Heinrich Böll Scholarships for Masters and PhD Students in Germany

If you are looking for a way to fund your Master’s degree or doctoral research in Germany, the Heinrich Böll Foundation’s scholarship programme is one of the most well established options for international students. Known in Germany as the “Green political foundation,” Heinrich Böll Stiftung has been supporting young people who combine academic excellence with social commitment and political interest since the foundation’s earliest days. Every year, the foundation supports around 1,650 students from all academic backgrounds and types of higher education institutions, with up to 250 new scholarship holders joining the programme annually.

This guide brings together everything international applicants need to know about the Master’s and PhD scholarship tracks: who is eligible, how much funding you can expect, what documents you need, how the selection process works, and how to actually submit your application. The goal is to give you one clear, organised resource instead of having to piece information together from several official PDFs.

What Makes This Scholarship Different:

The Heinrich Böll Foundation does not simply hand out money for tuition and living costs. The programme is built around the idea of “promoting talent” in a holistic sense. Alongside financial support, scholarship holders are expected to engage with the foundation’s core values: ecology and sustainability, democracy and human rights, and self determination and justice. The foundation is also explicitly committed to the United Nations 2030 Agenda and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, so applicants who can show genuine social or political engagement, not just strong grades, tend to stand out.

Funding comes from Germany’s Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) and the Federal Foreign Office, which is why the application process follows strict federal guidelines and deadlines.

Who Can Apply:

The programme has two separate tracks, one for students working toward a Master’s degree and one for doctoral (PhD) candidates. Within each track, the requirements differ slightly depending on whether you are an EU national or a non-EU national, and whether you completed your earlier education in Germany or abroad.

Master’s (Graduate) Scholarship Applicants

You may be eligible for the graduate scholarship if the following applies to you.

• You have already completed a first degree (Bachelor’s degree, intermediate diploma, or equivalent) outside Germany.
• You are applying before the start of your Master’s programme in Germany, not partway through it.
• You intend to study full time at a state or state recognised German university.
• Your chosen Master’s programme has a standard duration of at least four semesters; shorter Master’s programmes are not funded.
• You can demonstrate German language proficiency at Level B2 or the DSH 1 exam, with a certificate.

Courses from all academic disciplines qualify. Priority within the applicant pool is given to candidates from DAC countries (the OECD Development Assistance Committee’s list of recipient countries) who have not yet taken up residence in Germany at the time they apply. Refugees may apply regardless of their asylum status and, unlike most applicants, are not restricted to fixed application windows.

PhD Scholarship Applicants:

The doctoral track is open to German and international PhD candidates alike, though this guide focuses on the requirements for international applicants. To qualify, you generally need the following.

• Proof of admission to doctoral studies at a state or state recognised university, normally in Germany.
• A completed university diploma or Master’s degree, submitted at the time of application.
• Preliminary work on your PhD project already underway, along with a realistic timetable for completing the degree.
• German language proficiency at Level B2 or DSH 1, supported by a certificate (this requirement applies to international applicants; German nationals educated in Germany are exempt).

As with the Master’s track, priority is given to international applicants from DAC countries who have not yet relocated to Germany when they submit their application. PhD subjects connected to the foundation’s own focus areas, such as the Research Cluster on Social and Ecological Transformation, are given particular consideration, although applications from all disciplines are accepted.

Special Target Groups

While the foundation aims to combine high academic achievement with equal opportunity, it gives special, though not exclusive, consideration to several groups of applicants.

• International graduate and doctoral students, especially those from the Global South or from conflict regions.
• Women, particularly those studying STEM subjects.
• Students in STEM fields, with particular interest in environmental science and ecology, as well as economics, art, administrative science and management, and journalism.
• Members of minority groups.
• Refugees, who may apply at any time regardless of asylum status or current semester of study.

Funding and Benefits:

Scholarship amounts differ between the Master’s and PhD tracks and depend on your nationality and educational background. The figures below reflect the most recent published rates.

Master’s Scholarship Funding

• EU nationals and students not educated in Germany receive funding calculated similarly to the German BAföG system, based on parental income, personal assets, or earnings. This amounts to a maximum of €855 per month plus a €300 study costs allowance, with possible additional family, childcare, or health insurance allowances.
• Non-EU nationals and students not educated in Germany receive a flat €992 per month plus various individual allowances, with possible health insurance support.
• Scholarship holders may receive additional funding for limited periods spent abroad for study or internship purposes.
• Tuition fee funding is generally not available in Germany, though it may be possible to a limited extent for periods of study in other countries.

