PhD degree in Germany All you need to know

This article, it is aimed to answer two main questions: 1. How to apply for a PhD degree (positions) in Germany? and how can I find a PhD degree in Germany?

Despite the common wisdom, German universities offer a variety of international study programs from bachelor’s to PhD levels. Germany is one of the best countries for students who are aiming to pursue their studies abroad. Most German universities do not have any tuition and the cost of living is low ( see our earlier post on the cost of living in Germany). In short living and studying in Germany is relatively affordable in comparison to other central European countries.

How can you study MSc/PhD in Germany without Funding?

In Germany, there are a lot of universities and study programs accessible for international students including lots of different study subjects. In the first step of Applying you should choose a university. Before your final decision, you can check the rank of the university and the city of the university because the cost of living is very different in various cities, for instance, the cost of living in a small city in East Germany is cheaper than a big city in the west.

How to apply?

The majority of PhD studentship (vacancies) in Germany is based on a research grant belonging to a research group. In other words, contrary to many other countries, there are not many PhD programs in German universities. Therefore, in order to pursue your study at PhD level in a German university, you should find a professor who has a grant in order to hire a student. There are not any limited time for Ph.D. programs in Germany. Here you can learn 15 practical German words for new students in Germany

There are however some other possibilities that the students along with the host professor apply for a scholarship which is either provided by the host university or an external funding agency. In that case, the student should find a professor who agrees to hire him as his PhD student provided the application to the funding agency is successful.

You should take into account that Non-EU and non-EEA international students should apply for a Student Visa and need to have financial support (a minimum of €8,640 in a blocked bank account) for a Visa to handle the cost of studying and living.

Academic Year

The academic year (first of October till the 30th of September) in Germany consists of two semesters Winter semester (first of October till the end of March) and the Summer semester (first of April till the end of September).

Scholarships

Scholarships are also a possible source of financial support. You can find prestigious scholarship programs at different countries in the Scholarships section of Fastepo.

Scholarships and Awards in Europe: