DAAD “Leadership for Africa” Programme for Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda: Master’s Degree Scholarships in Germany; May 2 2023
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Introduction
Objective
The scholarship programme “Leadership for Africa” (LfA) aims to support the academic qualification and advancement of young refugees and national scholars from Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda at higher education institutions in Germany. In times of conflicts and displacement in various African countries, this programme intends to contribute to the education of future leaders, who will be essential for the further development of their home countries. “Leadership for Africa” offers scholarships for Master studies in Germany to qualified applicants in all fields of study except for medicine, veterinary medicine, dentistry, law, the arts and architecture. All “Leadership for Africa” scholarship holders benefit from a complementary training programme in good governance, civil society, and career development. The mandatory programme must be completed in addition to the regular studies.
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Who can apply?
The programme targets two groups:
1) Highly qualified refugees who hold refugee status and fulfil the necessary qualifications for Master’s studies in Germany.
Applicants must fulfil the following conditions:
- Holding refugee status in their host countries, being granted before 3rd of April, 2022
- Country of asylum must be either Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, or Uganda
- Completed Bachelor’s degree at the time of application
2) Highly qualified graduates from Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, or Uganda who fulfil the necessary qualifications for Master’s studies in Germany.
Applicants must fulfil the following conditions:
- Citizenship of either Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, or Uganda
- Country of residence is Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, or Uganda
- Completed Bachelor’s degree at the time of application
Please note:
- With a Degree in Medicine, you can apply for Public Health or Biomedical Master related programmes only. A Master’s programme in Medicine is not eligible for funding.
- For applicants from artistic disciplines and the field of architecture, the DAAD offers subject-specific scholarship programmes (see separate DAAD scholarship offers in the scholarship database).
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What requirements must be met?
- Successful completion of a Bachelor’s degree at the time of application which meets the requirements of German universities for entering a Master’s degree.
- A Bachelor’s degree of at least 2nd class upper division level is required.
- As a rule, not more than 6 years should have passed since the completion of the last academic degree (see important information for scholarship applicants / Section A, point 2).
- Good English or good German language skills
- For Refugees: Copy of Refugee ID card issued before 03.04.2022
Explanatory note: Please note that the scholarship applicant is responsible for ensuring to apply for admission at the German host university by the due date. The application process for winter term 2024 is not available at the time of application for the scholarship. Application periods for winter term programmes at German universities usually start in spring every year. Please be aware that a Scholarship Award Letter from the DAAD is only valid if you have been admitted to a Master’s programme at a public German Institute for Higher Education.
Language skills
The language of instruction in study programmes in Germany is usually German, or in international programmes English and/or German. To be admitted to a programme, you are therefore usually required to submit an appropriate language certificate (e.g., DSH or TestDaF if the language of instruction is German, TOEFL/IELTS in case of English). The necessary language skills for the desired field of study must be proven at the latest by the start of study programme. Suitable proof of necessary language skills or the ability to acquire them within the German language course must be submitted with the application documents.
Find more information on the Important Scholarship Information / A.9 and A.10.
What can be funded?
The scholarship includes:
- German language course (up to 6 months) in Germany before the start of the university studies
- Tuition-free M.A. or M.Sc. degree programme at a public or state-recognized university in Germany starting in winter term 2024 (September/October 2024)
- Additional mandatory training programme LEAD!
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Duration of the funding
Generally, selected candidates will start their German language course in April 2024 and take up their studies at a German institution of higher education by approx. October 1st, 2024. The duration of funding is determined by the standard period of study of the chosen programme. In general, eligible master’s programmes require two years of full-time study.
Value
- German language course (up to 6 months) in Germany before the start of the study programme, including the coverage of the test fees for a German language certificate (TestDaF or DSH test), pocket money and accommodation (only during the language course). The DAAD decides whether to fund participation and for how long depending on German language skills and study requirements. Participation in a language course is compulsory.
- Monthly scholarship rate payments of 934 EURO
- Adequate health, accident and private/personal liability insurance in Germany
- Travel allowance
- Yearly study allowance
- Additional mandatory training programme LEAD!
- If applicable, monthly rent subsidy and monthly allowance for accompanying family members (spouse and/or children)
Please note that family reunions may be time-delayed or even not be possible during the duration of the scholarship, due to the duration of the visa processes for some home or host countries.
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Selection
A pre-selection will take place based on the submitted application documents. Only complete applications with all mandatory documents will be considered. Preselected candidates will be invited to an (digital) interview with an independent selection committee of university professors.
In addition to previous achievements in university (Bachelor’s degree), language skills and the general motivation, the main selection criterion is a convincing description of the planned studies in Germany and the suitable choice of study programmes in the DAAD form “Study course profile”.
To ensure equal opportunities, social criteria such as special life circumstances, migration background or students from non-academic families can play a role. Criteria such as social engagement in the application form are also taken into account.
For further information on the selection procedure, please refer to the Important Scholarship Information, Section E.
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Application deadline
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Application deadlines are updated at least once a year. In most cases, they are in the same period as the previous year. You can find the current dates here:
June 9th, 2023
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Application documents
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Please note that all documents must be uploaded to the DAAD portal. Incomplete applications will be formally rejected and will be excluded from the application process. The following documents may be scanned in non-certified form and uploaded to the DAAD portal. If you submit documents in your national language, you must include English or German translations.
Note: The DAAD reserves the right to request certified copies of the documents or the originals at any time in the application process.
Required documents:
- Online DAAD application form duly completed (available on the DAAD portal)
- Curriculum vitae (max. 3 pages) containing information about your academic career to date, former scholarships, current address and current or previous employers. Please use the European specimen form at https://europa.eu/europass/en.
- Letter of Motivation (1-3 pages) containing a precise description of your academic/professional and personal reasons for the planned study project. Please also read our Important Scholarship Information / Section B, Point 1.
- DAAD Form “Study course profile” duly completed (please specify 3 Master’s programmes). Please also note the information on how to fill in the form ‘Study course profile’. The form can be subject to change every year, therefore only access the most recent version by using the link above.
- Applicants who already hold a Master’s degree or are in the process of completing a Master’s degree can only be considered in well-justified cases, if they can explain conclusively, why they would like to obtain another Master’s degree. Please fill in the form “Additional Master’s Degree”.
- Proof of necessary language skills for the desired Master’s programmes. Please also read our important information for scholarship applicants / Section A, Point 9.
- University degree certificate indicating final grade(s) including transcripts of records for all study years with all individual grades incl. explanation of grading system
- Copies of your passport/national identification card and copies of your passport’s/national identification card’s biodata page and other documents containing information about you and your current residence status
- For refugees: Refugee ID-Card and UNHCR registration/official proof of asylum by authorities or government
Optional:
Other documents that might be of relevance to your application (e.g., certificates of employment and/or internship, proof of former scholarships, extracurricular engagement, recommendation letters, (expired) admissions to a German Master’s programme).
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How to Apply
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Applications have to be submitted exclusively to the DAAD portal.
Applications submitted through other channels or to other authorities will not be considered.
The DAAD portal closes at 24.00 hrs. Central European Summer Time (CEST) on the last application day.
Incomplete applications cannot be considered. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that their applications are complete.
Please note that the “Application portal” tab in the scholarship database only appears while the current application period is running. Once the application deadline is expired, the portal for this programme is not accessible until next year’s application period.
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