Overview

The Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst ("DAAD") is a joint organization of the institutions of higher education in the Federal Republic of Germany. The DAAD has the function of promoting higher education relations abroad, especially through the exchange of students and academics. The DAAD Annual Grant Program provides funds for graduate study and/or research in Germany for one academic year.

Eligibility

In general, applicants must be United States citizens and should be between 18 and 32 years of age. Applicants must be enrolled in a Boston University graduate program. Applicants in all academic fields except dentistry and medicine are welcome to apply. Students in the arts, humanities, and social sciences should have a good command of German. Students in the natural sciences and engineering need only have a basic understanding of German. Non-United States citizens may be eligible to apply if they have been full-time students for more than one academic year at the time of the application at Boston University. This does not apply to German citizens currently studying in the United States.

The Deutschlandjahr Scholarship for graduating seniors is for undergraudates finishing their Bachelors degree by Spring 2004. The Deutschlandjahr is for ten months only (the 2004-05 academic year) and the students must take courses at a German university. They may also conduct research, but this does not free them from a requirement of two courses per semester. Undergraduate students are judged separately from graduate students by both the campus pre-selection committee and the DAAD committe, with the exception of students in the fine arts or music performance. While students in these fields are technically eligible for the Deutschlandjahr, they are judged together with graduate students, and consequently are rarely awarded a scholarship in these fields.

Applicants must have a well-defined research project that makes a stay in the Federal Republic of Germany essential. Preference will be given to applicants who have been invited by a faculty member at a German University to study or do research in a particular department, institute, or laboratory.

Criteria

Applications will be judged according to the following criteria:

• academic excellence,
• strength of references,
• quality of research project, and
• justification for study and research in the Federal Republic of Germany.

Application Process

Persons interested in applying to the DAAD Annual Grant Program must submit either a graduate application or a Deutschlandjahr application (available online) to the Boston University Office of the Provost. Forms for both the Deutschlandjahr and Graduate Scholarships are identical.

Students may download and print the pdf standard version and complete it on a typewriter, or may download the pdf re-writable version which can be completed on computer. Either version should be signed and submited with the application documents.

Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted. Applications will be considered by the Boston University Fellowship and Scholarship Committee. The Committee will recommend candidates to the President for nomination by the University. Only applicants nominated by the University can proceed with the competition.

Nominated applications will be forwarded to DAAD in Germany. The DAAD's decision-making process is supported by independent academic selection committees in Germany on which more than 500 academics serve in an honorary capacity. Winners are announced in March.

Award Value and Conditions

DAAD recipients are awarded:

• scholarships covering the cost of tuition for ten months, with funding beginning no earlier than October 1st of the year following application;,
• monthly stipends ranging from DM 1250 to DM 1700, depending on the student's level of academic advancement;
• an allowance for excess baggage charges, start-up costs, and books;
• round-trip airfare; and
• health and accident insurance at a modest charge to the award recipient.
  

Additional information is available from the DAAD web site.