Promotionsfoerderung (doctoral scholarships), October 2026 call
Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes
Who can apply: Nationality is irrelevant if the doctorate is done at a German university where the thesis will also be submitted, and you must already have been accepted onto that doctoral programme. German citizens doing a PhD abroad may also apply but must justify their choice of university, so for a reader outside Germany this… What is funded: A monthly stipend of 1,650 euros for a doctoral candidate, plus a research allowance the foundation pays on top. The two readings of that allowance’s period disagreed between our passes, so we print the stipend and send you to the foundation’s own finance page for the allowance rather than guess. Scholars whose health… Deadline: Opening of the Call 1-14 October 2026. Each call remains open for two weeks, exactly 14 days.. Round: October 2026 call, for the selection meeting in May 2027.
Read the full call and apply on the official page: Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes, official page.
Who can apply
- Nationality is irrelevant if the doctorate is done at a German university where the thesis will also be submitted, and you must already have been accepted onto that doctoral programme. German citizens doing a PhD abroad may also apply but must justify their choice of university, so for a reader outside Germany this scheme means a doctorate in Germany. Your most recent degree must not be older than four years and three months at the time of application, with documented exceptions for pregnancy, childcare, prolonged illness or care of a close relative. Applications are submitted jointly with the academic supervisor and may be made as early as the final semester of a master's, on a transcript, but a degree certificate is required before the selection board decides. Part-time and employment-accompanying doctorates cannot be funded, nor doctorates taken alongside a medical degree. Revised documents cannot be submitted during the process and a rejected application cannot be resubmitted. Previous support from the Studienstiftung is not required.
Stage dates
The call opens on 1 October 2026.1 October 2026
The call closes 14 days after it opens. There is no cap on the number of applications accepted, and every complete application received inside the window enters the selection procedure.14 October 2026
Selection meeting in May 2027, earliest possible scholarship start 1 July 2027. Later calls run 1 to 14 February 2027, 1 to 14 June 2027 and 1 to 14 October 2027, and the foundation prints the opening day alone for those three.See the official page
Dates come from the funder's page for this round. When a round closes, the next round's dates replace these once the funder publishes them.