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The DAAD EPOS scholarship funds graduates from developing and newly industrialised countries to take a development-related master’s degree at a German university, and the most important thing to know is how to apply: you send your application directly to the postgraduate course you want, not to the DAAD. You need a bachelor’s degree, at least two years of professional experience, above-average results and a development-related motivation. This guide explains the application route step by step, the documents, the language rules and the mistakes that get applications rejected.
DAAD EPOS scholarship at a glance
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is EPOS? | Development-Related Postgraduate Courses: individual DAAD scholarships for selected postgraduate courses at state or state-recognised German universities |
| Who can apply? | Graduates from eligible developing and newly industrialised countries with at least two years of professional experience |
| Degree level | A master’s degree; a doctorate only in exceptional cases |
| Funding period | 12 to 42 months, depending on the study programme |
| Where do I apply? | Directly to the chosen course, never to the DAAD first |
| How many courses can I apply for? | Up to three, listed in order of priority |
| Deadline | Set by each course, so check the course website |
What the scholarship provides
The DAAD lists these benefits for EPOS scholars:
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- A monthly payment that depends on your academic level (master’s or doctoral)
- Payments towards health, accident and personal liability insurance
- A travel allowance, unless the cost is covered by your home country or another funder
- A monthly rent subsidy
- A monthly allowance for accompanying family members
- For German-taught courses, a preparatory six-month German language course in Germany
The monthly amounts are reviewed from time to time and differ between older and newer announcements, so read the figure in the current DAAD call before you budget.
Who qualifies
- You come from a country on the DAAD’s list of eligible countries. Check your own country on that list before anything else.
- You hold a bachelor’s degree, normally of four years, in a subject related to the course.
- Your results are well above average, in the upper third of your class.
- You have at least two years of related professional experience after your first degree at the time you apply.
- Your degree is normally not more than six years old.
- You can show that your motivation is development-related and that you will support change in your professional environment after the scholarship.
The DAAD describes the typical scholar as someone who works for a public authority or a state or private company in a developing country, on projects connected to development policy.
How the application and selection work
- Choose your courses. Only courses on the EPOS course overview are covered. Pick one to three and read each course website for its own deadline, online form and extra documents.
- Send a complete application to each course. Applications sent to the DAAD are not forwarded to the course or university.
- Selection committee. A selection committee proposes candidates for a DAAD scholarship.
- Upload to the DAAD Portal. The DAAD contacts the proposed candidates and asks them to upload their complete application.
- Final decision. The selection is finalised and candidates are informed.
Keep a PDF copy of every document, because you will need to upload them if you are proposed for a scholarship. Applications must be written in English or German, and incomplete applications cannot be considered.
Document checklist
| Document | What the DAAD asks for |
|---|---|
| Checklist | Completed and signed, placed first |
| DAAD application form | Application for a research or study scholarship, typed or easy to read |
| CV | Reverse chronological order, Europass template, no unexplained gaps |
| Letter of motivation | One letter covering academic, professional and personal reasons. If you apply to several courses, explain your choices and priority order in the same letter |
| Employment certificates | Showing at least two years of relevant work after your bachelor’s degree, and if possible a guarantee of re-employment from your current employer |
| Language proof | IELTS or TOEFL for English courses (institutional TOEFL is not accepted), German certificate for German-taught courses |
| Degree certificates | Copies, with a certified translation if not in German or English |
| Transcripts | Full transcript of records, with an explanation of the grading system if it is not included |
Some courses ask for additional documents, so the checklist on your chosen course page always has the final say.
Language rules
| Course language | Requirement |
|---|---|
| English | IELTS band 6, or TOEFL with the DAAD’s listed minimum scores. Some courses expect a different level |
| German | German level B1 at the time of application, then DSH 2 or TestDaF 4 before the course starts, after the six-month preparatory German course |
The DAAD warns that you cannot pass the required German exam without basic knowledge of German, even after the six-month course, and that passing the exam is a formal condition for enrolling.
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Mistakes that sink EPOS applications
- Sending the application to the DAAD instead of to the course.
- Applying to more than three courses, or changing the priority order between forms and letter.
- Submitting an institutional TOEFL result, which is not accepted.
- Counting work experience from before your bachelor’s degree. The two years must come after it.
- Leaving gaps in the CV without explanation, or sending an incomplete set of documents.
- Relying on one course’s rules for all your choices instead of reading each course page.
The DAAD notes that announcements depend on funds from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, so use the official DAAD scholarship database entry for EPOS to see the current call.
Where to go next
- Read the current call in DAAD development-related postgraduate courses scholarships.
- Look at the study-in-Africa route in the DAAD In-Country and In-Region master’s scholarship guide.
- Plan the whole process with how to apply for scholarships as a Nigerian student.
- Compare other funding in how Nigerians can fund study abroad.
- See the fee picture in low-tuition study in Europe for non-EU students.
- Learn what the label means in what a fully funded scholarship covers and how to check it.
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