PhD Scholarship Funding

• German nationals and EU students not educated in Germany receive €1,550 per month as a basic scholarship plus a €100 monthly research costs allowance. From October 2025, this basic amount rises to €1,650 per month.
• Non-EU nationals not educated in Germany receive €1,400 per month plus a €100 monthly mobility allowance, along with various individual allowances.
• The regular scholarship duration is three and a half years (three years as standard, extendable by up to six months).
• Scholarship holders may receive additional funding for limited research trips abroad, such as for conferences or fieldwork.
• As with the Master’s track, tuition fee funding within Germany is generally not available, though non-EU PhD candidates have no provision for tuition support at all, and EU candidates may receive limited support for fees abroad.

The Three-Stage Selection Process:

Every application, whether for the Master’s or PhD track, goes through the same three-stage selection process. At each stage, only a portion of applicants move forward, and you will be informed in writing of the outcome after every stage.

Stage One: Written Application

Your written application, including your personal reference on social commitment and your expert academic reference, is reviewed by two staff members, one from the Studienwerk scholarship division and one from another department of the foundation. They decide jointly whether your file proceeds. The key criteria at this stage are as follows.

• A very strong school, college, or university academic record.
• For PhD applicants specifically, a convincing research project, meaning an exposé with an innovative line of enquiry, a realistic timetable, and preliminary work that has already reached an advanced stage.
• Evidence of social commitment and political interest.
• Convincing, specific reasons for applying to the Heinrich Böll Foundation rather than another funding body.

Stage Two: Interview with a Liaison Lecturer

If you advance, a liaison lecturer appointed by the foundation will conduct an interview with you, usually around one hour long. This typically happens in person at the lecturer’s place of residence in Germany, though telephone or digital interviews are sometimes permitted in exceptional cases. For Master’s applicants, the conversation covers your ability to study, your academic record, your chosen field, and sometimes your social and political engagement. For PhD applicants, it goes deeper into your thesis topic, your theoretical and methodological approach, your research timetable, your career goals, and your personal suitability for doctoral work. The lecturer then writes a formal report that becomes part of your file.

Stage Three: Digital Interview with the Selection Committee

Based on the liaison lecturer’s report and the quality of your written exposé, a final group of applicants is invited to a digital interview with a selection committee. This committee typically includes three to four members, among them one or two external experts, a current scholarship holder, and a staff member of the Studienwerk. The interview focuses on assessing your professional and personal abilities, in line with the foundation’s published Mission Statement on Promoting Young Talent. For PhD applicants, it is worth noting that most committee members will not be specialists in your exact research field, so being able to explain your project clearly to a general academic audience matters.

If you have already reached stage three in a previous application cycle and received a rejection, you are not permitted to reapply.

Documents You Will Need:

Application requirements differ slightly between the Master’s and PhD tracks. Both require everything to be uploaded as PDF files through the foundation’s online portal.

Checklist for Master’s Applicants

• Completed application form (Bewerbungsbogen Studienstipendium), filled out directly in the provided PDF template.
• A copy of your university entrance qualification (Abitur, baccalaureate, or equivalent), translated into German or English if necessary.
• A certified copy of your first degree certificate, with translation if needed, including an explanation of your grading system if it differs from the German model.
• A list of your previous academic achievements, such as an official transcript of records from your university’s examination office. If no average grade is listed, you are expected to calculate one yourself.
• Your student enrolment certificate (Immatrikulationsbescheinigung). This is the one document that may be submitted later, up to the third selection stage, if it is not yet available.
• Written proof of German language proficiency at Level B2 or DSH 1.
• A third party reference on your social commitment, written using the foundation’s official form by someone who is neither a friend nor a family member.
• An expert academic reference from a university or college lecturer, also using the official form.
• Refugees should additionally include documentation of their residence permit or asylum status, or explain their situation directly in the application form if such documentation is unavailable.

Checklist for PhD Applicants

• Completed PhD scholarship application form, covering your personal data, CV, motivation, and an outline of your doctoral project.
• A copy of your degree certificate or equivalent, translated if necessary, available at the time of application.
• Certification from your university confirming admission to doctoral studies, or a justified confirmation letter from your supervisor if formal certification is not yet available.
• Proof of German language proficiency at Level B2 or DSH 1 (required for international applicants).
• A detailed exposé of your research project, no more than ten pages total. This should include up to eight pages outlining your research topic, current state of research, theoretical background, methodology, and academic and social relevance, complete with a bibliography; one page summarising the structure of your thesis; and one page setting out your preliminary research plan and timetable, covering at most 36 months.
• A third party reference on your social commitment, using the official form, from someone outside your immediate circle of friends and family.
• Two expert academic references from university lecturers, using the official form. One of these must come from your main PhD supervisor, and both should be a professor, assistant professor, or recognised private lecturer.
• Refugees should include documentation of their residence permit or asylum status where possible.

