DAAD Leadership For Africa Master’s Scholarship Programme

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The “Leadership for Africa” (LfA) scholarship program aims to assist the academic qualification and growth of young refugees and national scholars from Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Niger, Nigeria, and Togo at German higher education institutions. During a period of conflict and displacement in several African countries, this program aims to contribute to the education of future leaders who will be critical to the development of their home countries. “Leadership for Africa” provides scholarships for Master’s degree studies in Germany to qualified applicants in all disciplines of study except medicine, veterinary medicine, dentistry, law, arts, and architecture. All “Leadership for Africa” scholarship recipients receive further training in good government, civil society, and professional development. The mandatory programme must be completed in addition to the regular studies.

Eligibility Criteria

  • Successful completion of a Bachelor’s degree at the time of application which meets the requirements of German universities for entering a Master’s degree.
  • A Bachelor’s degree of at least 2nd class upper division level is required
  • As a rule, not more than 6 years should have passed since the completion of the last academic degree (see important information for scholarship applicants / Section A, point 2)
  • Good English or good German language skills
  • For Refugees: Copy of Refugee ID card issued before 03.04.2022.

DAAD Leadership for Africa Master’s Scholarship Programme Benefits

The scholarship includes:

  • German language course (up to 6 months) in Germany before the start of the university studies
  • Tuition-free M.A. or M.Sc. degree programme at a public or state-recognized university in Germany starting in winter term 2024 (September/October 2024)
  • Additional mandatory training programme LEAD!

Duration of the funding

In general, selected students will begin their German language study as early as April 2024 and will begin their studies at a German institution of higher education around October 1st, 2024. The financing period is decided by the usual period of study for the selected program. In general, Master’s programs that are eligible need two years of full-time study.

  • German language course (up to 6 months) in Germany before the start of the study programme, including the coverage of the test fees for a German language certificate (TestDaF or DSH test), pocket money and accommodation (only during the language course). The DAAD decides whether to fund participation and for how long depending on German language skills and study requirements. Participation in a language course is compulsory.
  • Monthly scholarship rate payments of 934 EURO
  • Adequate health, accident, and private/personal liability insurance in Germany
  • Travel allowance
  • Yearly study allowance
  • Additional mandatory training programme LEAD!
  • If applicable, monthly rent subsidy and monthly allowance for accompanying family members (spouse and/or children)
    Please note that family reunions may be time-delayed or even not be possible during the duration of the scholarship, due to the duration of the visa processes for some home or host countries.

Selection

  • A pre-selection will take place based on the submitted application documents.
  • Only complete applications with all mandatory documents will be considered.
  • Preselected candidates will be invited to an (digital) interview with an independent selection committee of university professors.
  • In addition to previous achievements in university (Bachelor’s degree), language skills and the general motivation, the main selection criterion is a convincing description of the planned studies in Germany and the suitable choice of study programmes in the DAAD form “Study course profile”.
  • To ensure equal opportunities, social criteria such as special life circumstances, migration background or students from non-academic families can play a role. Criteria such as social engagement about which you can provide information in the application form are also taken into account.

Documents Required for Application

  • Online DAAD application form duly completed (available on the DAAD portal)
  • Curriculum vitae (max. 3 pages) containing information about your academic career to date, former scholarships, current address and current or previous employers. Please use the European specimen form at https://europa.eu/europass/en.
  • Letter of Motivation (1-3 pages) containing a precise description of your academic/professional and personal reasons for the planned study project. Please also read our Important Scholarship Information / Section B, Point 1.
  • DAAD Form “Study course profile” duly completed (please specify 3 Master’s programmes). Please be aware that DAAD does not consider your suggestions of master programmes which charge tuition fees. This should be taken into consideration while deciding for the master programmes. Please also note the information on how to fill in the form ‘Study course profile‘. The form can be subject to change every year, therefore only access the most recent version by using the link above.
  • Applicants who already hold a Master’s degree or are in the process of completing a Master’s degree can only be considered in well-justified cases, if they can explain conclusively, why they would like to obtain another master’s degree. Please fill in the form “Additional Master’s Degree”.
  • Proof of necessary language skills for the desired master’s programmes. Please also read our important information for scholarship applicants / Section A, Point 9.
  • University degree certificate indicating final grade(s) including transcripts of records for all study years with all individual grades incl. explanation of grading system
  • Copies of your passport/national identification card and copies of your passport’s/national identification card’s biodata page and other documents containing information about you and your current residence status
  • For refugees: Refugee ID-Card and UNHCR registration or official proof of asylum by authorities or government.

Optional:
Other documents that might be of relevance to your application (e.g., certificates of employment and/or internship, proof of former scholarships, extracurricular engagement, recommendation letters, (expired) admissions to a German master programme).

How to Apply

1. Register in the DAAD portal (Read notes about registering in the portal >>)

2. Applying online in the DAAD portal (Read notes on applying in the portal >>)

  • Download and complete the online application form
  • Prepare application documents
  • If necessary, translate documents (unless they are already in German or English).
  • Scan paper documents (except references) and save in PDF format. Please note that you can only upload PDF files to the portal.
  • Upload the completed application form and the other application documents to the portal in PDF format. Translations, if applicable, should be uploaded together with the document issued in the original language.
  • Submit the uploaded application documents online.

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