Funding options for your doctorate

There are many ways for doctoral students to meet their subsistence costs:
The most common is to work at the university as a research assistant. Many doctoral students work part-time at the university. Fully-funded doctorates are the exception; it is more usual to gain work on a project (e.g. as a research assistant), ideally in an area relating to your doctorate. It is also possible to take up a (part-time) position outside the university, in research or industry, and thus fund your doctorate independently.

The benefits of this approach are that it enables you to build contacts in science and industry, and take advantage of synergies, potentially using university or company materials, laboratories and equipment. The disadvantage is that it leaves less time to focus on your doctorate.

Another funding option that allows doctoral candidates to devote more time to their research is a doctoral scholarship. You’ll find further information on this option lower down the page.

In addition to these two options, it is open to you to take out a doctoral loan or, of course, be funded by a partner and/or your family.

 

Grants for doctoral students

There is a wide range of grants for doctoral students: some are not subject-specific, many are subject-related, some offer monthly financial support, others provide funding for research trips or attendance of conferences.

In principle, all grant schemes require you to provide a synopsis of your proposed doctoral thesis along with a timescale and assessments from two doctoral supervisors or assessors, confirming that your research proposal is promising. Many schemes also require you to be enrolled in a doctoral programme at a university that is authorised to confer doctorates.

When applying, you should also bear in mind that grants do not include social insurance; some permit a small amount of part-time work, but others do not.

Most grants offer the option to extend your studies; this is particularly important if you need to take parental leave and you should enquire about such provision if you think you may need it.

The list of doctoral grants below is by no means exhaustive; it is merely intended to assist you and encourage you to apply for a scholarship.

Doctoral candidates can apply for grants from the following foundations regardless of their subject area, but they all require above-average undergraduate degrees and community engagement. Some require applicants to belong to a particular religion or to subscribe to a particular world view; others are only available to certain nationalities. Almost all require evidence of German language skills and generally also a German version of the English-language application (as noted in the list).

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) offers a number of grants for trips abroad, both for research purposes and for participation in academic colloquia and conferences. If you do not have German citizenship, you will need to meet these requirements in order to apply (A "Bewerbungsvoraussetzungen", 1. "Wer kann sch für ein Stipendium bewerben?"). Doctoral students can apply for the following grants regardless of their doctoral subject:

There are a large number of subject-based grants. In contrast to non-subject-specific grants, these often do not require above-average academic achievement.

The myStipendium (myScholarship) database provides information on grants in various subject areas. Registration is free of charge but is required in order to use the database.

Subject-based grants for trips abroad during your doctorate are listed in the DAAD grants database.

Awards for research proposals and completed dissertations

There are a wide range of academic awards for doctoral students and completed doctoral theses. Although they do not provide a regular income, they are a (one-off) contribution to expenses. In addition, and first and foremost, they ensure that your work receives more attention, and they look good on your CV.

Some of the annual or at least biennial awards for individuals and small research groups are listed below. Before applying, please check whether there are any restrictions with regard to citizenship.

One way to ensure you receive regular information about calls for applications and grants is to register for the University of Kassel FIT (Research, International Affairs, Transfer) Newsletter, which brings together details of the latest research funding. Once you have registered, you can specify the subject area and types of funding you are interested in.

 

Academic awards for doctoral students