In both tracks, your personal social commitment reference and your academic expert reference must come from two different people. The foundation is strict about this separation.

Important Application Rules:

A number of administrative details trip up otherwise strong applicants, so it is worth reading these carefully before you start.

• All documents must generally be submitted in German, though personal references, expert references, and PhD exposés are also accepted in English.
• Every reference must be submitted through exactly one channel: either uploaded directly to the application portal, sent by the referee themselves by email to studienwerk@boell.de, or posted with an original signature. Submitting the same document through multiple channels creates unnecessary duplication and delays.
• A handwritten signature is required on references unless the referee emails the document directly from their own email address, in which case no signature is needed.
• Applications are only considered complete if every required document arrives by the deadline. The single exception across both tracks is the university enrolment or admission confirmation, which may follow later in the process.
• Application deadlines are strictly binding, with no exceptions permitted.
• The password protected online portal opens at least six weeks before each deadline, and once you submit your final application, you can no longer log back in, so make sure everything is finalised before you click submit.
• Complete your application form using Adobe Acrobat Reader, and keep your answers within the space provided on the form so they remain legible when printed.
• It is strongly recommended that you submit your application well before the deadline rather than waiting until the final day, since the system can become overloaded close to the cutoff.

How to Apply: Step by Step:

1. Confirm that you can realistically meet the upcoming deadline and that you satisfy the formal eligibility requirements for your track.
2. Read through the official application formalities and selection process in detail so there are no surprises later.
3. Start gathering your required documents early, especially your expert and social commitment references, since these depend on other people’s availability.
4. Register on the online application portal once it opens, roughly six weeks before the deadline.
5. Fill in all required information and upload your documents directly into the portal.
6. Submit your completed online application before the deadline. You will receive a confirmation email immediately afterward.

Upcoming Application Deadlines:

The Heinrich Böll Foundation accepts applications twice each year. Based on the current application cycle, the relevant dates are as follows.

• Fall 2026 cycle: portal opens 15 July 2026, application deadline 1 September 2026.
• Spring 2027 cycle: portal opens 15 January 2027, application deadline 1 March 2027.

Because deadlines and portal access windows can shift slightly from year to year, applicants should always confirm the current dates on the foundation’s official scholarships page before finalising their plans.

Beyond Funding: What Scholarship Holders Receive

The financial scholarship is only part of what the Heinrich Böll Foundation offers. Once accepted, scholarship holders gain access to a wide range of non-material support designed to build both academic and civic skills.

• A programme of events, including specialised political education sessions, a summer academy known as “Campus,” workshops on key competencies, self-organised study groups, and career events for students.
• Individual consultations on academic planning and career orientation.
• The “Grün vernetzt” (Green Network) mentoring and coaching programme, which connects scholarship holders with alumni and volunteers across the foundation and helps with finding internships at the foundation’s offices worldwide.
• Networking opportunities for alumni through events such as the Alumni Salon.
• For PhD scholars specifically, a dedicated PhD scholar forum focused on science and higher education policy, along with workshops on academic writing and time management, career orientation seminars, and support for research trips abroad such as conferences or fieldwork.
• Involvement with the foundation’s Research Cluster on Social and Ecological Transformation, which supports interdisciplinary dialogue and science policy consulting among a broad network of university and research institute partners.

Contact and Further Resources

For questions about eligibility, documents, or the application process, you can reach the Scholarship Department directly.

• Heinrich Böll Foundation, Scholarship Department, Schumannstraße 8, 10117 Berlin, Germany.
• Telephone: +49 (0) 30 285 34-400.
• Fax: +49 (0) 30 285 34-409.
• Email: studienwerk@boell.de.
• Website: www.boell.de/scholarships.
• Telephone office hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Before you begin compiling your application, it is worth reviewing the foundation’s official information sheets for graduate and PhD applicants, as well as its published Mission Statement on Promoting Young Talent, since the selection committee evaluates applicants directly against the values laid out there.

This scholarship is highly competitive, and there is no legal entitlement to funding even if you meet every formal requirement. That said, the foundation is transparent about what it is looking for: strong academic performance, a genuine and well articulated research or study plan, and real evidence of civic and political engagement. Applicants who prepare early, follow the formatting and submission rules precisely, and choose referees who can speak concretely to their commitment tend to have the strongest chances of moving through all three selection stages.