Scholarships for International Students and Doctoral Candidates
Hanns-Seidel-Stiftung (Hanns Seidel Foundation)
Who can apply: German at B2 or a comparable level is mandatory for international students and applications without proof of it are not considered. Where the foundation runs an office in your home country, candidates selected and proposed by its local project leaders are given priority; only where it keeps no office in that country… What is funded: A monthly scholarship plus a study-cost allowance of EUR 300 a month, which is not reduced by permitted side earnings. The award is tax free, because the foundation treats it as a contribution to living costs with no work obligation attached, and it is not repayable. Rates are calculated in line with the BAfoeG rules… Deadline: 15 January 2027, the close of the winter application window that opens on 15 December 2026. The portal is shut between windows.. The funder does not state a timezone for this deadline, so check the official page for the exact cut-off time. Round: Winter window, 15 December 2026 to 15 January 2027.
Read the full call and apply on the official page: Hanns-Seidel-Stiftung (Hanns Seidel Foundation), official page.
Who can apply
- German at B2 or a comparable level is mandatory for international students and applications without proof of it are not considered. Where the foundation runs an office in your home country, candidates selected and proposed by its local project leaders are given priority; only where it keeps no office in that country may you apply directly through the portal. A Master's degree can be funded after a Bachelor's, but the application must be submitted before the Master's begins, because the minimum funding period is four semesters. Other postgraduate, supplementary or second degrees are not funded. Doctorates must normally be carried out and submitted at a German university, with up to six months abroad where the research requires it. The non-financial part of the programme is compulsory, so a money-only scholarship is not available. Membership of the CSU is not required.
Stage dates
The application portal opens on 15 December 2026 for the international students and doctoral candidates track. Applications are accepted through the portal only, and the foundation recommends Firefox or Chrome because the portal misbehaves in Safari.15 December 2026
Close of the winter window, 15 January 2027 inclusive. No clock time is printed, so treat the date as the cut-off and submit early. Applicants are told the outcome about four weeks after the window closes. The following window runs 15 June 2027 to 15 July 2027.15 January 2027
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.