DAAD Study Scholarship for a Master's in Architecture in Germany: last date 23 September

The deadline, and the two dates behind it

• Applications close 23 September 2026.
• Selection is in January 2027.
• Funding starts from September 2027.

Read that sequence twice before you decide whether this is worth your September. You are applying almost a year ahead of the money, and DAAD says the scholarship start is usually 1 October of the year after you apply, or earlier if you take a German course first.

Is this actually open to Indians? Yes, and here is how to check it yourself.

Every entry in the DAAD scholarship database carries its own list of eligible countries of origin, with the warning: "If your status and/or country is not included in the list, you cannot apply for this scholarship programme." For this programme the list runs to 177 countries and India is on it. Set status to Graduates and country of origin to India on the official page linked above, and the deadline on this page appears.

That test matters, because it fails for DAAD's better-known scholarships. The all-disciplines Master's programme lists 65 countries and India is not among them, and the STEM programme lists 25 and India is not among them either.

Who can apply

You can apply if you will have gained a first university degree, by the time your scholarship-supported study begins, in any of these:

• Architecture
• Interior Design
• Monument Conservation and Building in Existing Contexts / Reconditioning of Old Buildings
• Urban Design / Urban Development
• Landscape Architecture
• Landscape Planning

The programme's status filter is Graduates, which DAAD defines as "people who already have at least one first academic degree, e.g. Bachelor".

What can be funded

At a state or state-recognised German university of your choice, either:

• a Master's or postgraduate degree leading to a final qualification, or
• a complementary course that leads to no qualification — not an undergraduate course.

The credit-point trap, and it is specific to this programme. DAAD funds projects in the area of Design/Projects, and your chosen degree must carry a minimum number of ECTS credit points in that area:

• a 120 CP programme needs at least 45 CP in Design/Projects
• a 90 CP programme needs at least 34 CP
• a 60 CP programme needs at least 23 CP

DAAD states that its scholarships cannot be used for degree programmes that do not meet this requirement. The module overview on the university's own website is where you check it. Do that before you write anything else.

Projects in the preservation of historical monuments and construction in existing buildings are also supported. If your project is in the history of architecture, or is a scientific project, DAAD says other programmes apply — not this one.

Two bars that disqualify people every year

• The six-year rule. As a rule your last relevant university degree should not date back more than six years at the time of the application deadline.
• The fifteen-month rule. Your application cannot be considered if you have been resident in Germany for longer than 15 months at the application deadline.

And one more that catches people who are already halfway: a Master's or postgraduate programme you have already started in Germany cannot be funded. Apply before you go, not after.

Income: DAAD states no family income limit for this programme. That is not the same as saying income is irrelevant to your own planning — it means the scholarship does not ask.

How long

• Master's or postgraduate: between 10 and 24 months, matched to the standard period of study, up to 24 months.
• Complementary studies without a qualification: one academic year.

How you are chosen

DAAD first runs a formal check for completeness and eligibility. Only if you pass it are you asked for your work samples. The final decision is made by a special DAAD committee of professors from German universities, on the written application and the work samples, judging:

• your academic qualification and architectural maturity, measured by study achievements and work samples
• the quality of the project, measured by the study plan and the letter of motivation

The committee also gives due consideration to equal opportunities, which you can write about in the application form.

Documents to upload to the DAAD portal

• Full CV in tabular form
• Letter of motivation, maximum 2 pages, covering your academic and personal reasons and the career prospects the German Master's opens up
• The form 'Information about your preferred master programmes' — and note that only the programmes named on that form can be considered. Fill it even if you already hold an admission letter
• Letter of acceptance from the German host university, if you have one. If not, you must submit it before funding begins — applying to the university on time is your responsibility, and a DAAD award only becomes valid if you are admitted to one of the universities you listed
• For complementary studies: confirmation of supervision from a university teacher at the German host university
• A current Transcript of Records with individual grades and an explanation of the grading system
• Degree certificate showing final grades, submitted before your studies begin if you have not finished yet
• German or English translations of everything submitted in another language
• A list of the designs and plans you will upload to the DAAD media database, with size, date and place of creation
• A signed declaration form that the designs and plans are your own work
• Proof of German at completed B1 for German-taught programmes, or English proof such as TOEFL or IELTS for English-taught ones, in each case no more than three years old
• Anything else relevant, such as employment certificates or proof of placements

Do not upload work samples or portfolios to the DAAD portal. They go somewhere else, in a second step with its own clock:

• If your application passes the formal check, you receive a link to the DAAD media database by 23 October at the latest
• You must upload the work samples there by 4 November CET at the latest

Your application is only valid when both the portal documents and the media-database work samples are in. Everything must be in German or English.

What the scholarship pays

The same package across all four of these programmes:

• 992 euros a month
• A travel allowance — but only on application, so ask for it
• A one-off study allowance
• Payments towards health, accident and personal liability insurance cover

After funding starts you can apply for more, depending on your circumstances:

• A monthly rent subsidy
• A monthly allowance for accompanying family members
• In case of a disability or chronic illness, a subsidy for justified additional costs incurred in Germany that no third party covers, assessed individually
• A Green Mobility Top Up for climate-friendly travel, or reimbursement of carbon offset payments for air travel

Language money on top of that: DAAD pays the course fee for an online language course once you have your Scholarship Award Letter; funds a 2, 4 or 6 month German course in Germany before your studies begin where needed (compulsory if your host institution teaches or works in German); gives an allowance for a German course you choose yourself during the scholarship; and reimburses the fee for a TestDaF or DSH test taken either at home after your award letter or in Germany during funding.

What it does not pay: tuition fees. DAAD states this plainly. Most German public universities charge none, which is why this comes close to full funding anyway — but check your own university, not this page.

How the application actually works

Applications are possible between 1 June and the stated deadline, and DAAD warns that the application portal only appears while the window is running — after the deadline it disappears until next year. So you cannot open it early to look around, and you cannot open it late at all.

1. Register in the DAAD portal.
2. Complete the online application form in full. State the entire period you want funded: if you are planning a two-year degree, ask for two years now, not one. Your progress is reviewed after the first year and funding continues if you are on track.
3. Upload your documents under 'Attachments'.
4. Submit.

The portal closes at 24:00 CET or CEST on the last application day. Submit a few days early — DAAD says so itself — because late or incomplete applications cannot be considered and completeness is your responsibility. Certificates and translations may be uploaded as plain scans, but DAAD reserves the right to demand certified copies.

Where to ask questions from India: the DAAD Regional Office in New Delhi is the advisory centre for India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka, and www.daad.in is its site.

One more thing worth knowing before you start. A DAAD scholarship does not get you a university place. The universities decide admission themselves, most of them run an entrance examination, and their own deadlines and interview dates can fall months before DAAD even makes its award. DAAD does not cover the cost of the entrance examination, and if you are awarded a scholarship but admitted nowhere you listed, you cannot use the award. Start the university applications in parallel with this one.

Checked on 29 August 2026 in the DAAD scholarship database with country of origin set to India. DAAD updates its deadlines at least once a year, so open the official page linked above before you apply.