DAAD - German Academic Exchange Service By the DAAD

German language proficiency

The level of German language proficiency which applicants are required to have is primarily dependent on the planned study or research project. Foreign students wishing to matriculate at a German university must, as a rule, present proof of adequate proficiency in the German language.

Students can prove their German language skills by presenting one of the following language proficiency certificates: the "Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang (DSH)" or the "Test Deutsch als Fremdsprache (TestDaF)". However, students who gained the "Abitur" school leaving certificate at a German school abroad or who hold one of the following language certificates - "Sprachdiplom der KMK (Stufe 2)", "Kleines Deutsche Sprachdiplom" or "Großes Deutsche Sprachdiplom" of the Ludwig-Maximilian University of Munich, or the "Zentrale Oberstufenprüfung" of the Goethe-Institute - will also be exempted from this requirement.

Although the DAAD does place a greater emphasis on the academic qualifications which applicants hold than on their German language skills, applicants will nevertheless be expected to take every opportunity to gain and improve their knowledge of German while they are still in their home country. When it awards a scholarship, the DAAD reserves the right to make it a condition that the applicant provides proof of adequate language skills in the form of a language proficiency certificate before leaving for Germany. In any case, we strongly advise all applicants who are nominated for a scholarship to make use of every opportunity open to them to improve their knowledge of the German language in the time between submitting their application and leaving for Germany.

Scholarship value and other payments

The DAAD essentially differentiates between individual scholarships and group programmes. Besides a monthly payment, which the DAAD sets on the basis of the scholarship holder's academic level, individual scholarships generally include other payments as well, such as travel expenses, health insurance, accident insurance, and personal/private liability insurance. Details can be found in the individual programme descriptions.

Equivalency

Even very well qualified foreign applicants may find integration into the German academic system difficult to manage due to the differences in the structures of the various higher education and general education and training systems. Only the host faculty at the German university of your choice is responsible for deciding on the equivalency, level and placement of any academic qualifications that you gained in your home country, and, in particular, of any final degrees you hold. For their part, the faculties base their decision on recommendations issued by the Central Office for Foreign Education Zentralstelle für das ausländische Bildungswesen (ZAB), which is a unit of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs, the Ständige Konferenz der Kultusminister in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (KMK).

Please take particular note

You must not draw funding from other German scholarship-awarding organisations or from other German public authorities at the same time as you are receiving your DAAD scholarship. Any other foreign support or additional income from secondary employment will be partly offset against (i.e. deducted) from your scholarship. Scholarship holders must not take up any secondary employment until they have gained appropriate written approval from the DAAD.

DAAD» :: March 2008