships are sponsored by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and are made available for applicants at BIGS-DR. Applicants of this scholarship should adhere to the BIGS-DR application instructions and need only submit their application to BIGS-DR.
Applicants applying for this internal scholarship must include a copy of the DAAD scholarship form, which can be downloaded here. For more information, please consult the DAAD brochure and the DAAD EPOS FAQ. Please take note of the following information:
A prerequisite for applying for this DAAD scholarship is having at least two years of relevant professional experience. All internal DAAD scholarship applicants must submit proof of at least two years of professional work experience and state their current work situation at the time of application. It is required to submit the following proof: Certificate(s) of employment that include the exact position and period of employment; a letter of reference from the employer(s), ideally guranteeing re-employment after completion of the postgraduate course in Germany.
Academic degrees should not be more than 6 years old. Exceptions are made under the following circumstances, which may have a delaying effect on an academic career. The dates of birth of children and periods of childcare or care of relatives or time off due to sickness/disability should be specified in your CV. DAAD reserves the right to ask you to submit appropriate supporting documents.
pregnancy and childbirth
child care (3 years per child)
care of dependent relatives
disability or chronic illness
long, serious illness
compulsory military service
Applicants who have been in Germany for more than 15 months at the time of application are ineligible to apply.
When filling in the DAAD form, select “Scholarship for a postgraduate course with relevance to developing countries”.
Please make sure that you include the DAAD scholarship form and the BIGS-DR application form in your BIGS-DR application PDF file. It is not necessary to send any copies to DAAD.
When applying for more than one postgraduarte course (maximum 3 courses) via the DAAD EPOS scholarship, applicants have to submit one motivation letter explaining why they are applying for these specific courses and why they chose that priority.
Special DAAD requirements
Special prerequisites for EPOS/DAAD scholarship applicants with degrees from China:
University certificates issued by universities in the People’s Republic of China have to be certified by the APS prior to the application to BIGS-DR with EPOS/DAAD scholarship. We require the certification without interview at the embassy only.
Special application requirements for EPOS/DAAD scholarship applicants applying for more than one doctoral program with DAAD funding:
Applicants who apply to BIGS-DR with EPOS/DAAD scholarship and apply at the same time to other doctoral programs with DAAD funding have to mention that in their motivation letter and include a ranking indicating which doctoral program would be their first choice.
