Heinrich Boll Foundation Scholarships (Germany)
Heinrich-Boll-Stiftung (Heinrich Boll Foundation)
German scholarships for master's and PhD students from DAC countries, Ghana included: EUR 992 a month for master's, EUR 1,500 for PhD, plus health insurance and tuition. Next deadline 1 March 2027 — but from that date the foundation accepts only first-cycle applications.
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Eligibility
- Who can apply
- Oda recipient, Eu
- Education required
- Bachelors completed
- Fields
- Any field of study
- Language
- The scholarship pages set no central German or English test score. The language requirement is the one set by your German university and programme, so check whether it is taught in German or English and what certificate it demands. The foundation does pay tuition fees for German language courses as an optional component of the scholarship.
- Residency
- Priority is given to applicants from DAC countries who have not yet taken up residence in Germany at the time of their application.
- Also required
- International students who have completed their first degree abroad may apply prior to starting a Master's degree programme in Germany; international PhD students who completed their graduate degree abroad may apply for a PhD programme in Germany
- Students of all disciplines may apply, to study full-time at a state-recognised university
- Only Master's programmes with a standard duration of four semesters or more are funded
- A certificate of enrolment, or at least a confirmation of university admission, should accompany the application and must be submitted no later than the interview in the third stage of selection
- Applications are accepted only through the foundation's online portal; the published windows are 15 January 2027 to 1 March 2027 and 15 July 2027 to 1 September 2027, and the form must be completed using Adobe Acrobat Reader
- Additional income is offset against the scholarship payment, using the earnings limit for marginal employment under Section 8 (1) No. 1 SGB IV
- Note published by the foundation: 'Starting March 1, 2027, we will only accept applications for first-cycle programs.'
About this opportunity
The Heinrich Boll Foundation, the political foundation associated with the German Greens, runs one of Germany's larger scholarship programmes for international students and doctoral candidates. It funds graduate and PhD scholarships for applicants from the EU and from DAC countries — the OECD list of official development assistance recipients, which includes Ghana — and the money comes from the German Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space and the Federal Foreign Office. Students of all disciplines may apply to study full-time at a state-recognised German university; only Master's programmes with a standard duration of four semesters or more are funded.
Funding for international students from non-EU countries, paid through the Federal Foreign Office, is a base scholarship of EUR 992 a month plus a health insurance allowance of up to EUR 100, with optional components including reimbursement of tuition fees in Germany of up to EUR 10,000 a year, tuition for German language courses, fixed fringe benefits of EUR 38 a month, and family and child allowances. International PhD candidates receive a base scholarship of EUR 1,500 a month plus health insurance of up to EUR 200 a month and the same optional components. Parts of a degree may be completed abroad if academically necessary, but there is no additional funding for that, and any additional income is offset against the scholarship.
The foundation runs two rounds a year, with deadlines of 1 March and 1 September. The next window is 15 January 2027 to 1 March 2027, followed by 15 July to 1 September 2027; the online portal opens six weeks before each deadline. Priority goes to applicants from DAC countries who have not yet taken up residence in Germany when they apply. Selection looks at academic record and at civic and political engagement — the application asks for expert opinions and a reference on your civic engagement, so start collecting those early. A certificate of enrolment, or at least a confirmation of university admission, should go in with the application and must arrive no later than the interview in the third stage of selection. One notice to read carefully before you plan: the foundation states that 'Starting March 1, 2027, we will only accept applications for first-cycle programs.'
- Level
- Master's, PhD
- Where
- Germany
- Difficulty
- High · about 10 weeks to prepare
Funding
Fully funded
- stipend
- health insurance
- tuition
- family allowance
- training
International Master's students from non-EU countries, funded by the Federal Foreign Office: 'a base scholarship in the amount of 992 EUR / month', 'a health insurance allowance of up to 100 EUR', and optional components including 'reimbursement of tuition fees in Germany of up to 10,000 EUR / year', 'tuition fees for German language courses', 'fixed fringe benefits in the amount of 38 EUR / month' and 'family allowance and child allowances (per child)'. International PhD candidates from non-EU countries: 'a base scholarship in the amount of 1,500 EUR / month', 'health insurance: up to 200 EUR / month' and the same optional components. Parts of the degree completed abroad receive no additional funding.
What you will need
- Admission offer
- Reference letters
- Motivation letter
The application is a PDF form completed in Adobe Acrobat Reader and uploaded to the online portal. The foundation names expert opinions (which take time to obtain, so start compiling early), a reference on your civic engagement, and a certificate of enrolment or at least a confirmation of university admission — the last of which may be submitted later, but no later than the interview in the third stage of selection. Space on the form is limited and answers must stay within the sections provided and be legible on a paper printout. The full checklist is in the foundation's info sheets for graduate students and for PhD candidates.
Track this application and eStudent360 turns the list into a checklist and, with Plus, a dated plan that works back from the deadline.